TA
B5
2/
ARTES
LIBRARY
1837
VERITAS
SCIENTIA
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN |
TUEBOR
QUER:S PENINSULAAN AMO NAM
CIRCUNSPICE
GIFT OF
REGENT LLHUBBARD
Hubbard
Imag. Voy.
PR
3724
.G8
1747
TRAVELS
INTO SEVERAL
REMOTE NATIONS
OF THE
WORLD.
In FOUR PARTS.
By LEMUEL GULLIVER,
Firſt a SURGEON, and then a CAPTAIN of
feveral SHIPS.
The FIFTH EDITION, Corrected.
LONDON:
Printed for CHARLES BATHURST, at the
Cross Keys in Fleet-Street.
MDCCXLVII.
THE
CONTENTS.
PART I.
A Voyage to LILLIPUT.
CHA P. I.
The Author gives fome Account of himſelf and Family,
his firft Inducements to travel. He is fhipwrecked,
and fwims for his Life, gets fafe on Shore in the
Country of Lilliput, is made a Prifoner, and carried
up the Country.
CHA P. II.
P. I'
The Emperor of Lilliput, attended by feveral of the No-
bility, comes to fee the Author in his Confinement.
The Emperor's Perfon and Habit defcribed. Learned
Men appointed to teach the Author their Language.
He gains Favour by his mild Difpofition. His Pockets
are ſearched, and his Sword and Piſtols taken from
him.
CHA P. III.
P. 12
The Author diverts the Emperor and his Nobility of both
Sexes in a very uncommon Manner. The Diverfions
of the Court of Lilliput defcribed. The Author has
bis Liberty granted him upon certain Conditions. p. 23
CHA P. IV.
A
The CONTENTS.
CHA P. IV.
Mildendo, the Metropolis of Lilliput, deferibed, toge-
ther with the Emperor's Palace. A Converfation
between the Author and a principal Secretary concern-
ing the Affairs of that Empire. The Author's Offer
10 ferve the Emperor in his Wars.
CHAP. V.
P. 31
The Author, by an extraordinary Stratagem, prevents
an Invafion. A high Title of Honour is conferred up-
on him. Ambaſſadors arrive from the Emperor of
Blefufcu, and Jue for Peace. The Empress's Apart-
ment on Fire by an Accident; the Author inftrumental
in faving the rest of the Palace.
p. 36
CHAP. VI.
Of the Inhabitants of Lilliput; their Learning, Larus,
and Customs, the Manner of educating their Children.
The Author's Way of Living in that Country. His
Vindication of a great Lady.
CHAP. VII.
P. 43
The Author, being informed of a Deſign to accuse him of
High-Treafon, makes his Efcape to Blefufcu.
Reception there.
CHA P. VIII.
His
P. 54
The Author, by a lucky Accident, finds Means to leave
Blefufcu; and, after fome Difficulties, returns fafe
to his native Country.
PART II.
A Voyage to BROBDING NAG,
CHA P. I.
p. 63
great Storm defcribed, the Long-boat fent to fetch Wa-
ter, the Author goes with it to discover the Country.
He
The CONTENTS.
He is left on Shore, is feized by one of the Natives,
and carried to a Farmer's Houfe. His Reception there,
with feveral Accidents that happened there. A De-
fcription of the Inhabitants.
CHA P. II.
P. 70
A Deſcription of the Farmer's Daughter. The Author
carried to a Market-Town, and then to the Metropo-
lis. The Particulars of his Journey.
CHA P. III.
p. 83
The Author fent for to Court. The Queen buys him of his
Mafter the Farmer, and presents him to the King.
He difputes with his Majesty's great Scholars. An
Apartment at Court provided for the Author. He is
in high Favour with the Queen. He ftands up for
the Honour of his own Country. His Quarrels with
the Queen's Dwarf.
CHA P. IV.
P. 90
The Country defcribed. A Propofal for correcting mo-
dern Maps. The King's Palace, and fome Account of
the Metropolis. The Author's Way of Travelling.
The chief Temple defcribed.
CHAP. V.
P. 1or
Several Adventures that happened to the Author. The
Execution of a Criminal. The Author fhews his Skill
in Navigation.
CH A P. VI,
P. 106.
Several Contrivances of the Author to please the King
and Queen. He fhews his Skill in Mufic. The King
enquires into the State of Europe, which the Author
relates to him. The King's Obfervations thereon.
CHA P. VII.
P. 116
The Author's Love of his Country. He makes a Props-
fal of much Advantage to the King, which is rejec
ed. The King's great Ignorance in Politics. The
A 2
Loars
The CONTENT S.
Learning of that Country very imperfect and confined.
Their Laws, and military Affairs, and Parties in
the State.
CHAP. VIII.
p. 125
The King and Queen make a Progress to the Frontiers.
The Author attends them. The Manner in which he
leaves the Country very particularly related. He re-
turns to England.
P. 132
PART III.
A Voyage to LAPUTA, BALNIBARBI,
LUGGNAGG, GLUBBDUBDRID, and JA-
PAN.
CHAP. I.
The Author fets out on his third Voyage, is taken by Py-
rates. The Malice of a Dutchman. His Arrival
at an Iland. He is received into Laputa. p. 145
CHA P. II.
The Humours and Difpofitions of the Laputians defcribed.
An Account of their Learning. Of the King, and
bis Court. The Author's Reception there. The Inha-
bitants fubject to Fear and Difquietudes. An Account
of the Women.
CHA P. III.
P. 151
A Phanomenon folved by modern Philofophy and Aftrono-
my. The Laputians great Improvements in the lat-
The King's Method of fuppreffing Infurrections.
ter.
CHA P. IV.
P. 160
The Author leaves Laputa, is conveyed to Balnibarbi,
arrives at the Metropolis. A Defcription of the Me-
tropolis, and the Country adjoining. The Author hof-
pitably
The CONTENT S.
pitably received by a great Lord. His Converfa-
tion with that Lord.
CHA P. V.
p. 165
The Author permitted to ſee the grand Academy of La-
gado. The Academy largely defcribed. The Arts
wherein the Profeffors employ themſelves. P. 172
CHAP. VI.
A further Account of the Academy. The Author propoſes
Some Improvements, which are honourably received.
CHAP. VII.
p. 180
The Author leaves Lagado, arrives at Maldonada. No
Ship ready. He takes a ſhort Voyage to Glubbdubdrib.
His Reception by the Governor.
CHAP.
VIII.
p. 186
A further Account of Glubbdubdrib. Ancient and Mo-
dern Hiftory corrected.
CHA P. IX.
P. 190
The Author's Return to Maldonada. Sails to the King-
dom of Luggnagg. The Author confined. He is fent
for to Court. The Manner of his Admittance. The
King's great Lenity to his Subjects.
СНАР. Х.
p. 196
The Luggnuggians commended. A particular Deſcription
of the Struldbrugs, with many Converſations between
the Author and fome eminent Perfons, upon that Sub-
ject.
CHA P. XI.
P. 200
The Author leaves Luggnagg, and fails to Japan. From
thence he returns in a Dutch Ship to Amſterdam,
and from Amfterdam to England.
p. 209
PART IV.
The CONTENTS.
PART IV.
A VOYAGE to the Country of the
HOUYHNHNMS.
CHAP I.
The Author fets out as Captain of a Ship. His Men con-
Spire against him, confine him a long Time to his Cab-
bin. Set him on Shore in an unknown Land. He tra-
vels up into the Country. The Yahoos, a ſtrange Sort
of Animal, defcribed. The Author meets two Houy-
hnhnms.
CHA P. II.
P. 213
The Author conducted by a Houyhnhnm to his Houfe. The
Houfe defcribed. The Author's Reception. The Food of
the Houyhnhnms. The Author in Diftrefs for Want
of Meat, is at laſt relieved. His Manner of Feeding
in this Country.
CHA P.
III.
P. 220
The Author Audious to learn the Language; the Houy-
hnhnm, his Master, affifts in teaching him. The
Language defcribed. Several Houyhnhnms of Quality
came out of Curiofity to fee the Author. He gives his
Mafter a fhort Account of his Voyage.
CHA P. IV.
P. 227
The Houyhnhnms Notion of Truth and Falfhood. The
Author's Difcourfe diſapproved by his Mafter. The
Author gives a more particular Account of himſelf,
and the Accidents of his Voyage.
CHA P. V.
P. 233
The Author, at his Mafter's Commands, informs him of
the State of England. The Caufes of War among the
Princes of Europe. The Author begins to explain the
English Conftitution.
P. 239
CHAP VI.
The CONTENTS.
CHAP. VI.
A Continuation of the State of England. The Cha-
racter of a First or Chief Minister of State in Euro-
pean Courts.
CHA P. VII.
P. 246
The Author's great Love of his native Country. His
Master's Obfervations upon the Conftitution and Ad-
miniftration of England, as defcribed by the Author,
with parallel Cafes and Comparisons. His Mafter's
Obfervations upon Human Nature.
CHAP. VIII.
P. 253
The Author relates feveral Particulars of the Yahoos.
The great Virtues of the Houyhnhnms. The Educa-
tion and Exercise of their Youth. Their general Aſ-
fembly.
CHA P. IX.
Af
P. 261
A grand Debate at the General Affembly of the Houy-
hnhnms, and how it was ditermined. The Learn-
ing of the Houyhnhnms. Their Buildings. Their
Manner of Burials. The Defectiveness of their Lan-
guage.
CHA P. X.
P. 267
The Author's Oeconomy, and happy Life, among the Houy-
hnhnms. His great Improvement in Virtue, by con-
verfing with them. Their Converſations. The Au-
thor has Notice given him by his Mafter, that he must
depart from the Country. He falls into a Swoon for
Grief; but fubmits. He contrives, and finishes a
Canoo, by the Help of a Fellow-fervant, and puts to
Sea at a Venture.
P. 273
XI.
CHA P.
The Author's dangerous Voyage.
Holland, hoping to fettle there.
Arrow by one of the Natives.
by Force into a Portugueze Ship.
He arrives at New-
Is wounded with an
Is feized and carried
The great Civili-
ties
The CONTENT S.
ties of the Captain. The Author arrives at England.
CHAP. XII.
P. 281
The Author's Veracity. His Defign in publishing this
Work. His Cenfure of thofe Travellers who fwerve
from the Truth. The Author clears himself from any
finifter Ends in writing. An Objection anfuered.
The Method of planting Colonies. His Native Coun-
try commended. The Right of the Crown to thoſe
Countries defcribed by the Author, is juftified. The
Difficulty of conquering them. The Author takes his
laft Leave of the Reader; propofeth his Manner of
Living for the future; gives good Advice, and con-
cludeth.
p. 290
TRAVELS
Plate I. Part I.Page 1.
Hogs
P. Mintaon.
L.Good Fortune.
I.Naflow.
SUND
Sillabar
MATRA
Straits of Sunday
Mildendo
Blehifcu.
Lilliput.
Difcovered A.D. 1999.
Dimens Land.
}
TRAV E L S.
PART. I.
A Voyage to LILLIPUT.
CHAP.
I.
He is
The Author gives fome Account of himself and Fa-
mily, his first Inducements to travel.
Shipwrecked, and fwims for his Life, gets ſafe
on Shore in the Country of Lilliput, is made a
Prifoner, and carried up the Country.
M
Y Father had a ſmall Efiate in Nottingham-
fhire; I was the Third of five Sons. He
fent me to Emanuel College in Cambridge,
at fourteen Years old, where I refided three
Years, and applied myſelf cloſe to my Studies; but the
Charge of maintaining me (although I had a very fcanty
Allowance) being too great for a narrow Fortune, I was
bound Apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent Sur-
geon in London, with whom I continued four Years;
and my Father now and then ſending me ſmall Sums of
Money, I laid them out in learning Navigation, and
other Parts of the Mathematics, uſeful to thofe who in-
tend to travel, as I always believed it would be fome
Time or other my Fortune to do. When I left Mr.
Bates, I went down to my Father; where, by the Af-
fistance of him and my Uncle John, and fome other Re-
lations, I got forty Pounds, and a Promife of thirty
Pounds a Year to maintain me at Leyden: There I ſtu-
died
B
2
A VOYAGE
died Phyfic two Years and feven Months, knowing it
would be uſeful in long Voyages.
Soon after my return from Leyden, I was recom-
mended by my good Mafter Mr. Bates, to be Surgeon
to the Swallow, Captain Abraham Pannell, Comman-
der; with whom I continued three Years and a half,
making a Voyage or two into the Levant, and fome
other Parts. When I came back, I refolved to ſettle
in London, to which Mr. Bates, my Mafter, encouraged
me, and by him I was recommended to feveral Patients.
I took Part of a ſmall Houfe in the Old Fury; and be-
ing adviſed to alter my Condition, I married Mrs. Ma-
ry Burton, fecond Daughter to Mr. Edmund Burton, Ho-
fier, in Newgate Street, with whom I received four-
hundred Pounds for a Portion.
But, my good Matter Bates dying in two Years after,
and I having few Friends, my Buſineſs began to fail
for my Confcience would not fuffer me to imitate the
bad Practice of too many among my Brethren. Hav-
ing therefore confulted with my Wife, and fome of my
Acquaintance, I determined to go again to Sea. I was
Surgeon fucceffively in two Ships, and made feveral
Voyages for fix Years to the Eaft and Weft-Indies, by
which I got fome Addition to my Fortune. My Hours
of Leifure I ſpent in reading the beft Authors, antient
and modern, being always provided with a good Num-
ber of Books; and when I was afhore, in obferving the
Manners and Difpofitions of the People, as well as
learning their Language, wherein I had a great Faci-
lity by the Strength of iny Memory.
The laft of thefe Voyages not proving very fortunate,
I grew weary of the Sea, and intended to ſtay at Home
with my Wife and Family. I removed from the Old-
Fury to Fetter-Lane, and from thence to Wapping,
hoping to get Bufinefs among the Sailors; but it would
not turn to Account. After three Years Expectation
that Things would mend, I accepted an advantageous
Offer from Captain William' Prichard, Maſter of the
Antelope, who was making a Voyage to the South-Sea.
We
to LILLIPUT.
3
We fet Sail from Bristol, May 4th, 1699, and our Voy-
age at firſt was very profperous.
It would not be proper, for fome Reaſons, to trou-
ble the Reader with the Particulars of our Adventures
in thoſe Seas: Let it fuffice to inform him, that, in our
Paffage from thence to the Eaft-Indies, we were dri-
ven by a violent Storm to the North-Weft of Van Die-
men's Land. By an Obſervation we found ourſelves in
the Latitude of 30 Degrees 2 Minutes South. Twelve
of our Crew were dead by immoderate Labour, and ill
Food, the reft were in a very weak Condition. On
the fifth of November, which was the Beginning of
Summer in thofe Parts, the Weather being very hazy,
the Seamen ſpied a Rock, within half a Cable's Length
of the Ship; but the Wind was ſo ſtrong, that we were
driven directly upon it, and immediately fplit. Six of
the Crew, of whom I was one, having let down the
Boat into the Sea, made a Shift to get clear of the Ship
and the Rock. We rowed, by my Computation, a-
bout three Leagues, till we were able to work no longer,
being already ſpent with Labour while we were in the
Ship. We therefore trufted ourſelves to the Mercy of
the Waves, and in about half an Hour the Boat was o-
verfet by a fudden Flurry from the North. What be-
came of my Companions in the Boat, as well as of thofe
who escaped on the Rock, or were left in the Veffel, I
cannot tell; but conclude they were all loft. For my
own Part, I fwam as Fortune directed me, and was
puſhed forward by Wind and Tide. I often let my
Legs drop, and could feel no Bottom: But when I was
almoſt gone, and able to ſtruggle no longer, I found
myſelf within my Depth; and by this Time the Storm
was much abated. The Declivity was fo fmall, that I
walked near a Mile before I got to the Shore, which I
conjectured was about Eight a Clock in the Evening.
I then advanced forward near half a Mile, but could
not diſcover any Sign of Houſes or Inhabitants; at leaſt
I was in fo weak a Condition that I did not obſerve
them. I was extremely tired, and that, and the Heat
B 2
of
4
A VOYAGE
of the Weather, and about half a Pint of Brandy that
I drank as I left the Ship, I found myſelf much inclined
to fleep. I lay down on the Grafs, which was very
fhort and foft, where I flept founder than ever I re-
membered to have done in my Life, and, as I reckon-
ed, about nine Hours; for when I awaked, it was juft
Day-light. I attempted to rife, but was not able to
ftir: For as I happened to lie on my Back, I found my
Arms and Legs were ſtrongly faſtened on each Side to
the Ground; and my Hair, which was long and thick,
tied down in the fame Manner. I likewife felt ſeveral
flender Ligatures a-crofs my Body, from my Arm-pits
to my Thighs. I could only look upwards, the Sun
began to grow hot, and the Light offended my Eyes.
I heard a confufed Noife about me, but, in the Pofture
I lay, could fee nothing except the Sky. In a little
Time I felt fomething alive moving on my left Leg,
which advancing gently forward, over my Breaft, came
almoſt up to my Chin; when bending my Eyes down-
ward as much as I could, I perceived it to be a human
Creature not fix Inches high, with a Bow and Arrow
in his Hands, and a Quiver at his Back. In the mean
Time, I felt at leaſt forty more of the fame Kind (as
I conjectured) following the firft. I was in the utmoſt
Aftoniſhment, and roared fo loud, that they all ran
back in a Fright; and fome of them, as I was after-
wards told, were hurt with the Falls they got by leap-
ing from my Sides upon the Ground. However, they
foon returned, and one of them, who ventured ſo far
as to get a full Sight of my Face, lifting up his Hands
and Eyes by Way of Admiration, cried out in a fhrill but
diftinct Voice, Hekinah Degul: The others repeated
the fame Words feveral Times, but I then knew not
what they meant. I lay all this While, as the Reader
may believe, in great Uneafinefs; at length, ftrug-
gling to get looſe, I had the Fortune to break the
Strings, and wrench out the Pegs that faſtened my left
Arm to the Ground; for, by lifting it up to my Face,
I difcovered the Methods they had taken to bind me,
and,
to LILLIPUT.
5
and, at the fame Time, with a violent pull, which gave
me exceffive Pain, I a little loofened the Strings that
tied down my Hair on the left Side, ſo that I was juſt
able to turn my Head about two Inches. But the
Creatures ran off a fecond Time, before I could ſeize
them; whereupon there was a great Shout in a very
fhrill Accent, and after it ceaſed, I heard one of them
cry aloud, Tolgo Phonac; when in an Instant I felt a-
bove an hundred Arrows diſcharged on my left Hand,
which pricked me like fo many Needles; and beſides,
they ſhot another Flight into the Air, as we do Bombs
in Europe, whereof many I fuppofe, fell on my Body
(tho' I felt them not) and fome on my Face, which I
immediately covered with my left Hand. When this
Shower of Arrows was over, I fell a groaning with
Grief and Pain, and then ſtriving again to get loofe,
they diſcharged another Volley larger than the firft, and
fome of them attempted with Spears to flick me in the
Sides; but, by good Luck, I had on me a Buff Jer-
kin, which they could not pierce. I thought it the
moit prudent Method to lie ftill, and my Deſign was to
continue fo till Night, when my left Hand being alrea-
dy looſe, I could eafily free myſelf: And as for the
Inhabitants, I had Reafon to believe I might be a
Match for the greateſt Army they could bring againſt
me, if they were all of the fame Size with him that I
faw. But Fortune diſpoſed otherways of me.
When
the People obſerved I was quiet, they difcharged no
more Arrows: But, by the Noiſe I heard, I knew their
Numbers increaſed; and about four Yards from me, o-
ver-againft my right Ear, I heard a knocking for above
an Hour, like that of People at Work; when turning
my Head that Way, as well as the Pegs and Strings
would permit me, I ſaw a Stage erected, about a Foot
and Half from the Ground, capable of holding four of
the Inhabitants, with two or three Ladders to mount
it: From whence one of them, who feemed to be a
Perfon of Quality, made me a long Speech, whereof I
underſtood not one Syllable. But I fhould have men-
B 3
tioned,
6
A VOYAGE
tioned, that before the principal Perfon began his Ora-
tion, he cried out three Times, Langro Debul fan;
(thefe Words and the former were afterwards repeated
and explained to me). Whereupon immediately about
fifty of the Inhabitants came and cut the Strings that faf-
tened the left Side of my Head, which gave me the Li-
berty of turning it to the Right, and of obſerving the
Perfon and Gefture of him that was to speak. He ap-
peared to be of a middle Age, and taller than any of
the other three who attended him, whereof one was a
Page that held up his Train, and feemed to be fome-
what longer than my middle Finger; the other two
ſtood one on each Side to fupport him. He acted
every Part of an Orator, and I could obſerve many Pe-
riods of Threatnings, and others of Promiſes, Pity, and
Kindness. I anſwered in a few Words, but in the moſt
fubmiffive Manner, lifting up my left Hand and both
my Eyes to the Sun, as calling him for a Witneſs ;
and, being almoſt famiſhed with Hunger, having not
eaten a Morfel for fome Hours before I left the Ship,
I found the Demands of Nature fo ftrong upon me,
that I could not forbear fhewing my Impatience (per-
haps againſt the ſtrict Rules of Decency) by putting my
Finger frequently to my Mouth, to fignify that I want-
ed Food. The Hurgo (for fo they call a great Lord,
as I afterwards learnt) underflood me very well. He de-
fcended from the Stage, and commanded that feveral
Ladders fhould be applied to my Sides, on which above
an hundred of the Inhabitants mounted, and walked
towards my Mouth, laden with Baſkets full of Meat,
which had been provided and fent thither by the King's
Orders, upon the firft Intelligence he received of me.
I obferved there was the Flesh of ſeveral Animals, but
could not diſtinguiſh them by the Tafte. There were
Shoulders, Legs, and Loins, fhaped like thofe of Mutton,
and very well dreffed, but ſmaller than the Wings of a
Lark. I eat them by two or three at a Mouthful,
and took three Loaves at a Time, about the Bigneſs of
Muſket Bullets. They fupplied me as they could, fhew-
ing
to LILLIPUT.
7
ing a thouſand Marks of Wonder and Aftoniſhment at
my Bulk and Appetite. I then made another Sign that
I wanted Drink. They found by my Eating, that a
fmall Quantity would not fuffice me, and being a moft
ingenious People, they flung up with great Dexterity one
of their largeſt Hogfheads, then rolled it towards my
Hand, and beat out the Top; I drank it off at a
Draught, which I might well do, for it did not hold
half a Pint, and tafted like a ſmall Wine of Burgundy,
but much more delicious. They brought me a ſecond
Hogfhead, which I drank in the fame Manner, and
made Signs for more; but they had none to give me.
When I had performed theſe Wonders, they ſhouted for
Joy, and danced upon my Breast, repeating feveral Times
as they did at firſt, Hekinah Degul. They made me a
Sign that I ſhould throw down the two Hogfheads, but
firit warning the People below to stand out of the Way,
crying aloud, Borach Mevola, and when they faw the
Veffels in the Air, there was an univerfal Shout of He-
kinah Degul. I confefs, I was often tempted, while they
were paffing backwards and forwards on my Body, to
feize forty or fifty of the firft that came in my Reach,
and daſh them againſt the Ground. But the Remem-
brance of what I had felt, which probably might not be
the Worft they could do, and the Promife of Honour I
made them, for fo I interpreted my fubmiffive Behavi-
our, foon drove out thefe Imaginations. Befides, I
now confidered myſelf as bound by the Laws of Hofpi-
tality to a People who had treated me with fo much
Expence and Magnificence. However, in my Thoughts,
I could not fufficiently wonder at the Intrepidity of theſe
diminutive Mortals, who durft venture to mount and
walk upon my Body, while one of my Hands was at
Liberty, without trembling at the very Sight of fo pro-
digious a Creature, as I muſt appear to them. After
fome Time, when they`obſerved that I made no more
Demands for Meat, there appeared before me a Per-
fon of high Rank from his Imperial Majefty. His Ex-
cellency, having mounted on the Small of my right
B 4
Leg,
8
AVOYAGE
Leg, advanced forwards up to my Face, with about a
Dozen of his Retinue. And producing his Credentials
under the Signet Royal, which he applied cloſe to my
Eyes, fpoke about ten Minutes, without any Signs of
Anger, but with a Kind of determinate Refolution;
often pointing forwards, which, as I afterwards found,
was towards the Capital City, about half a Mile dif-
tant, whither, it was agreed by his Majefty in Coun-
cil, that I must be conveyed. I anfwered in few
Words, but to no Purpoſe, and made a Sign with my
Hand that was loofe, putting it to the other (but over
his Excellency's Head, for Fear of hurting him or his
Train) and then to my own Head and Body, to fig-
nify that I defired my Liberty. It appeared that
he underſtood me well enough, for he fhook his
Head by Way of Difapprobation, and held his Hand
in a Pollure, to fhew that I must be carried as a Pri-
foner. However, he made other Signs to let me
underſtand that I ſhould have Meat and Drink enough,
and very good Treatment. Whereupon I once more
thought of attempting to break my Bonds
gain, when I felt the Smart of their Arrows, upon
my Face and Hands, which were all in Bliflers, and
many of the Darts ftill fticking in them; and ob-
ferving likewife, that the Number of my Enemies in-
creaſed, I gave Tokens, to let them know, that they
might do with me what they pleafed. Upon this,
the Hurgo, and his Train withdrew, with much Ci-
vility and chearful Countenances. Soon after, I
heard a general Shout, with frequent Repetitions of
the Words, Peplom Selan, and I felt great Numbers
of People on my left Side, relaxing the Cords to fuch
a Degree, that I was able to turn upon my Right,
and to eaſe myſelf with making Water, which I ve-
ry plentifully did, to the great Aftonishment of the
People, who conjecturing, by my Motion, what I
was going to do, immediately opened to the Right
and Left on that Side, to avoid the Torrent which
fell with fuch Noife and Violence from me. But be-
;
but a-
fore
to LILLIPUT.
9
fore this, they had daubed my Face, and both my
Hands, with a Sort of Ointment very pleaſant to
the Smell, which in a few Minutes removed all the
Smart of their Arrows. Theſe Circumftances, added
to the Refreſhment I had received by their Victuals
and Drink, which were very nourishing, difpofed me
to fleep. I flept about eight Hours, as I was after-
wards affured; and it was no Wonder, for the Phy-
ficians, by the Emperor's Order, had mingled a
fleepy Portion in the Hogfheads of Wine.
It ſeems that, upon the firft Moment I was difco-
vered fleeping on the Ground after my Landing, the
Emperor had early Notice of it by an Exprefs; and
determined in Council, that I fhould be tied in the
Manner I have related (which was done in the Night
while I flept) that Plenty of Meat and Drink fhould
be fent to me, and a Machine prepared to carry me
to the Capital City.
This Refolution, perhaps, may appear very bold
and dangerous, and I am confident, would not be imi-
tated by any Prince in Europe on the like Occafion:
However, in my Opinion, it was extremely prudent,
as well as generous: For, fuppofing theſe People had
endeavoured to kill me with their Spears and Arrows.
while I was afleep, I fhould certainly have awaked
with the firft Senſe of Smart, which might fo far have
rouzed my Rage and Strength, as to have enabled me
to break the Strings wherewith I was tied; after
which, as they were not able to make Reſiſtance, ſo
they could expect no Mercy.
Theſe People are moft excellent Mathematicians,
and arrived to a great Perfection in Mechanics, by
the Countenance and Encouragement of the Emperor,
who is a renowned Patron of Learning. This Prince
hath feveral Machines fixed on Wheels, for the Car-
riage of Trees, and other great Weights. He often
builds his largest Men of War, whereof fome are nine
Feet long, in the Woods where the Timber grows,
and has them carried on theſe Engines three or four
hundred
10
AVOYAGE
hundred Yards to the Sea. Five hundred Carpenters
and Engineers were immediately fet at work to pre-
pare the greatest Engine they had. It was a Frame
of Wood raiſed three Inches from the Ground, about
feven Feet long, and four wide, moving upon twenty-
two Wheels. The Shout I heard, was upon the Ar-
rival of this Engine, which, it feems, fet out in four
Hours after my Landing. It was brought parallel to
me as I lay. But the principal Difficulty was, to raiſe
and place me in this Vehicle. Eighty Poles, each of
one Foot high, were erected for this Purpoſe, and
very strong Cords, of the Bignefs of Packthread,
were faftened by Hooks to many Bandages, which the
Workmen had girt round my Neck, my Hands, my
Bedy, and my Legs. Nine hundred of the ftrongeit
Men were employed to draw up thefe Cords by many
Pulleys faftened on the Poles, and thus, in less than
three Hours, I was raiſed, and flung into the Engine,
and there tied faſt. All this I was told, for, while
the whole Operation was performing, I lay in a pro-
found Sleep, by the Force of that foporiferous Medi-
cine infuſed into my Liquor. Fifteen hundred of the
Emperor's largest Horfes, each about four Inches and
an half high, were employed to draw me towards the
Metropolis, which, as I faid, was half a Mile diftant.
About four Hours after we began our Journey, I
awaked, by a very ridiculous Accident; for the Car-
riage being ftopt a while to adjuft fomething that was
out of Order, two or three of the young Natives had
the Curiofity to fee how I looked when I was aſleep;
they climbed up into the Engine, and advancing ve-
ry foftly to my Face, one of them, an Officer in the
Guards, put the fharp End of his Half-pike a good
Way up into my left Noftril, which tickled my Nofe
like a Straw, and made me fneeze violently: Where-
upon they ftole off unperceived, and it was three
Weeks before I knew the Caufe of my awaking fo
fuddenly. We made a long March the remaining Part
of that Day, and refted at Night with five hundred
Guards
to LILLIPUT.
II
Guards on each Side of me, Half with Torches, and
Half with Bows and Arrows, ready to shoot me, if I
ſhould offer to ftir. The next Morning, at Sun-rife,
we continued our March, and arrived within two
hundred Yards of the City Gates about Noon. The
Emperor, and all his Court, came out to meet us,
but his great Officers would by no Means fuffer his
Majefty to endanger his Perfon by mounting on my
Body.
At the Place where the Carriage ftopt, there ftood
an antient Temple, efeemed to be the largeſt in the
whole Kingdom, which, having been polluted fome
Years before by an unnatural Murder, was, according
to the Zeal of thofe People, looked on as prophane,
and therefore had been applied to common Ufe, and
all the Ornaments and Furniture carried away. In
this Edifice, it was determined I fhould lodge. The
great Gate fronting to the North, was about four
Feet high, and almoſt two Feet wide, through which
I could eaſily creep. On each Side of the Gate was a
fmall Window, not above fix Inches from the Ground:
Into that on the left Side, the King's Smith conveyed
fourfcore and eleven Chains, like thofe that hang to
a Lady's Watch in Europe, and almoſt as large, which
were locked to my left Leg, with fix and thirty Pad-
locks. Over-against this Temple, on t'other Side of
the great Highway, at twenty Feet Diſtance, there was
a Turret at least five Feet high. Here the Emperor af-
cended, with many principal Lords of his Court, to
have an Opportunity of viewing me, as I was told, for
I could not fee them. It was reckoned, that above an
hundred thoufand Inhabitants came out of the Town
upon the fame Errand; and, in Spite of my Guards,
I believe there could not be fewer than ten thouſand,
at ſeveral Times, who mounted my Body by the
Help of Ladders. But a Proclamation was foon iffued
to forbid it, upon Pain of Death. When the Work-
men found it was impoffible for me to break loofe,
they cut all the Strings that bound me; whereupon I
rofe
12
AVOYAGE
roſe up with as melancholy a Difpofition as ever I
had in my Life. But the Noife and Aftonifhment of
the People, at ſeeing me rife and walk, are not to
be expreffed. The Chains that held my left Leg,
were about two Yards long, and gave me not only
the Liberty of walking backwards and forwards in a
Semicircle; but, being fixed within four Inches of
the Gate, allowed me to creep in, and lie at my full
Length in the Temple.
CHA P. II.
The Emperor of Lilliput, attended by ſeveral of the
Nobility, comes to fee the Author in his Confine-
ment. The Emperor's Perfon and Habit defcribed.
Learned Men appointed to teach the Author their
Language. He gains Favour by his mild Diſpo-
fition. His Pockets are fearched, and his Sword
and Piftols taken from him.
WH
HEN I found myſelf on my Feet, I looked
about me, and must confefs I never beheld a
more entertaining Profpect. The Country round ap-
peared like a continual Garden, and in the inclofed
Fields, which were generally forty Feet fquare, re-
fembled fo many Beds of Flowers. Thefe Fields
were intermingled with Woods of half a Stang, and
the tallest Trees, as I could judge, appeared to be
feven Feet high. I viewed the Town on my left
Hand, which looked like the painted Scene of a City
in a Theatre.
I had been for fome Hours extremely preffed by
the Neceffities of Nature; which was no Wonder, it
being almoſt two Days fince I had lait disburthened
*myſelf. I was under great Difficulties between Ur-
gency and Shame. The best Expedient I could think
on, was to creep into my Houfe, which I accordingly
did s
to LILLIPUT.
13
did; and fhutting the Gate after me, I went as far
as the Length of my Chain would fuffer, and dif-
charged my Body of that uneafy Load. But this was
the only Time I was ever guilty of fo uncleanly an
Action; for which I cannot but hope the candid Rea-
der will give fome Allowance, after he hath maturely
and impartially confidered my Cafe, and the Diſtreſs
I was in. From this Time, my conftant Practice
was, as foon as I rofe, to perform that Buſineſs in
open Air, at the full Extent of my Chain, and due
Care was taken every Morning, before Company
came, that the offenfive Matter fhould be carried off
in Wheel-barrows, by two Servants appointed for
that Purpoſe. I would not have dwelt fo long upon
a Circumftance, that, perhaps, at firft Sight, may
appear not very momentous, if I had not thought it
neceffary to justify my Character in point of Cleanli-
nefs to the World; which, I am told, fome of my
Maligners have been pleafed, upon this, and other
Occafions, to call in Queſtion.
When this Adventure was at an End, I came back
out of my Houfe, having Occafion for freſh Air. The
Emperor was already defcended from the Tower, and
advancing on Horfe-back towards me, which had like
to have coft him dear; for the Beast, though very
well trained, yet wholly unuſed to fuch a Sight,
which appeared as if a Mountain moved before him,
reared up on his hinder Feet: But that Prince, who
is an excellent Horfeman, kept his Seat, till his At-
tendants ran in, and held the Bridle, while his Ma-
jefty had Time to difmount. When he alighted, he
furveyed me round with great Admiration, but kept
without the Length of my Chain. He ordered his
Cooks and Butlers, who were already prepared, to
give me Victuals and Drink, which they puſhed for-
ward in a Sort of Vehicles upon Wheels, till I could
reach them. I took theſe Vehicles, and foon emp-
tied them all; twenty of them were filled with
Meat, and ten with Liquor, each of the former af-
forded
14
A VOYAGE
"
forded me two or three good Mouthfuls, and I emp-
tied the Liquor of ten Veffels, which was contained in
earthen Vials, into one Vehicle, drinking it off at a
Draught, and fo I did with the reft. The Emprefs,
and young Princes of the Blood, of both Sexes, at-
tended by many Ladies, fat at fome Diſtance in their
Chairs; but, upon the Accident that happened to
the Emperor's Horfe, they alighted, came near his
Perfon, which I am now going to deſcribe. He is
taller by almoft the Breadth of my Nail, than any of
his Court, which, alone, is enough to strike an Awe
into the Beholders. His Features are ftrong and Maf-
culine, with an Auftrian Lip and arched Nofe, his
Complexion Olive, his Countenance erect, his Body
and Limbs well proportioned, all his Motions grace-
ful, and his Deportment majeftic. He was then paft
his Prime, being twenty-eight Years and three Quar-
ters old, of which he had reigned about feven, in
great Felicity, and generally victorious. For the bet-
ter Convenience of beholding him, I lay on my Side,
fo that my Face was parrallel to his, and he ftood but
three Yards off: However, I had him fince many
Times in my Hand, and therefore cannot be deceived
in the Defcription. His Drefs was very plain and
fimple, and the Faſhion of it, between the Aftatick
and the European: But he had on his Head a light
Helmet of Gold, adorned with Jewels, and a Plume
on the Creſt. He held his Sword drawn in his Hand,
to defend himſelf, if I fhould happen to break looſe;
it was almoft three Inches long, the Hilt and Scab-
bard were Gold enriched with Diamonds. His Voice
was fhrill, but very clear and articulate, and I could
diftinctly hear it when I ſtood up. The Ladies and
Courtiers were all moft magnificently clad, fo that
the Spot they flood upon, feemed to reſemble a Pet-
ticoat fpread on the Ground, embroidered with Fi-
gures of Gold and Silver. His Imperial Majefty fpoke
often to me, and I returned Anſwers, but neither of
us could underſtand a Syllable. There were ſeveral
of
to LILLIPUT.
15
of his Priefts and Lawyers preſent, (as I conjectured
by their Habits) who were commanded to addrefs
themſelves to me, and I fpoke to them in as many
Languages as I had the leaft Smattering of, which
were High and Low Dutch, Latin, French, Spanish,
Italian, and Lingua Franca; but all to no Purpoſe.
After about two Hours the Court retired, and I was
left with a ſtrong Guard, to prevent the Imperti-
nence, and, probably, the Malice of the Rabble, who
were very impatient to croud about me as near as
they durft, and fome of them had the Impudence to
fhoot their Arrows at me as I fat on the Ground by
the Door of my Houfe, whereof one very narrowly
miffed my left Eye. But the Colonel ordered fix of
the Ring-leaders to be feized, and thought no Punish-
ment fo proper, as to deliver them bound into my
Hands, which fome of his Soldiers accordingly did,
puſhing them forwards with the But-ends of their
Pikes into my Reach; I took them all in my right
Hand, put five of them into my Coat-pocket, and as
to the fixth, I made a Countenance as if I would eat
him alive. The poor Man fqualled terribly, and the
Colonel and his Officers were in much Pain, eſpecially
when they faw me take out my Penknife: But I foon
put them out of Fear; for, looking mildly, and im-
mediately cutting the Strings he was bound with, I
fet him gently on the Ground, and away he ran; I
treated the reft in the fame Manner, taking them,
one by one, out of my Pocket, and I obferved both
the Soldiers and People were obliged at this Mark of
my Clemency, which was reprefented very much to
my Advantage at Court.
Towards Night I got with fome Difficulty into
my Houfe, where I lay on the Ground, and conti-
nued to do fo about a Fortnight; during which Time,
the Emperor gave Orders to have a Bed prepared
for me.
Six hundred Beds of the common Meaſure
were brought in Carriages, and worked up in my
Houfe; an hundred and fifty of their Beds, fown
together,
16
AVOYAGE
together, made up the Breadth and Length; and
theſe were four double, which, however, kept me
but very indifferently from the Hardness of the Floor,
that was of fmooth Stone. By the fame Computa-
tion, they provided me with Sheets, Blankets, and
Coverlets, tolerable enough for one who had been fo
Iong inured to Hardships.
As the News of my Arrival fpread through the
Kingdom, it brought prodigious Numbers of rich,
idle, and curious People to fee me; fo that the
Villages were almoft emptied, and great Neglect of
Tillage and Houſhold Affairs muſt have enfued, if his
Imperial Majefty had not provided, by feveral Pro-
clamations and Orders of State, againſt this Incon-
veniency. He directed, that thofe who had already
beheld me fhould return Home, and not preſume to
come within fifty Yards of my Houfe, without Licence
from Court; whereby the Secretaries of State got con-
fiderable Fees.
In the mean Time, the Emperor had frequent
Councils, to debate what Courfe fhould be taken with
me; and, I was afterwards affured by a particular
Friend, a Perfon of great Quality, who was looked
upon to be as much in the Secret as any, that the
Court was under many Difficulties concerning me.
They apprehended my breaking loofe, that my Diet
would be very expenfive, and might caufe a Famine.
Sometimes they determined to ftarve me, or at leaſt to
foot me in the Face and Hands with poifoned Ar-
rows, which would foon diſpatch me; but again
they confidered, that the Stench of fo large a Carcafe
might produce a Plague in the Metropolis, and pro-
bably spread through the whole Kingdom. In the
Midft of thefe Confultations, feveral Officers of the
Army went to the Door of the great Council Chamber,
and two of them, being admitted, gave an Account
of my Behaviour to the fix Criminals above-mentioned,
which made fo favourable an Impreffion in the Breaſt
of his Majelly, and the whole Board, in my Behalf,
that
to LILLIPUT.
17
that an Imperial Commiffion was iffued out, obliging
all the Villages, nine hundred Yards round the City,
to deliver in every Morning fix Beeves, forty Sheep,
and other Victuals, for my Suftenance; together with
a proportionable Quantity of Bread, and Wine, and
other Liquors; for the due Payment of which, his
Majefty gave Affignments upon his Treaſury. For this
Prince lives chiefly upon his own Demefnes, feldom,
except upon great Occafions, raifing any Subfidies
upon his Subjects, who are bound to attend him in
his Wars, at their own Expence. An Eſtabliſhment
was alfo made of fix hundred Perfons to be my Do-
meſticks, who had Board Wages allowed for their
Maintenance, and Tents built for them very conve-
niently on each Side of my Door. It was likewife
ordered, that three hundred Taylors fhould make me
a Suit of Cloaths after the Faſhion of the Country:
That fix of his Majefty's greateſt Scholars fhould be
employ'd to inftruct me in their Language: And,
laftly, that the Emperor's Horſes, and thoſe of the
Nobility, and Troops of Guards, fhould be frequently
exerciſed in my Sight, to accuftom themſelves to me.
All theſe Orders were duly put in Execution, and, in
about three Weeks, I made a great Progrefs in
learning their Language; during which Time, the
Emperor frequently honoured me with his Vifits, and
was pleaſed to affift my Maſters in teaching me.
began already to converfe together in fome Sort;
and the firſt Words I learnt were to exprefs my Defire
that he would pleaſe to give me my Liberty, which
I every Day repeated on my Knees. His Anfwer, as
I could apprehend it, was, that this muſt be a Work
of Time, not to be thought on without the Advice
of Council, and that firſt I muſt Lumos Kelmin peſſo
defmar lon Empofo; that is, fwear a Peace with him
and his Kingdom. However, that I fhould be uſed
with all Kindneſs; and he adviſed me to acquire,
by my Patience and difcreet Behaviour, the good
Opinion of himſelf and his Subjects. He defired I
C
We
would
18
AVOYAGE
would not take it ill, if he gave Orders to certain
proper Officers to fearch me; for probably I might
carry about me feveral Weapons, which muſt needs
be dangerous Things, if they anfwered the Bulk of ſo
prodigious a Perfon. I faid, his Majefty fhould be
fatisfied, for I was ready to ftrip myfelf, and turn up
my Pockets before him. This I delivered, Part in
Words, and Part in Signs. He replied, that by the
Laws of the Kingdom I muſt be ſearched by two of
his Officers; that he knew this could not be done
without my Conſent and Affiſtance; that he had fo
good an Opinion of my Generofity and Juftice, as to
truſt their Perſons in my Hands: That whatever they
took from me, fhould be returned when I left the
Country, or paid for at the Rate which I would fet
upon them. I took up the two Officers in my Hands,
put them firft into my Coat Pockets, and then into
every other Pocket about me, except my two Fobs,
and another fecret Pocket I had no Mind fhould be
ſearched, wherein I had fome little Neceffaries that
were of no Confequence to any but myself. In one
of my Fobs there was a Silver Watch, and in the
other a fmall Quantity of Gold in a Purſe. Theſe
Gentlemen, having Pen, Ink, and Paper, about them,
made an exact Inventory of every Thing they faw;
and, when they had done, defired I would fet them
down, that they might deliver it to the Emperor.
This Inventory I afterwards tranflated into English,
and is Word for Word as follows:
Imprimis, In the Right Coat Pocket of the Great
Man-Mountain (for fo I interpret the Quinbus Fleftrin,
after the ftricteft Search, we found only one great
Piece of coarfe Cloth) large enough to be a Foot-Cloth
for your Majeſty's chief Room of State. In the Left
Pocket, we faw a huge Silver Cheſt, with a Cover
of the fame Metal, which we, the Searchers, were
not able to lift. We defired it fhould be opened,
and one of us ftepping into it, found himſelf up to
the mid Leg in a Sort of Duſt, ſome Part whereof,
%
flying
to LILLIPUT.
19
Alying up to our Faces, fet us both a fneezing for
feveral Times together. In his Right Waiſtcoat
Pocket, we found a prodigious Bundle of white thin
Subſtances, folded one over another, about the Big-
nefs of three Men, tied with a ftrong Cable, and
marked with black Figures; which we humbly con-
ceive to be Writings, every Letter almoſt half as large
as the Palm of our Hands. In the Left there was
a Sort of Engine, from the Back of which were
extended twenty long Poles, refembling the Palifadoes
before your Majefty's Court; wherewith we conjecture
the Man Mountain combs his Head, for we did not
always trouble him with Queftions, becauſe we found
it a great Difficulty to make him underſtand us.
In the large Pocket on the Right Side of his middle
Cover, (fo I tranflate the Word Ranfu-Lo, by which
they meant my Breeches) we faw a hollow Pillar of
Iron, about the Length of a Man, faſtened to a
ftrong Piece of Timber, larger than the Pillar; and
upon one side of the Pillar were huge Pieces of Iron
ſticking out, cut into ftrange Figures, which we
know not what to make of. In the Left Pocket,
another Engine of the fame Kind. In the ſmaller
Pocket, on the Right Side, were feveral round flat
Pieces of white and red Metal, of different Bulk;
fome of the white, which feemed to be Silver, were
fo large and heavy, that my Comrade and I could
hardly lift them. In the Left Pocket were two black
Pillars, irregularly fhaped: We could not, without
Difficulty, reach the Top of them, as we ftood at the
Bottom of his Pocket. One of them was covered,
and ſeemed all of a Piece: But, at the upper End
of the other, there appeared a white round Subſtance,
about twice the Bignefs of our Heads. Within each
of theſe was incloſed a prodigious Plate of Steel;
which, by our Orders, we obliged him to fhew us,
becauſe we apprehended they might be dangerous
Engines. He took them out of their Cafes, and
told us, that in his own Country, his Practice was to
C 2
fhave
20
AVOYAGE
fhave his Beard with one of thefe, and to cut his
Meat with the other. There were two Pockets which
we could not enter: Theſe he called his Fobs; they
were two large Slits cut into the Top of his middle
Cover, but fqueez'd clofe by the Preffure of his Belly.
Out of the Right Fob hung a great Silver Chain,
with a wonderful Kind of Engine at the Bottom.
We directed him to draw out whatever was faftened
to that Chain; which appeared to be a Globe, half
Silver, and half of fome tranfparent Metal: For on
the tranfparent Side, we faw certain ftrange Fi-
gures, circularly drawn, and thought we could touch
them, till we found our Fingers ſtopped by that lucid
Subſtance. He put this Engine to our Ears, which
made an inceffant Noife, like that of a Water-Mill.
And we conjecture, it is either fome unknown Ani-
mal, or the God that he worſhips: But we are more
inclined to the latter Opinion, becauſe he affured us
(if we underſtood him right, for he expreffed himſelf
very imperfectly) that he feldom did any Thing with-
out confulting it. He called it his Oracle, and faid
it pointed out the Time for every Action of his Life.
From the Left Fob he took out a Net almoft large
enough for a Fiſherman, but contrived to open and
fhut like a Purfe, and ferved him for the fame Uſe:
We found therein feveral maffy Pieces of yellow
Metal, which, if they be real Gold, must be of
immenfe Value.
Having thus, in Obedience to your Majefty's Com-
mands, diligently fearched all his Pockets, we obferved
a Girdle about his Waift, made of the Hide of fome
prodigious Animal, from which, on the Left Side,
hung a Sword of the Length of five Men; and on
the Right, a Bag or Pouch, divided into two Cells,
each Cell capable of holding three of your Majeſty's
Subjects. In one of theſe Cells were feveral Globes,
or Balls, of a moſt ponderous Metal, about the Big-
nefs of our Heads, and required a ftrong Hand to
lift them: The other Cell contained a Heap of
certain
to LILLIPUT.
21
certain black Grains, but of no great Bulk or Weight,
for we could hold above fifty of them in the Palms
of our Hands.
This is an exact Inventory of what we found about
the Body of the Man-Mountain, who uſed us with
great Civility, and due Reſpect to your Majeſty's
Commiffion. Sign'd and feal'd, on the fourth Day
of the eighty-ninth Moon of your Majefty's aufpicious
Reign.
Clefrin Frelock, Marfi Frelock.
When this Inventory was read over to the Emperor,
he directed me, although in very gentle Terms, to
deliver up the feveral Particulars. He first cailed for
my Scymiter, which I took out, Scabbard and all.
In the mean Time, he ordered three thouſand of his
choiceft Troops (who then attended him) to furround
me at a Diſtance, with their Bows and Arrows juſt
ready to diſcharge: Eut I did not obferve it, for
mine Eyes were wholly fixed upon his Majefty. He
then defired me to draw my Scymiter, which, although
it had got fome Ruft by the Sea-Water, was in moft
Parts exceeding bright. I did fo, and immediately all
the Troops gave a Shout, between Terror and Sur-
prize; for the Sun fhone clear, and the Reflection
dazzled their Eyes, as I waved the Scymiter to and
fro in my Hand. His Majefty, who is a moft mag-
nanimous Prince, was lefs daunted than I could expect ;
he ordered me to return it into the Scabbard, and
caft it on the Ground as gently as I could, about
fix Feet from the End of my Chain. The next-
Thing he demanded, was one of the hollow Iron
Pillars, by which he meant my Pocket Pistols. I drew
it out, and at his Defire, as well as I could, expreffed
to him the Uſe of it; and charging it only with
Powder, which, by the Clofenefs of my Pouch, hap-
pened to escape wetting in the Sea (an Inconvenience
against which all prudent Mariners take fpecial Care
to provide) I first cautioned the Emperor not to be
afraid, and then I let it off into the Air. The Afto-
C &
niſhment
22
AVOYAGE
niſhment here was much greater than at the Sight
of my Scymiter. Hundreds fell down, as if they
had been truck dead; and even the Emperor, although
he ftood his Ground, could not recover himſelf in
ſome Time. I delivered up both my Piſtols in the
fame Manner, as I had done my Scymiter, and then
my Pouch of Powder and Bullets; begging him, that
the former might be kept from the Fire, for it would
kindle with the fmalleft Spark, and blow up his
Imperial Palace into the Air. I likewife delivered
up my Watch, which the Emperor was very curious,
to fee, and commanded two of his talleſt Yoemen of
the Guards to bear it on a Pole upon their Shoulders,
as Dray-Men in England do a Barrel of Ale. He was
amazed at the continual Noiſe it made, and the Mo-
tion of the Minute-Hand, which he could eaſily
difcern; for their Sight is much more acute than ours:
And asked the Opinions of his learned Men about
him, which were various and remote, as the Reader
may well imagine without my repeating; although,
indeed, I could not very perfectly understand them.
I then gave up my Silver and Copper Money, my Purfe
with nine large Pieces of Gold, and fome fmaller
ones; my Knife and Razor, my Comb and Silver
Snuff - Box, my Handkerchief, and Journal - Book.
My Scymiter, Piſtols, and Pouch, were conveyed in
Carriages to his Majefty's Stores; but the reft of my
Goods were returned me.
I had, as I before obferved, one private Pocket
which eſcaped their Search, wherein there was a Pair
of Spectacles, (which I fometimes ufe for the Weak-
nefs of mine Eyes) a Pocket Perſpective, and feveral
other little Conveniencies; which being of no Confe-
quence to the Emperor, I did not think myſelf bound
in Honour to diſcover, and I apprehended they might
be loft or ſpoiled, if I ventured them out of my
Poffeffion.
CHAP.
to LILLIPUT.
23
CHA P. III.
The Author diverts the Emperor and his Nobility.
of both Sexes, in a very uncommon Manner.
The Diverfions of the Court of Lilliput deſcribed.
The Author has his Liberty granted him, upon
certain Conditions.
M
Y Gentleness and good Behaviour had gained
fo far on the Emperor and his Court, and
indeed upon the Army and People in general, that I
began to conceive Hopes of getting my Liberty in a
fhort Time. I took all poffible Methods to cultivate
this favourable Difpofition. The Natives came, by
Degrees, to be lefs apprehenfive of any Danger from
me. I would fometimes lie down, and let five or fix
of them dance on my Hand; and, at laft, the Boys
and Girls would venture to come and play at Hide
and Seek in my Hair. I had now made a good
Progreſs in underſtanding and ſpeaking their Language.
The Emperor had a Mind, one Day, to entertain me
with feveral of the Country Shows, wherein they
exceed all Nations I have known, both for Dexterity
and Magnificence. I was diverted with none fo much
as that of the Rope-Dancers performed upon a ſlender
white Thread, extended about two Feet, and twelve
Inches from the Ground. Upon which I ſhall defire
Liberty, with the Reader's Patience, to enlarge a
little.
This Diverfion is only practifed by thofe Perfons
who are Candidates for great Employments, and high
Favour, at Court. They are trained in this Art from
their Youth, and are not always of noble Birth, or
liberal Education. When a great Office is vacant,
either by Death or Difgrace, (which often happens)
five or fix of thofe Candidates petition the Emperor
to entertain his Majeſty and the Court with a Dance
on the Rope, and whoever jumps the higheft, without
falling,
C 4
24
AYOYAGE
falling, fucceeds in the Office. Very often the chief
Minifters themfelves are commanded to fhew their
Skill, and to convince the Emperor that they have
not lost their Faculty. Flimnap, the Treafurer, is
allowed to cut a Caper on the ſtrait Rope, at leaſt an
Inch higher than any other Lord in the whole Empire.
I have feen him do the Summerfet feveral Times
together, upon a Trencher fixed on the Rope, which
is no thicker than a common Pack-Thread in. England.
My Friend Reldrefal, principal Secretary for private
Affairs, is, in my Opinion, if I am not partial, the
fecond after the Treafurer; the reft of the great
Officers are much upon a Par.
Thefe Diverfions are often attended with fatal
Accidents, whereof great Numbers are on Record.
I myſelf have ſeen two or three Candidates break a
Limb. But the Danger is much greater, when the
Miniſters themſelves are commanded to fhew their
Dexterity; for, by contending to excel themſelves and
their Fellows, they ftrain fo far, that there is hardly
one of them who hath not received a Fall, and fome
of them two or three. I was affured, that, a Year
two before my Arrival, Flimnap would have
infallibly broke his Neck, if one of the King's Cu-
fhions, that accidentally lay on the Ground, had not
weakened the Force of his Fall.
or
There is likewiſe another Diverfion, which is only
fhewn before the Emperor and Emprefs, and Firſt
Miniſter, upon particular Occafions. The Emperor
lays on the Table three fine Silken Threads of fix
Inches long; one is Blue, the other Red, and the
third Green. Theſe Threads are propofed as Prizes
for thoſe Perſons whom the Emperor hath a Mind to
diftinguiſh by a peculiar Mark of his Favour. The
Ceremony is performed in his Majefty's great Chamber
of State, where the Candidates are to undergo a Trial
of Dexterity very different from the former, and ſuch
as I have not obſerved the leaft Refemblance of in any
other Country of the old or new World. The Em-
peror
to LILLIPUT.
25
peror holds a Stick in his Hands, both Ends parallel
to the Horizon, while the Candidates advancing, one
by one, fometimes leap over the Stick, fometimes
creep under it backwards and forwards feveral Times,
according as the Stick is advanced or depreffed.
Sometimes the Emperor holds one End of the Stick,
and his Firſt Minifter the other; fometimes the Mini-
fter has it entirely to himſelf. Whoever performs his
Part with moſt Agility, and holds out the longeſt in
Leaping and Creeping, is rewarded with the Blue-
coloured Silk; the Red is given to the next, and the
Green to the third, which they all wear girt twice
round about the Middle; and you fee few great Per-
fons about this Court who are not adorned with one
of thefe Girdles.
The Horfes of the Army, and thofe of the Royal
Stables, having been daily led before me, were no
longer ſhy, but would come up to my very Feet with-
out ftarting. The Riders would leap them over my
Hand as I held it on the Ground, and one of the
Emperor's Huntſmen, upon a large Courfer, took my
Foot, Shoe and all; which was, indeed, a prodigious
Leap. I had the good Fortune to divert the Emperor,
one Day, after a very extraordinary Manner: I defired
he would order feveral Sticks of two Feet high, and
the Thickneſs of an ordinary Cane, to be brought me ;
whereupon his Majefty commanded the Mafter of his
Woods to give Directions accordingly, and the next
Morning fix Wood. Men arrived with as many Carri-
ages, drawn by eight Horfes to each. I took nine of
theſe Sticks, and fixing them firmly in the Ground, in
a quadrangular Figure, two Feet and a half ſquare, I
took four other Sticks, and tied them parallel at each
Corner, about two Feet from the Ground; then I
fastened my Handkerchief to the nine Sticks that ſtood
erect, and extended it on all Sides till it was as tight
as the Top of a Drum; and the four parallel Sticks,
rifing about five Inches higher than the Handkerchief.
ferved as Ledges on each Side. When I had finished
my
26
A VOYAGE
my Work, I defired the Emperor to let a Troop of his
beſt Horſe, twenty-four in Number, come and exerciſe
upon this Plain. His Majefty approved of the Propo-
fal, and I took them up one by one in my Hands,
ready mounted and armed, with the proper Officers to
exerciſe them. As foon as they got in Order, they
divided into two Parties, performed mock Skirmishes,
diſcharged blunt Arrows, drew their Swords, fled and
purfued, attacked and retired, and in ſhort diſcovered:
the beft Military Difcipline I ever beheld. The pa-
rallel Sticks fecured them and their Horfes from falling
over the Stage; and the Emperor was fo much de-
lighted, that he ordered this Entertainment to be
repeated feveral Days, and once was pleafed to be
lifted up, and give the Word of Command; and, with
great Difficulty, perfuaded even the Emprefs herfelf
to let me hold her in her cloſe Chair within two Yards
of the Stage, from whence fhe was able to take a full
View of the whole Performance. It was by good
Fortune that no ill Accident happened in thefe Enter-
tainments, only once a fiery Horſe, that belonged to
one of the Captains, pawing with his Hoof, ftruck a
Hole in my Handkerchief, and his Foot flipping, he
overthrew his Rider and himſelf; but I immediately
relieved them both, and covering the Hole with one
Hand, I fet down the Troop with the other, in the
fame Manner as I took them up. The Horfe that
fell was ftrained in the Left Shoulder, but the Rider
got no Hurt, and I repaired my Handkerchief as well
as I could; however, I would not truſt to the Strength
of it any more in fuch dangerous Enterprizes.
About two or three Days before I was fet at Liberty,
as I was entertaining the Court with thefe Kind of
Feats, there arrived an Expreſs to inform his Majefty,
that fome of his Subjects, riding near the Place where
I was first taken up, had feen a great black Subſtance
lying on the Ground, very oddly fhaped, extended its
Edges round as wide as his Majefty's Bed-Chamber,
and riſing up in the Middle as high as a Man; that it
was
to LILLIPUT.
27
was no living Creature, as they at firft apprehended, for
lay on the Grafs without Motion; and ſome of them
had walked round it feveral Times: That, by mount-
ing upon each other's Shoulders, they had got to the
Top, which was flat and even, and, ftamping upon it,
they found it was hollow within; that they humbly
conceived it might be fomething belonging to the
Man-Mountain; and if his Majefty pleafed, they would
undertake to bring it with only five Horfes. I pre-
fently knew what they meant, and was glad at Heart
to receive this Intelligence. It ſeems upon my firſt
reaching the Shore, after our Shipwreck, I was in
fuch Confufion, that, before I came to the Place where
I went to fleep, my Hat, which I had faftened with
a String to my Head while I was rowing, and had
ſtuck on all the Time I was fwimming, fell off after I
came to Land; the String, as I conjecture, breaking
by fome Accident which I never obferved, but thought
my Hat had been loft at Sea. I intreated his Imperial
Majeſty to give Orders it might be brought to me
as foon as poffible, defcribing to him the Ufe and
the Nature of it: And the next Day the Waggoners
arrived with it, but not in a very good Condition
they had bored two Holes in the Brim, within an
Inch and half of the Edge, and faftened two Hooks
in the Holes; thefe Hooks were tied by a long Cord
to the Harneſs, and thus my Hat was dragged along
for above half an English Mile; but, the Ground in
that Country being extremely fmooth and level, it
received lefs Damage than I expected.
>
Two Days after this Adventure, the Emperor having
ordered that Part of his Army, which quarters in
and about his Metropolis, to be in Readineſs, took a
Fancy of diverting himſelf in a very fingular Manner :
He defired I would ftand like a Coloffus, with my Leg
as far aſunder as I conveniently could; he then com-
manded his General (who was an old experienced
Leader, and a great Patron of mine) to draw up the
Troops in clofe Order, and march them under me;
the
28
AVOYAGE
the Foot by twenty-four in a Breaſt, and the Horfe by
fixteen, with Drums beating, Colours flying, and Pikes
advanced. This Body confifted of three thouſand
Foot, and a thouſand Horſe. His Majefty gave Or-
ders, upon Pain of Death, that every Soldier in his
March Thould obferve the ſtrictest Decency, with regard
Perfon; which, however, could not prevent
fome of the younger Officers from turning up their
Eyes as they paffed under me. And, to confefs the
Truth, my Breeches were at that Time in fo ill a
Condition, that they afforded fome Opportunities for
Laughter and Admiration.
to my
I had fent fo many Memorials and Petitions for
my Liberty, that his Majefty at length mentioned the
Matter firſt in the Cabinet, and then in a full Council;
where it was oppofed by none, except Skyresh Bolgolam,
who was pleafed, without any Provocation, to be my
mortal Enemy. But it was carried againſt him by the
whole Board, and confirmed by the Emperor. That
Minifter was Galbet, or Admiral of the Realm, very
much in his Mafter's Confidence, and a Perfon well
verfed in Affairs, but of a morofe and four Complexion.
However, he was at length perfuaded to comply; but
prevailed that the Articles and Conditions upon which
I fhould be fet free, and to which I muft fwear, fhould
be drawn up by himſelf. Thefe Articles were brought
to me by Skyresh Bolgolam in Perfon, attended by two
Under-Secretaries, and feveral Perfons of Diftinction.
After they were read, I was demanded to fwear to the
Performance of them; firſt in the Manner of my own
Country, and afterwards in the Method prefcribed by
their Laws, which was to hold my Right Foot in my
Left Hand, and to place the middle Finger of my
Right Hand on the Crown of my Head, and my Thumb
on the Tip of my Right Ear. But, becauſe the Rea-
der may be curious to have fome Idea of the Style
and Manner of Expreffion peculiar to that People, as
well as to know the Articles upon which I recovered
ny Liberty, I have made a Tranflation of the whole
Inftrument,
to LILLIPUT.
29
Inftrument, Word for Word, as near as I was able>
which I here offer to the Public:
GOLBASTO MOMAREN EVLAME GURDILO SHE-
FIN MULLY ULLY GUE, Moft Mighty Emperor of
Lilliput, Delight and Terror of the Univerfe, whoſe
Dominions extend five Thouſand Bluftrugs, (about
twelve Miles in Circumference) to the Extremities of
the Globe; Monarch of all Monarchs, taller than the
Sons of Men; whofe Feet prefs down to the Center,
and whoſe Head ſtrikes against the Sun: At whoſe
Nod the Princes of the Earth fhake their Knees; plea
fant as the Spring, comfortable as the Summer, fruitful
as Autumn, dreadful as Winter. His moft fublime
Majeſty propofeth to the Man-Mountain, lately arrived
to our Celeſtial Dominions, the following Articles,
which, by a folemn Oath, he fhall be obliged to
perform:
ift, The Man-Mountain fhall not depart from our
Dominions without our Licence under our great Seal.
2d, He fhall not prefume to come into our Metro-
polis, without our exprefs Order; at which Time the
İnhabitants fhall have two Hours Warning to keep
within their Doors.
3d, The faid Man-Mountain fhall confine his Walks
to our principal high Roads, and not offer to walk or
lie down in a Meadow or Field of Corn.
4th, As he walks the faid Roads, he fhall take the
utmoſt Care not to trample upon the Bodies of any
of our loving Subjects, their Horfes, or Carriages,
nor take any of our Subjects into his Hands, without
their own Confent.
5th, If an Exprefs requires extraordinary Diſpatch,
the Man-Mountain fhall be obliged to carry in his
Pocket, the Meffenger and Horfe, a fix Days Jour-
ney once in every Moon, and return the faid Meſſen-
ger back (if fo required) fafe to our Imperial Prefence.
6th, He shall be our Ally againſt our Enemies in
the Iſland of Blefufcu, and do his utmost to deſtroy
their Fleet, which is now preparing to invade us.
7th,
30
AVOYAGE
7th, That the faid Man-Mountain fhall, at his
Times of Leiſure, be aiding and affifting to our Work-
men, in helping to raife certain great Stones, to-
wards covering the Wall of the principal Park, and
other our Royal Buildings.
8th, That the faid Man-Mountain fhall, in two
Moons Time, deliver in an exact Survey of the Cir-
cumference of our Dominions, by a Computation of
his own Paces round the Coaſt.
Laftly, That, upon his folemn Oath to obſerve all
the above Articles, the faid Man-Mountain ſhall have
a daily Allowance of Meat and Drink fufficient for
the Support of 1724 of our Subjects, with free Ac-
cefs to our Royal Perfon, and other Marks of our
Favour. Given at our Palace at Belfaborac, the
twelfth Day of the ninety firſt Moon of our Reign.
I ſwore and fubfcribed to theſe Articles with great
Chearfulneſs and Content, although ſome of them
were not fo honourable as I could have wifhed;
which proceeded wholly from the Malice of Skyref
Bolgoram, the High Admiral; whereupon my Chains
were immediately unlocked, and I was at full Liber-
ty; the Emperor him felf in Perfon, did me the Ho-
nour to be by at the whole Ceremony, I made
my Acknowledgments, by proftrating myſelf at his
Majesty's Feet: But he commanded me to rife;
and after many gracious Expreffions, which, to a-
void the Cenfure of Vanity, I fhall not repeat; he
added, that he hoped I ſhould prove a uſeful Servant,
and well deferve all the Favours he had already con-
ferred upon me, or might do for the future.
The Reader may pleaſe to obſerve, that, in the
laft Article for the Recovery of my Liberty, the Em-
peror ftipulates to allow me a Quantity of Meat and
Drink, fufficient for the Support of 1724 Lilliputians.
Some Time after, aſking a Friend at Court, how they
came to fix on that determinate Number; he told
me, that his Majefty's Mathematicians, having taken
the Height of my Body by the Help of a Quadrant,
and
to LILLIPUT.
31
and finding it to exceed theirs in the Proportion of
twelve to one, they concluded from the Similarity of
their Bodies, that mine muft contain, at least, 1724
of theirs, and, confequently, would require as much
Food as was neceffary to fupport that Number of
Lilliputians. By which, the Reader may conceive an
Idea of the Ingenuity of that People, as well as the
prudent and exact Economy of fo great a Prince.
CHA P. IV.
Mildendo, the Metropolis of Lilliput, deſcribed,
together with the Emperor's Palace. A Conver
fation between the Author and a principal Secreta-
ry, concerning the Affairs of that Empire. The
Author offers to ferve the Emperor in his Wars.
TH
HE firft Request I made, after I had obtained
my Liberty, was, that I might have Licence to
fee Mildendo, the Metropolis; which the Emperor eafi-
ly granted me, but with a fpecial Charge to do no
Hurt, either to the Inhabitants, or their Houſes. The
People had Notice by Proclamation, of my Deſign to
vifit the Town. The Wall, which encompaffed it,
is two Feet and a half high, and at least eleven Inches
broad, fo that a Coach and Horſes may be driven very
ſafely round it; and it is flanked with ftrong Towers,
at ten Feet Diſtance. I flept over the great Weſtern
Gate, and paffed very gently, and fideling, through
the two principal Streets, only in my fhort Waift-coat,
for Fear of damaging the Roofs and Eves of the Houfes
with the Skirts of my Coat. I walked with the ut-
moft Circumfpection, to avoid treading on any Strag-
glers, that might remain in the Streets, although the
Orders were strict, that all People fhould keep in their
Houſes, at their own Peril. The Garret-windows, and
Tops of Houfes, were fo crouded with Spectators, that
I thought,
32
AVOYAGE
I thought, in all my Travels, I had not feen a more
populous Place. The City is an exact Square, each
Side of the Wall being five-hundred Feet long. The
two great Streats, which run crofs, and divide it into
four Quarters, are five Feet wide. The Lanes and
Alleys, which I could not enter, but only viewed them
as I paffed, are from twelve to eighteen Inches. The
Town is capable of holding five hundred thouſand
Souls. The Houſes are from three to five Stories. The
Shops and Markets well provided.
The Emperor's Palace is in the Center of the City,
where the two great Streets met. It is inclofed by a
Wall of two Feet high, and twenty Feet Diſtance
from the Buildings. I had his Majefty's Permiffion to
ſtep over this Wall; and, the Space being ſo wide be-
tween that and the Palace, I could eafily view it on e-
very Side. The outward Court is a Square of forty
Feet, and includes two other Courts: In the inmolt
are the Royal Apartments, which I was very defirous
to fee, but found it extremely difficult; for the great
Gates, from one Square into another, were but eigh-
teen Inches high, and feven Inches wide. Now the
Buildings of the outer Court were at least five Feet
high, and it was impoffible for me to ftride over them,
without infinite Damage to the Pile, though the Walls
were firongly built of hewn Stone, and four Inches
thick. At the fame Time, the Emperor had a great
Defire that I ſhould fee the Magnificence of his Pa-
lace; but this I was not able to do till three Days af-
ter, which I ſpent in cutting down with my Knife,
fome of the largeſt Trees in the Royal Park, about an
hundred Yards Diſtance from the City. Of theſe
Trees I made two Stools, each about three Feet high,
and ſtrong enough to bear my Weight. The People
having received Notice a fecond Time, I went again
through the City to the Palace, with my two Stools in
my Hands. When I came to the Side of the outer
Court, I ftood upon one Stool, and took the other in
my Hand; this I lifted over the Roof, and gently fet
it
to LILLIPUT.
33
it down on the Space between the firſt and ſecond
Court, which was eight Feet wide. I then stept over
the Building very conveniently, from one Stool to the
other, and drew up the firit after me with a hooked
Stick. By this Contrivance, I got into the inmoſt
Court; and, lying down upon my Side, I applied my
Face to the Windows of the middle Stories, which
were left open on Purpoſe, and diſcovered the moſt
fplendid Apartments that can be imagined. There I
faw the Emprefs, and the young Princes, in their fe-
veral Lodgings, with their chief Attendants about
them. Her Imperial Majefty was pleaſed to ſmile ve-
ry graciouſly upon me, and gave me out of the Win-
dow her Hand to kiſs.
But I fhall not anticipate the Reader with farther
Deſcriptions of this Kind, becauſe I reſerve them for
a greater Work, which is now almost ready for the
Prefs, containing a general Defcription of this Empire,
from its firit Erection, through a long Series of Princes,
with a particular Account of their Wars and Politics,
Laws, Learning, and Religion: Their Plants and A-
nimals, their peculiar Manners and Cuſtoms, with o-
ther Matters very curious and ufeful; my chief Defign
at preſent being only to relate fuch Events and Tran-
factions, as happened to the Public or to myſelf, du-
ring a Reſidence of abont nine Months in that Empire.
One Morning, about a Fortnight after I had ob-
tained my Liberty, Reldrefal, principal Secretary (as
they ftile him) of private Affairs, came to my Houſe,
attended only by one Servant. He ordered his Coach
to wait at a Diſtance, and defired, I would give him
an Hour's Audience; which I readily confented to,
on Account of his Quality, and perfonal Merits, as
well as the many good Offices he had done me during
my Solicitations at Court. I offered to lie down, that
he might the more conveniently reach my Ear; but
he choſe rather to let me hold him in my Hand during
our Converfation. He began with Compliments on
my Liberty, faid, he might pretend to fome Merit in
D
it :
34
A VOYAGE
it: But, however, added, that, if it had not been for
the prefent Situation of Things at Court, perhaps I
might not have obtained it fo foon. For, faid he, as
flouriſhing a Condition as we may appear to be in to
Foreigners, we labour under two mighty Evils; a vi-
olent Faction at Home, and the Danger of an Invafi-
on by a most potent Enemy from Abroad. As to the
firſt, you are to underſtand, that, for above feventy
Moons paft, there have been two ſtruggling Parties in
this Empire, under the Names of Trameckfan, and Sla-
meckfan, from the high and low Heels of their Shoes,
by which they diſtinguiſh themſelves. It is alledged in-
deed, that the high Heels are moſt agreeable to our
ancient Conſtitution; but, however this be, his Majeſ-
ty hath determined to make uſe of only low Heels in
the Adminiſtration of the Government, and all Offices
in the Gift of the Crown, as you cannot but obſerve ;
and particularly, that his Majeſty's Imperial Heels
are lower at leaſt by a Drurr than any of his Court
(Drurr is a Meaſure about the fourteenth Part of an
Inch). The Animofities between theſe two Parties run
ſo high, that they will neither eat nor drink, not talk
with each other. We compute the Trameckfan, or high
Heels, to exceed us in Number; but the Power is
wholly on our Side. We apprehend his Imperial High-
nefs, the Heir to the Crown, to have fome Tendency
towards the High-heels; at leaſt, we can plainly difco-
ver that one of his Heels is higher than the other, which
gives him a Hobble in his Gate. Now, in the Midſt
of theſe inteftine Difquiets, we are threatened with an
Invaſion from the Iſland of Blefufcu, which is the other
great Empire of the Univerſe, almoſt as large and pow-
erful as this of his Majefty. For as to what we heard
you affirm, that there are other Kingdoms and States
in the World, inhabited by human Creatures, as large
as yourſelf, our Philofophers are in much Doubt, and
would rather conjecture that you dropped from the
Moon, or one of the Stars; becauſe, it is certain, that
an hundred Mortals of your Bulk, would, in a ſhort
Time,
to LILLIPUT.
35
Time, deſtroy all the Fruits and Cattle of his Majeſty's
Dominions. Befides, our Hiftories of fix-thoufand
Moons make no mention of any other Regions, than
the two great Empires of Lilliput and Blefufcu. Which
two mighty Powers have, as I was going to tell you,
been engaged in a moſt obſtinate War for fix and thirty
Moons pait. It began upon the following Occafion:
It is allowed on all Hands, that the primitive Way of
breaking Eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger
End; but his prefent Majesty's Grandfather, while he
was a Boy, going to eat an Egg, and breaking it ac-
cording to the antient Practice, happened to cut one of
his Fingers. Whereupon the Emperor, his Father, pub-
liſhed an Edict, commanding all his Subjects, upon great
Penalties, to break the ſmaller End of their Eggs. The
People fo highly refented this Law, that our Hiſtories
tell us, there have been fix Rebellions raiſed on that Ac-
count; wherein one Emperor loft his Life, and another
his Crown. Thefe Civil Commotions were conftantly
fomented by the Monarchs of Blefufcu; and when they
were quelled, the Exiles always fled for Refuge to that
Empire. It is computed that eleven thouſand Perfons have
at feveral Times, fuffered Death, rather than fubmit to
break their Eggs at the fmaller End. Many hundred large
Volumes have been publiſhed upon this Controverſy;
but the Books of the Big-Indians have been long for-
bidden, and the whole Party rendered incapable by Law
of holding Employments. During the Courfe of thefe
Troubles, the Emperors of Blefufcu did frequently ex-
poftulate by their Ambaffadors, accufing us of making
a Schifm in Religion, by offending against a fundamen-
tal Doctrine of our great Prophet Luftrog, in the fifty-
fourth Chapter of the Blundecral (which is their Alco-
ran). This, however, is thought to be a mere Strain
upon the Text; for the Words are thefe: That all true
Believers break their Eggs at the convenient End. And
which is the convenient End, fees, in my humble O-
pinion, to be left to every Man's Confcience, or at leaſt
in the Power of the chief Magiltrate to determine.
Now,
D 2
36
AVOYAGE
Now, the Big-Indian Exiles have found ſo much Cre-
dit in the Emperor of Blefufcu's Court, and fo much
private Affiftance and Encouragement from their Par-
ty here at Home, that a bloody War hath been car-
ried on between the two Empires, for thirty-fix Moons,
with various Succefs; during which Time we have loft
forty capital Ships, and a much greater Number of
ſmaller Veffels, together with thirty-thouſand of our beſt
Seamen and Soldiers; and the Damage, received by
the Enemy, is reckoned to be fomewhat greater than
ours. However, they have now equipped a numerous
Fleet, and are juſt preparing to make a Defcent upon
us; and his Imperial Majefty, placing great Confidence
in your Valour and Strength, hath commanded me to
lay this Account of his Affairs before you.
I defired the Secretary to prefent my humble Duty
to the Emperor, and to let him know, that I thought
it would not become me, who was a Foreigner, to in-
terfere with Parties; but I was ready, with the Hazard
of my Life, to defend his Perfon and State against all
Invaders.
CHAP. V.
The Author, by an extraordinary Statagem, prevents
an Invafion. A high Title of Honour is conferred
upon him.
Ambaſſadors arrive from the Emperor
of Blefufcu, and fue for Peace. The Emprefs's
Apartment on Fire by an Accident; the Author
inftrumental in faving the rest of the Palace.
ΤΗ
HE Empire of Blefufcu is an Ifland, fituated to
the North-Eaſt Side of Lilliput, from whence it
is parted only by a Channel of eight hundred Yards
wide. I had not yet feen it, and, upon this Notice of
an intended Invafion, I avoided appearing on that Side
of the Coaft, for Fear of being difcovered by fome of
the Enemy's Ships, who had received no Intelligence
of
to LILLIPUT.
37
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
Veffels whatſoever. I communicated to his Majeſty a
Project I had formed of feizing the Enemy's whole Fleet:
Which, as our Scouts affured us, lay at Anchor in the
Harbour ready to fail with the firſt fair Wind. I con-
fulted the most experienced Seamen, upon the Depth
of the Channel, which they had often plummed, who
told me, that in the Middle, at high Water, it was ſe-
venty Glumgluff's deep, which is about fix Feet of Euro-
pean Meaſure; and the reft of it fifty Glumgluff's at moſt.
I walked towards the North-Eaſt Coaſt, over-againſt
Blefufcu; where, lying down behind a Hillock, I took
out my fmall Perfpective glafs, and viewed the Enemy's
Fleet at Anchor, confifting of about fifty Men of War,
and a great Number of Tranfports: I then came back
to my Houfe, and gave Order (for which I had a War-
rant) for a great Quantity of the ſtrongeſt Cable and
Bars of Iron. The Cable was about as thick as Pack-
thread, and the Bars of the Length and Size of a knit-
ting Needle. I trebled the Cable to make it ftronger,
and, for the fame Reafon, I twilled three of the iron
Bars together, binding 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 lea-
thern Jerkin, about an Hour before high Water. I
waded with what Hafte I could, and fwam in the Mid-
dle about thirty Yards, till I felt Ground; I arrived to
the Fleet in less than half an Hour. The Enemy was
fo frightened when they faw me, that they leaped out
of their Ships, and fwam to Shore, where there could
not be fewer than thirty thouſand Souls. I then took
my Tackling, and, faßtening 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 difcharged fe-
veral thouſand Arrows, many of which fluck in my
Hands and Face; and, befides the exceffive Smart, gave
;
D 3
me
38
AVOYAGE
me much Diſturbance in my Work. My greatest Ap-
prehenfion was for mine Eyes, which I ſhould have in-
fallibly loſt, if I had not fuddenly thought of an Expe-
dient. I kept among other little Neceffaries a Pair of
Spectacles in a private Pocket, which, as I obferved be-
fore, 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 Spight of the Enemy's Arrows, many of which ſtruck
against the Glaffes of my Spectacles, but without any
other Effect, farther 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, fo that
the boldeſt Part of my Enterprize remained. I there-
fore let go the Cord, and leaving the Hooks fixed to
the Ships, I refolutely cut with my Knife the Cables
that fattened the Anchors, receiving above two-hun-
dred Shots in my Face and Hands; then 1 took up
the knotted End of the Cables to which my Hooks were
tied, and with great Eafe drew fifty of the Enemy's
largeſt Men of War after me.
The Blefufcudians, who had not the leaft Imagina-
tion of what I intended, were at firft confounded with
Aftoniſhment. They had feen me cut the Cables, and
thought my Defign was only to let the Ships run a-
drift, or fall foul on each other: But when they per-
ceived the whole Fleet moving in Order, and faw
me pulling at the End, they fet up fuch a Scream of
Grief and Deſpair, that it is almoft impoffible to de-
ſcribe or conceive. When I had got out of Danger, I
ftopt a while to pick out the Arrows that ſtuck in my
Hands and Face; and rubbed on fome of the fame
Ointment that was given me at my first Arrival, as I
have formerly mentioned. I then took off my Specta-
cles, and, waiting about an Hour till the Tide was a
little fallen, I waded through the middle with my Car-
go, and arrived ſafe at the Royal Port of Lilliput.
The
to LILLIPUT.
39
The Emperor and his whole Court ſtood on the Shore
expecting the Iffue of this great Adventure. They faw
the Ships move forward in a large Half-moon, but could
not diſcern me, who was up to my Breaft in Water.
When I advanced to the middle of the Channel, they
were yet in more 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 hof-
tile Manner: But he was foon eaſed of his Fears, for
the Channel growing fhallower every Step I made, I
came in a fhort 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 Em-
peror of Lilliput! This great Prince received me at my
Landing with all poffible Encomiums, and created me
a Nardac upon the Spot, which is the higheſt Title of
Honour among them.
His Majefty defired I would take fome other Oppor-
tunity of bringing all the reft of his Enemy's Ships into
his Ports. And fo unmeafurable is the Ambition of
Princes, that he ſeemed to think of nothing leſs than re-
ducing the whole Empire of Blefufcu into a Province,
and governing it by a Vice-Roy; of deſtroying the
Big-Indian Exiles, and compelling that People to break
the ſmaller End of their Eggs, by which he would re-
main the fole Monarch of the whole World. But I
endeavoured to divert him from his Defign, by many
Arguments drawn from the Topics of Policy as well as
Juftice: And I plainly protefted, that I would never
be an Inftrument of bringing a free and brave People
into Slavery. And, when the Matter was debated in
Council, the wifeſt Part of the Miniſtry were of my
Opinion.
This open bold Declaration of mine was fo oppofite
to the Schemes and Politics of his Imperial Majefty, that
he could never forgive me; he mentioned it in a very
artful Manner at Council, where I was told that fome
of the wifeft appeared, at least, by their Silence, to be
of my Opinion; but others, who were my fecret Ene-
D 4
mies,
40
A VOYAGE
mies, could not forbear fome Expreffions, which by a
Side-wind reflected on me. And from this Time be-
gan an Intrigue between his Majefty, and a Junto of
Minifters maliciously bent against me, which broke out
in less than two Months, and had like to have ended in
my utter Deſtruction. Of fo little Weight are the great-
eft Services to Princes, when put into the Ballance with
a Refufal to gratify their Paffions.
About three Weeks after this Exploit, there arrived
a folemn Ambaffy from Blefufcu, with humble Offers
of a Peace; which was foon concluded upon Conditions.
very advantageous to our Emperor, wherewith I fhall
not trouble the Reader. There were fix Ambaſſadors,
with a Train of about five-hundred Perfons, and their
Entry was very magnificent, fuitable to the Grandeur
of their Mafter, and the Importance of their Bufinefs.
When their Treaty was finiſhed, wherein I did them
feveral 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 Vifit 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 defired me to fhew them fome Proofs of
my prodigious Strength, of which they had heard fo ma-
ny Wonders; wherein I readily obliged them, but ſhall
not trouble the Reader with the Particulars.
When I had for fome Time entertained their Excel-
lencies to their infinite Sati-faction and Surprize, I de-
fired they would do me the Honour to prefent my moſt
humble Respects to the Emperor their Matter, the Re-
nown of whofe Virtues had fo juftly filled the whole
World with Admiration, and whofe Royal Perfon I re-
folved to attend before I returned to my own Country:
Accordingly, the next Time I had the Honour to ſee
our Emperor, I defired his general Licence to wait on
the Blefufcudian Monarch, which he was pleafed to
grant me, as I could plainly perceive, in a very cold
Manner; but could not guess the Reaſon, till I had a
Whiſper
to LILLIPUT.
41
Whiſper from a certain Perfon, that Flimnap and Bolgo-
lam had repreſented my Intercourfe with thoſe Ambaf-
fadors as a Mark of Difaffection, from which I am fure
my Heart was wholly free. And this was the firſt Time
I began to conceive fome imperfect Idea of Courts and
Miniſters.
It is to be obſerved, that theſe Ambaffadors ſpoke to
me by an Interpreter, the Languages of both Empires
differing as much from each other as any two in Eu-
rope, and each Nation priding itſelf upon the Antiqui-
ty, Beauty, and Energy of their own Tongues, with
an avowed Comtempt for that of their Neighbour; yet
our Emperor ſtanding upon the Advantage he had got
by the Seifure of their Fleet, obliged them to deliver
their Credentials, and make their Speech in the Lilii-
putian Tongue. And it muſt be confeffed, that from
the
great Intercourfe of Trade and Commerce between
both Realms, from the continual Reception of Exiles,
which is mutual among them, and from the Cuftom in
each Empire to fend their young Nobility and richer
Gentry to the other, in order to polish themſelves by
feeing the World, and underſtanding Men and Man-
ners; there are few Perfons of Diftinction, or Merchants,
or Seamen, who dwell in the maritime Parts, but what
can hold Converfation in both Tongues; as I found
fome Weeks after, when I went to pay my Refpects
to the Emperor of Blefufcu, which, in the midft of great
Misfortunes through the Malice of my Enemies, proved
a very happy Adventure to me, as I fhall relate in its
proper Place.
The Reader may remember, that, when I figned
thoſe Articles upon which I recovered my Liberty,
there were fome which I diſliked upon Account of
their being too fervile, neither could any Thing but an
extreme Neceffity have forced me to fubmit.
being now a Nardac of the highest Rank in that Empire,
fuch Offices were looked upon as below my Dignity,
and the Emperor (to do him Juftice) never once men-
tioned them to me. However, it was not long before
But,
I had
42
A VOYAGE
I had an Opportunity of doing his Majefty, at leaſt, as I
then thought, a moft fignal Service. I was alarmed at
Midnight with the Cries of many hundred People at
my Door; by which being fuddenly awaked, I was
in fome Kind of Terror. I heard the Word Burglum
repeated inceffantly: Several of the Emperor's Court,
making their Way through the Croud, intreated me
to come immediately to the Palace, where her Imperial
Majefty's Apartment was on Fire, by the Carelefneſs of
a Maid of Honour, who fell aſleep while fhe was
reading a Romance. I got up in an Inftant; and
Orders being given to clear the Way before me, and it
being likewiſe a Moon-fhine 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 fome Diſtance.
Thefe Buckets were about the Size of a large Thimble,
and the poor People fupplied me with them as faft as
they could; but the Flame was fo violent that they did
little Good. I might eafily have ftifled it with my Coat,
which I unfortunately left behind me for Hafte, and came
away only in my Leathern Jerkin. The Cafe ſeemed
wholly defperate 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 fuddenly thought of an Expedient. I had
the Evening before drank plentifully of a moft delicious
Wine called Glimigrim, (the Blefuſcudians call it Flunee,
but ours is eſteemed the better Sort) which is very
diuretic. By the luckieſt Chance in the World, I had
not difcharged myſelf of any Part of it. The Heat I
had contracted by coming very near the Flames, and
by my labouring to quench them, made the Wine
begin to operate by Urine; which I voided in ſuch a
Quantity, and applied fo well to the proper Places,
that in three Minutes the Fire was wholly extinguiſhed,
and the reft of that noble Pile, which had coſt ſo many
Ages in erecting, preferved from Deftruction.
It
to LILLIPUT.
43
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 Majefty might
reſent the Manner by which I had performed it:
For, by the fundamental Laws of the Realm, it is
Capital in any Perfon, of what Quality foever, to make
Water within the Precincts of the Palace. But I was
a little comforted, by a Meffage from his Majelty,
that he would give Orders to the Grand Jufticiaty
for paffing my Pardon in Form; which, however,
I could not obtain. And I was privately affured, that
the Emprefs, conceiving the greatet Abhorrence of
what I had done, removed to the most dilant Side of
the Court, firmly refolved that thofe Buildings ſhould
never be repaired for her Ufe; and, in the Prefence
of her chief Confidents, could not forbear vowing
Revenge.
CHAP. VI.
Of the Inhabitants of Lilliput; their Learning,
Laws, and Cuſtoms; the Manner of educating
their Children. The Author's Way of Living in
that Country. His Vindication of a great Lady.
A
LTHO' I intend to leave the Defcription of
this Empire to a particular Treatife, yet, in the
mean Time, I am content to gratify the curious Rea-
der with ſome general Ideas. As the common Size of
the Natives is fomewhat under fix Inches high, fo there
is an exact Proportion in all other Animals, as well as
Plants and Trees: For Inftance, the talleſt Horfes and
Oxen are between four and five Inches in Height, the
Sheep an Inch and half, more or lefs; their Geefe
about the Bignefs of a Sparrow, and fo the feveral
Gradations downwards, till you come to the ſmallett,
which, to my Sight, were almoft invifible; but Nature
hath
44
AVOYAGE
hath adapted the Eyes of the Lilliputians to all Objects
proper for their View: They fee with great Exactneſs,
but at no great Diſtance. And, to fhew the Sharpneſs
of their Sight towards Objects that are near, I have
been much pleaſed with obferving a Cook pulling a
Lark, which was not fo large as a cominon Fly; and
a young Girl threading an invifible Needle with in-
vifible Silk. Their talleft Trees are about feven Feet
high; I mean fome of thoſe in the great Royal Park,
the Tops whereof I could but just reach with my Fift
clinched. The other Vegetables are in the fame
Proportion; but this I leave to the Reader's Ima-
gination.
I fhall fay but little at prefent of their Learning,
which for many Ages hath flouriſhed in all its Branches
among them: But their Manner of Writing is very
peculiar, being neither from the Left to the Right,
like the Europears; nor from the Right to the Left,
like the Arabians; nor from up to down, like the
Chineſe; but aflant from one Corner of the Paper to
the other, like Ladies in England.
They bury their Dead with their Heads directly
downwards, becauſe they hold an Opinion, that in
eleven thouſand Moons they are all to rife again, in
which Period the Earth (which they conceive to be flat)
will turn upfide down, and by this Means they fhall,
at their Refurrection, be found ready ftanding on their
Feet. The Learned among them confefs the Abfurdity
of this Doctrine, but the Practice ftill continues, in
Compliance to the Vulgar.
There are fome Laws and Cuſtoms in this Empire
very peculiar; and, if they were not fo directly con-
trary to thoſe of my own dear Country, I fhould be
tempted to fay a little in their Juftification. It is only
to be wifhed they were as, well executed. The first I
fhall mention, relates to Informers. All Crimes againſt
the State are puniſhed here with the utmoſt Severity;
but, if the Perfon accuſed maketh his Innocence plainly
to appear upon his Trial, the Accufer is immediately
put
to LILLIPUT.
45
put to an ignominious Death; and, out of his Goods
or Lands, the innocent Perfon is quadruply recom
penſed for the Lofs of his Time, for the Danger he
underwent, for the Hard hip of his Impriſonment, and
for all the Charges he hath been at in making his
Defence. Or, if that Fund be deficient, it is largely
fupplied by the Crown. The Emperor does alfo
confer on him fome public Mark of his Favour, and
Proclamation is made of his Innocence through the
whole City.
They look upon Fraud as a greater Crime than Theft,
and therefore feldom fail to puniſh it with Death; for
they alledge, that Care and Vigilance, with a very
common Underſtanding, may preferve a Man's Goods
from Thieves, but Honety has no Fence againſt
fuperior Cunning; and fince it is neceffary that there
fhould be a perpetual Intercourfe of Buying and Selling,
and Dealing upon Credit, where Fraud is permitted
and connived at, or hath no Law to punish it, the
honeſt Dealer is always undone, and the Knave gets
the Advantage. I remember when I was once inter-
ceding with the King for a Criminal, who had wronged
his Mafter of a great Sum of Money, which he had
received by Order, and ran away with; and happening
to tell his Majefty, by Way of Extenuation, that it was
only a Breach of Trult; the Emperor thought it mon-
ftrous in me to offer, as a Defence, the greatest Aggra-
vation of the Crime: And truly, I had little to ſay in
Return, farther than the common Answer, that different
Nations had different Customs; for, I confefs, I was
heartily aſhamed.
Although we ufually call Reward and Funiſhment
the two Hinges upon which all Government turns, yet
I could never obferve this Maxim to be put in Prac-
tice by any Nation except that of Lilliput. Whoever
can there bring fufficient Proof that he hath ftrictly ob-
ferved the Laws of his Country, for feventy-three
Moons, hath a Claim to certain Privileges, according
to his Quality and Condition of Life, with a propor
tionable
46
A VOYAGE
tionable Sum of Money out of a Fund appropriated for
that Ufe: He likewife acquires the Title of Snilpall, or
Legal, which is added to his Name, but does not def-
cend to Potterity. And thefe People thought it a pro-
digious Defect of Policy among us, when I told them
that our Laws were enforced only by Penalties, without
any Mention of Reward. It is upon this Account that
the Image of Justice, in their Courts of Judicature, is
formed with fix Eyes, two before, as many behind, and
on each Side one, to fignify Circumfpection; with a
Bag of God open in her Right-hand, and a Sword
fheathed in her Left, to fhew fhe is more difpofed to
reward than to puniſh.
In chufing Perfons for all Employments, they have
more Regard to good Morals than to great Abilities ;
for, fince Government is neceffary to Mankind, they
believe that the common Size of human Underſtandings
is fitted to fome Station or other, and that Providence
never intended to make the Management of public Af-
fairs a Myftery, to be comprehended only by a few
Perfons of fublime Genius, of which there ſeldom are
three born in an Age: But they fuppofe Truth, Juſtice,
Temperance, and the like, to be in every Man's Power,
the Practice of which Virtues, affifted by Experience, and
a good Intention, would qualify any Man for the Ser-
vice of his Country, except were a Courfe of Study is
required. But they thought the Want of moral Virtues
was fo far from being fupplied by fuperior Endowments
of the Mind, that Employments could never be put in-
to fuch dangerous Hands as thofe of Perfons fo quali-
fied; and at leaſt, that the Miftakes, committed by Ig-
norance in a virtuous Difpofition, would never be of
fuch fatal Confequence to the public Weal, as the Prac-
tices of a Man whofe Inclinations led him to be corrupt,
and had great Abilities to manage, to multiply, and
defend his Corruptions.
In like Manner, the Difbelief of a Divine Providence
renders a Man uncapable of holding any public Station ;
for, fince Kings avow themfelves to be the Deputies of
Pro-
to LILLIPUT.
47
Providence, the Lilliputians think nothing can be more
abſurd than for a Prince to employ fuch Men as difown
the Authority under which they act.
In relating theſe and the following Laws, I would on-
ly be understood to mean the original Inſtitutions, and
not the moſt ſcandalous Corruptions into which theſe
People are fallen by the degenerate Nature of Man.
For as to that infamous Practice of acquiring great Em-
ployments by dancing on the Ropes, or Badges of Fa-
vour and Diſtinction, by leaping over Sticks, and creep-
ing under them, the Reader is to obferve, that they
were first introduced by the Grandfather of the Empe-
ror now reigning, and grew to the prefent Height, by
the gradual Increaſe of Party and Faction.
Ingratitude is among them a capital Crime, as we
read it to have been in fome other Countries; for they
reaſon thus, that whoever makes ill Returns to his Ee-
nefactor, mult needs be a common Enemy to the rest
of Mankind, from whom he hath received no Obliga-
tion, and therefore fuch a Man is not fit to live.
Their Notions relating to the Duties of Parents and
Children differ extremely from ours. For, fince the
Conjunction of Male and Female is founded upon the
great Law of Nature, in order to propagate and con-
tinue the Species, the Lilliputians will needs have it,
that Men and Women are joined together like other
Animals, by the Motives of Concupifcence; and that
their Tenderneſs towards their Young proceeds from
the like natural Principle: For which Reafon they will
never allow, that a Child is under any Obligation to
his Father for begetting him, or to his Mother for
bringing him into the World, which, confidering the
Miferie of human Life, was neither a Benefit in itſelf,
or intended fo by his Parents, whofe Thoughts in their
Love-Encounters were otherwife employed. Upon thefe,
and the like Reaſonings, their Opinion is, that Parents
are the last of all others to be trusted with the Educa-
tion of their own Children: And therefore they have
in every Town public Nurferies, where all Parents, ex-
cept
48
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cept Cottagers and Labourers, are obliged to fend their
Infants of both Sexes to be reared and educated when
they come to the Age of twenty Moons, at which
Time they are fuppofed to have fome Rudiments of
Docility. Thefe Schools are of ſeveral Kinds, fuited to
different Qualities, and to both Sexes. They have cer-
tain Profeffors well ſkilled in preparing Children for
fuch a Condition of Life as befits the Rank of their Pa-
rents, and their own Capacities as well as Inclinations.
I ſhall firſt ſay ſomething of the Male Nuferies, and then
of the Female.
The Nurferies for Males of noble or eminent Birth,
are provided with grave and learned Profeffors, and
their feveral Deputies. The Cloathes and Food of the
Children are plain and fimple. They are bred up in
the Principles of Honour, Juftice, Courage, Modeſty,
Clemency, Religion, and Love of their Country; they
are always employed in fome Buſineſs, except in the
Times of eating and fleeping, which are very fhort, and
two Hours for Diverfions, confifting of bodily Exercifes.
They are dreffed by Men till four Years of Age, and
then are obliged to drefs themſelves, although their
Quality be ever ſo great; and the Women Attendants,
who are aged proportionably to ours at fifty, perform
only the most menial Offices. They are never fuffered
to converſe with Servants, but go together in finaller
and greater Numbers to take their Diverfions, and al-
ways in the Prefence of a Profeffor, or one of his De-
puties; whereby they avoid thofe early bad Impreffi-
ons of Folly and Vice, to which our Children are ſub-
ject. Their Parents are fuffered to fee them only twice
a Year; the Vifit is to laft but an Hour. They are
allowed to kiss the Child at Meeting and Parting; but
a Profeffor, who always ftands by on thofe Occafions,
will not ſuffer them to whiſper, or ufe any fondling
Expreffions, or bring any Prefents of Toys, Sweet-meats,
and the like.
The
to LILLIPUT.
49
The Penfion from each Family for the Education and
Entertainment of a Child, upon Failure of due Pay-
ment, is levied by the Emperor's Officers.
The Nurferies for Children of ordinary Gentlemen,
Merchants, Traders, and Handicrafts, are managed pro-
portionably after the fame Manner; only thofe, defign-
ed for Trades, are put out Apprentices at eleven Years
old, whereas thofe of Perfons of Quality continue in
their Exercifes till fifteen, which anfwers to twenty-one
with us: But the Confinement is gradually leffened for
the last three Years.
In the female Nurferies, the young Girls of Quali-
ty are educated much like the Males, only they are
dreffed by orderly Servants of their own Sex ; but al-
ways in the Prefence of a Profeffor or Deputy, till they
come to dress themſelves, which is at five Years old.
And if it be found that thefe Nurfes ever prefume to en-
tertain the Girls with frightful or foolish Stories, or the
common Follies practifed by Chamber-maids among us,
they are publicly whipped thrice about the City, im-
priſoned for a Year, and banished for Life to the moſt
defolate Part of the Country. Thus the young Ladies
there, are as much afhamed of being Cowards and Fools,
as the Men, and defpife all perfonal Ornaments beyond
Decency and Cleanlinefs: Neither did I perceive any
Difference in their Education, made by their Difference
of Sex, only that the Exercifes of the Females were not
altogether fo robuſt; and that ſome Rules were given
them relating to domeſtic Life, and a ſmaller Compafs
of Learning was enjoined them: For their Maxim is,
that, among People of Quality, a Wife fhould be al-
ways a reaſonable and agreeable Companion, becauſe
fhe cannot always be young. When the Girls are
twelve Years old, which among them is the marriagea-
ble Age, their Parents or Guardians take them Home,
with great Expreffions of Gratitude to the Profeffors,
and feldom without Tears of the young Lady and her
Companions.
E
In
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+
!
In the Nurſeries of Females of the meaner Sort, the
Children are inflructed in all Kinds of Works proper
for their Sex, and their feveral Degrees: Thofe, in-
tended for Apprentices, are diſmiſſed at ſeven Years
old, the reft are kept to eleven.
}
The meaner Families, who have Children at thefe
Nurſeries, are obliged, befides their annual Penfion;
which is as low as poffible, to return to the Steward
of the Nurſery, a fmall monthly Share of their Get-
tings, to be a Portion for the Child; and therefore all
Parents are limited in their Expences by the Law.
For the Lilliputians think nothing can be more un-
juft, than for People, in Subfervience to their own
Appetites, to bring Children into the World, and
leave the Burthen of Supporting them on the Public.
As to Perfons of Quality, they give Security to appro-
priate a certain Sum for each Child, fuitable to their
Condition; and thefe Funds are always managed with
good Husbandry, and the moſt exact Justice.
The Cottagers and Labourers keep their Children
at Home, their Bufinefs being only to till and culti-
vate the Earth, and therefore their Education is of
little Confequence to the Public: But the Old and
Difeafed among them, are fupported by Hofpitals:
For, Begging is a Trade unknown in this Empire.
i
And here it may, perhaps, divert the curious Rea-
der, to give ſome Account of my Domeftic, and my
Manner of Living in this Country, during a Refi-
dence of nine Months and thirteen Days. Having
a Head mechanically turned; and being likewife forced
by Neceffity, I had made for myfelf a Table and
Chair convenient enough, out of the largeſt Trees in
the Royal Park. Two hundred Sempftreffes were em-
ployed to make me Shirts, and Linnen for Bed and
Table, all of the ftrongeft and coarfeft Kind they
could get; which, however, they were forced to quilt
together in feveral Folds, for the thickeft was fome
Degrees finer than Lawn. Their Linnen is ufually.
three Inches wide, and three Feet make a Piece. The
醉
​;
Semp
to LILLIPUT.
SI
Sempftreffes took my Meaſure as I lay on the Ground,
one ſtanding at my Neck, and another at my Mid-leg,
with a ftrong Cord extended, that each held by the
End, while the third meaſured the Length of the
Cord with a Rule of an Inch long. Then they mea-
fured my right Thumb, and defired no more; for,
by a mathematical Computation, that twice round
the Thumb is once round the Wrift, and fo on to the
Neck and the Wafte; and by the Help of my old
Shirt, which I difplayed on the Ground before them
for a Pattern, they fitted me exa&ly. Three hun-
dred Taylors were employed in the fame Manner to
make me Clothes; but they had another Contrivance
for taking my Meaſure. I kneeled down, and they
raiſed a Ľadder from the Ground to my Neck; upon
this Ladder one of them mounted, and let fall a Plum-
Line from my Collar to the Floor, which juſt anſwer-
ed the Length of my Coat; but my Waſte and Arms
I meaſured myſelf. When my Clothes were finiſhed,
which was done in my Houſe (for the largest of theirs
would not have been able to hold them) they looked
like the Patch-work made by the Ladies in England,
only that mine were all of a Colour.
I had three hundred Cooks to dress my Victuals,
in little convenient Huts built about my Houſe, where
they and their Families lived, and prepared me two
Dishes a-piece. I took up twenty Waiters in my
Hand, and placed them on the Table; an hundred
more attended below on the Ground, fome with
Diſhes of Meat, and fome with Barrels of Wine, and
other Liquors, flung on their Shoulders; all which
the Waiters above drew up us I wanted, in a very
ingenious Manner, by certain Cords, as we draw the
Bucket up a Well in Europe. A Diſh of their Meat
was a good Mouthful, and a Barrel of their Liquor a
reaſonable Draught. Their Mutton yields to ours,
but their Beef is excellent. I have had a Surloin fo
large, that I have been forced to make three Bits of
it; but this is rare. My Servants were aftoniſhed to
E 2
fee
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تها
fee me eat it, Bones and all, as in our Country we
do the Leg of a Lark. Their Geefe and Turkies I
uſually eat at a Mouthful; and, I must confefs, they
far exceed ours. Of their fmaller Fowl, I could take
up twenty or thirty at the End of my Knife.
One Day his Imperial Majefty, being informed of
my Way of Living, defired that himſelf and his Roy-
al Confort, with the young Princes of the Blood of
both Sexes, might have the Happineſs (as he was
pleaſed to call it) of dining with me. They came ac-
cordingly, and I placed them upon Chairs of State
on my Table, juft over-against me, with their Guards
about them. Flimnap, the Lord High-Treafurer,
attended there likewife, with his white Staff, and I
obferved he often looked on me with a four Counte-
nance, which I would not ſeem to regard, but eat
more than ufual, in Honour to my dear Country, as
well as to fill the Court with Admiration. I have
fome private Reaſons to believe, that this Vifit from
his Majesty, gave Flimnap an Opportunity of doing
me ill Offices to his Mafter. That Miniſter had al-
ways been my fecret Enemy, though he outwardly
careffed me more than was ufual to the Morofenefs
of his Nature. He reprefented to the Emperor, the
low Condition of his Treafury; that he was forced
to take up Money at great Diſcount; that Exchequer
Bills would not circulate under nine per Cent. below
Par; that, in fhort, I had coft his Majefty above a
Million and a Half of Sprugs (their greateſt Gold
Coin, about the Bignefs of a Spangle) and, upon the
Whole, that it would be advifeable in the Emperor
to take the first fair Occafion of difmiffing me.
I am here obliged to vindicate the Reputation of
an excellent Lady, who was an innocent Sufferer up-
on my Account. The Treafurer took a Fancy to be
jealous of his Wife, from the Malice of fome evil
Tongues, who informed him, that her Grace had ta-
ken a violent Affection for my Perfon; and the Court-
fcandal ran for fome Time, that the once came pri-
vately
to LILLIPUT.
53
vately to my Lodging. This I folemnly declare to
be a moft infamous Falfhood, without any Grounds,
farther than that her Grace was pleaſed to treat me
with all innocent Marks of Freedom and Friendſhip.
I own fhe came often to my Houſe, but always pub-
licly, nor ever without three more in the Coach,
who were uſually her Sifter and young Daughter,
and fome particular Acquaintance; but this was com-
mon to many other Ladies of the Court. And I ftill
appeal to my Servants round, whether they at any
Time faw a Coach at my Door, without knowing
what Perſons were in it. On thoſe Occafions, when a
Servant had given me Notice, my Cuſtom was to go
immediately to the Door; and, after paying my Ref-
pects, to take up the Coach and two Horfes very
carefully in my Hands (for, if there were fix Horſes,
the Poftillion always unharneffed four) and placed them
on a Table, where I had fixed a moveable Rim quite
round, of five Inches high, to prevent Accidents.
And I have often had four Coaches and Horfes at
once on my Table full of Company, while I fat in my
Chair, leaning my Face towards them; and, when
I was engaged with one Set, the Coachmen would
gently drive the others round my Table. I have paf-
fed many an Afternoon very agreeably in theſe Con-
verfations. But I defy the Treaſurer, or his two In-
formers (I will name them, and let them make their
beſt of it) Cluftril and Drunlo, to prove that any Per-
fon ever came to me incognito, except the Secretary
Reldrefal, who was fent by exprefs Command of his
Imperial Majefty, as I have before related. I fhould
not have dwelt fo long upon this Particular, if it had
not been a Point wherein the Reputation of a great
Lady is fo nearly concerned, to fay nothing of my
own; though I then had the Honour to be a Nardac,
which the Treaſurer himſelf is not; for all the World
knows that he is only a Glumlum, a Title inferior by
one Degree, as that of a Marquefs is to a Duke in
England, although I allow he preceded me in Right of
E 3
his
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his Poſt. Theſe falſe Informations, which I afterwards
came to the Knowledge of, by an Accident not pro-
per to mention, made Flimnap, the Treaſurer, fhew
his Lady, for fome Time, an ill Countenance, and
me a worſe; and although he were at laſt undeceived
and reconciled to her, yet I loft all Credit with him,
and found my Intereft decline very faſt with the Em-
peror himſelf, who was, indeed, too much governed
by that Favourite.
CHA P. VII.
The Author, being informed of a Defign to accufe
him of High-Treafon, makes his Eſcape to Blefuf-
His Reception there.
cu.
Bevin this
to an Account of
EFORE I proceed to give an Account of my
leaving this Kingdom, it may be proper to in-
form the Reader of a private Intrigue which had been
for two Months forming againſt me.
I had been hitherto all my Life a Stranger to Courts,
for which I was unqualified by the Meannefs of my
Condition. I had, indeed, heard and read enough of
the Difpofitions of great Princes and Minifters; but
never expected to have found fuch terrible Effects of
them in fo remote a Country, governed, as I thought,
by very different Maxims from thofe in Europe.
When I was just preparing to pay my Attendance
on the Emperor of Blefufcu, a confiderable Perfon at
Court (to whom I had been very ferviceable, at a Time
when he lay under the higheſt Diſpleaſure of his Im-
perial Majefty) came to my Houfe very privately at
Night in a clofe Chair, and, without fending his
Name, defired Admittance: The Chairmen were
difmiffed ; I put the Chair, with his Lordship in it,
into my
Coat-Pocket; and, giving Orders to a truly
Servant to ſay I was indifpofed and gone to Sleep, I
faftened the Door of my Houfe, placed the Chair on
the
to LILLIPUT.
the Table, according to my ufual Cuftom, and fat
down by it. After the common Salutations were o
ever, obferving his Lordship's Countenance full of Con-
cern, and enquiring into the Reafon, he defired I
would hear him with Patience, in a Matter that high-
ly concerned my Honour and my Life. His Speech
was to the following Effect, for I took Notes of it as
foon as he left me.
J
You are to know, faid he, that feveral Commit-
tees of Council have been lately called in the moſt pri-
vate Manner on your Account; and it is but two Days
fince his Majefty came to a full Reſolution.
You are very fenfible that Skyris Bolgolam (Galbet,
or High-Admiral) hath been your mortal Enemy al-
moft ever fince your Arrival: His original Reaſons I
'know not; but his Hatred is encreafed fince your
great Succefs against Blefufcu, by which his Glory,
as Admiral, is much obfcured. This Lord, in Con-
junction with Flimnap, the High-Treaſurer, whofe
Enmity against you is notorious on Account of his
Lady, Limtoc the General, Lalcon the Chamberlain,
and Balmuff the grand Jufticiary, have prepared Ar-
ticles of Impeachment against you, for Treafon, and
other capital Crimes.
of
This Preface made me fo impatient, being confcious
my own Merits and Innocence, that I was going
to interrupt: When he entreated me to be filent, and
thus proceeded :
Out of Gratitude for the Favours you have done
me, I procured Information of the whole Proceedings,
and a Copy of the Articles, wherein I venture my
Head for your Service.
Articles
E A
56
A VOYAGE
Articles of Impeachment againſt Quinbus Fleftrin (the
W¹
Man-Mountain.)
ARTICLE I.
Hereas, by a Statute made in the Reign of his
Imperial Majefty Calin Deffar Plune, it is
enacted, that whoever fhall make Water within the
Precincts of the Royal Palace, fhall be liable to the
Pains and Penalties of High-Treafon: Notwithſtand-
ing, the faid Quinbus Fleftrin, in open Breach of the
faid Law, under Colour of extinguiſhing the Fire
kindled in the Apartment of his Majefty's moſt dear
Imperial Confort, did malicioufly, traiteroufly, and
devilishly, by Difcharge of his Urine, put out the
faid Fire kindled in the faid Apartment, lying and
being within the Precincts of the faid Royal Palace,
againſt the Statute in that Cafe provided, c. againſt
the Duty, &c.
ARTICLE II.
That the faid Quinbus Fleftrin having brought the
Imperial Fleet of Blefufcu into the Royal Port, and
being afterwards commanded by his Imperial Majefty
to feize all the other Ships of the faid Empire of
Blefufcu, and reduce that Empire to a Province, to be
governed by a Vice-Roy from hence, and to deſtroy
and put to Death not only all the Big Indian Exiles,
but likewife all the People of that Empire, who would
not immediately forfake the Big Indian Herefy: He
the faid Fleftrin, like a falfe Traitor against his moſt
Aufpicious, Serene, Imperial Majefty, did petition to
be excufed from the faid Service, upon Pretence of
Unwillingneſs to force the Confciences, or deftroy the
Liberties and Lives of innocent People.
ARTICLE
III.
That, whereas certain Ambaffadors arrived from the
Court of Blefufcu, to fue for Peace in his Majefty's
Court
to LILLIPUT.
57
Court: He the faid Fleftrin did, like a falfe Traitor,
aid, abet, comfort, and divert the faid Ambaffadors,
although he knew them to be Servants to a Prince
who was lately an open Enemy to his Imperial Majefty,
and in open War againſt his faid Majefty.
ARTICLE IV.
That the faid Quinbus Flefrin, contrary to the Duty
of a faithful Subject, is now preparing to make a
Voyage to the Court and Empire of Blefufcu, for
which he hath received only verbal Licence from his
Imperial Majefty; and under Colour of the faid Li-
cence doth falfly and traiterouſly intend to take the
faid Voyage, and thereby to aid, comfort, and abet the
Emperor of Blefufcu, fo late an Enemy, and in open
War with his Imperial Majefty aforefaid.
There are fome other Articles, but thefe are the moſt
important, of which I have read you an Abſtract.
In the feveral Debates upon this Impeachment, it
must be confeffed that his Majefty gave many Marks
of his great Lenity, often urging the Services you had
done him, and endeavouring to extenuate your Crimes.
The Treaſurer and Admiral infifted that you ſhould
be put to the most painful and ignominious Death, by
fetting Fire on your Houfe at Night, and the General
was to attend with twenty thouſand Men armed with
poiſoned Arrows, to fhoot you on the Face and Hands.
Some of your Servants were to have private Orders to
ftrew a poiſonous Juice on your Shirts and Sheets, which
would foon make you tear your own Fleſh, and die
in the utmoft Torture. The General came into the
fame Opinion; fo that for a long Time there was a
Majority against you: But his Majefty refolving, if
poffible, to fpare your Life, at laft brought off the
Chamberlain.
Upon this Incident, Reldrefal, Principal Secretary for
private Affairs, who always approved himself your true
Friend, was commanded by the Emperor to deliver his
Opinion, which he accordingly did: And therein jufti-
fy'd
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t
fy'd the good Thoughts you have of him. He allowed
your Crimes to be great, but that fill there was
Room for Mercy, the moft commendable Virtue in a
Prince, and for which his Majefty was fo jufty cele-
brated. He ſaid, the Friendſhip between you and him
was fo well known to the World, that perhaps the
moft honourable Board might think him partial :, How-
ever, in Obedience to the Command he had received,
he would freely offer his Sentiments. That if his Ma-
jefty, in Confideration of your Services, and purfuant
to his own merciful Difpofition, would pleaſe to ſpare
your Life, and only give Order to put out both your
Eyes, he humbly conceived, that, by this Expedient,
Juftice might in ſome Meaſure be ſatisfied, and all the
World would applaud the Lenity of the Emperor, as
well as the fair and generous Proceedings of thoſe who
have the Honour to be his Counſellors. That the Lofs
of your Eyes would be no Impediment to your bodily
Strength, by which you might fill be ufeful to his
Majefty. That Blindness is an Addition to Courage,
by concealing Dangers from us; that the Fear you
had for your Eyes, was the greatest Difficulty in bring-
ing over the Enemy's Fleet, and it would be fufficient
for you to fee by the Eyes of the Minifters, fince the
greateſt Princes do no more.
This Propofal was received with the utmoft Difappro-
bation by the whole Board. Bolgolam, the Admiral,
could not preferve his Temper; but, rifing up in Fury,
faid, he wondered how the Secretary durft preſume to
give his Opinion for preferving the Life of a Traitor :
That the Services you had performed were, by all
true Reaſons of State, the great Aggravation of your
Crimes; that you, who were able to extinguifh the
Fire, by Difcharge of Urine in her Majefty's Apart-
ment (which he mentioned with Horror) might, at
another Time, raiſe an Inundation by the fame Means
to drown the whole Palace; and the fame Strength,
which enabled you to bring over the Enemy's Fleet,
might ferve, upon the first Difcontent, to carry it back:
That
to LILLIPUT.
59
That he had good Reafons to think you were a Big-
Indian in your Heart; and as Treafon begins in the
Heart, before it appears in Overt-acts, ſo he accufed
you as a Traytor on that Account, and therefore
infifted you ſhould be put to Death.
The Treaſurer was of the fame Opinion; he fhewed
to what Streights his Majefty's Revenue was reduced
by the Charge of maintaining you, which would foon
grow infupportable: That the Secretary's Expedient of
putting out your Eyes, was fo far from being a Remedy
againſt this Evil, it would probably increaſe it, as it is
manifeft from the blinding fome Kind of Fowl, after
which, they fed the faſter, and grew fooner fat: That
his facred Majefty, and the Council, who are your
Judges, were in their own Conſciences fully convinced
of your Guilt, which was a fufficient Argument to
condemn you to Death, without the formal Proofs re-
quired by the ftrict Letter of the Law.
But his Imperial Majefty, fully determined againſt
capital Punishment, was gracioufly pleafed to fay, That,
fince the Council thought the Lofs of your Eyes too
eafy a Cenfure, fome other may be inflicted hereafter.
And your Friend, the Secretary, humbly defiring to
be heard again, in Anfwer to what the Treaſurer had
objected concerning the great Charge his Majefty was
at in maintaining you, faid, that his Excellency, who
had the fole Difpofal of the Emperor's Revenue, might
eafily provide against that Evil, by gradually leffening
your Establishment; by which, for Want of fufficient
Food, you would grow weak and faint, and looſe your
Appetite, and confume in a few Months; neither would
the Stench of your Carcaſs be then fo dangerous, when
it fhould become more than half diminiſhed; and imme-
diately, upon your Death, five or fix thouſand of his
Majefty's Subjects might, in two or three Days, cut
your Fleſh from your Bones, take it away by Cart-
Loads, and bury it in diftant Parts to prevent Infection,
leaving the Skeleton as a Monument of Admiration
to Poſterity.
Thus,
60
A VOYAGE
Thus, by the great Friendſhip of the Secretary, the
whole Affair was compromiſed. It was ftrictly enjoined,
that the Project of ſtarving you, by Degrees, fhould be
kept a Secret, but the Sentence of putting out your
Eyes was entered on the Books; none diffenting except
Bolgolam, the Admiral, who, being a Creature of the
Emprefs, was perpetually inftigated by her Majefty to
infift upon your Death, fhe having born perpetual
Malice against you, on Account of that infamous and
illegal Method you took to extinguish the Fire in
her Apartment.
In three Days, your Friend, the Secretary, will be
directed to come to your Houſe, and read before you
the Articles of Impeachment; and then to fignify the
great Lenity and Favour of his Majefty and Council,
whereby you are only condemned to the Lofs of your
Eyes, which his Majefty doth not queſtion you will
gratefully and humbly fubmit to; and twenty of his
Majefty's Surgeons will attend, in order to fee the
Operation well performed, by difcharging very fharp-
pointed Arrows into the Balls of your Eye., as you lie
on the Ground.
I leave to your Prudence what Meafures you will
take; and, to avoid Sufpicion, I must immediately
return in as private Manner as I came.
His Lordship did fo, and I remained alone, under
many Doubts and Perplexities of Mind.
It was a Cuſtom introduced by this Prince and his
Miniftry (very different, as I have been affured, from
the Practices of former Times) that after the Court
had decreed any cruel Execution, either to gratify the
Monarch's Refentment, or the Malice of a Favourite,
the Emperor always made a Speech to his whole Coun-
cil, expreffing his great Lenity and Tenderness, as
Qualities known and confeffed by all the World. This
Speech was immediately publiſhed through the King-
dom; nor did any Thing terrify the People fo much
as thofe Encomiums on his Majefty's Mercy; becauſe
it was obferved, that, the more thefe Praifes were en-
larged
to LILLIPUT.
61
larged and infifted on, the more inhuman was the
Puniſhment, and the Sufferer more innocent. And as
to myſelf, I must confefs, having never been defigned
for a Courtier either by my Birth or Education, I was
fo ill a Judge of Things, that I could not diſcover the
Lenity and Favour of this Sentence, but conceived it
(perhaps erroneoufly) rather to be rigorous than gentle.
I fometimes thought of ftanding my Trial; for, altho
I could not deny the Facts alledged in the feveral Ar-
ticles, yet I hoped they would admit of fome Extenu-
ation. But having in my Life perufed many State-
Trials, which I ever obferved to terminate as the
Judges thought fit to direct, I durft not rely on fo
dangerous a Decifion, in fo critical a Juncture, and
against fuch powerful Enemies. Once I was strongly
bent upon Refiftance, for, while I had Liberty, the
whole Strength of that Empire could hardly fubdue
me, and I might eafily with Stones pelt the Metropolis
to Pieces; but I foon rejected that Project with Horror,
by remembring the Oath I had made to the Emperor,
the Favours I received from him, and the high Title
of Nardac he conferred upon me. Neither had I fo
foon learned the Gratitude of Courtiers, to perfuade
myſelf, that his Majefty's prefent Severities acquitted
me of all paft Obligations.
At laft I fixed upon a Refolution, for which it is
probable I may incur fome Cenfure, and not unjuſtly :
for I confefs I owe the preferving mine Eyes, and
confequently my Liberty, to my own great Raſhneſs,
and Want of Experience; becaufe, if I had then known
the Nature of Princes and Minifters, which I have fince
obferved in many other Courts, and their Methods of
treating Criminals lefs obnoxious than myſelf, I fhould
with great Alacrity and Readineſs have fubmitted to fo
eafy a Puniſhment. But hurry'd on by the Precipi-
tancy of Youth, and having his Imperial Majefty's
Licence to pay my Attendance upon the Emperor of
Blefufcu, I took this Opportunity, before the three
Days were elapfed, to fend a Letter to my Friend the
Secretary,
}
62
A VOYAGE
}
:
Secretary, fignifying my Refolution of fetting out that
Morning for Blefufcu, purfuant to the Leave I had
got; and, without waiting for an Anfwer, I went to
that Side of the Inland where our Fleet lay. I feized
a large Man of War, tied a Cable to the Prow, and,
lifting up the Anchors, I ftript myſelf, put my Cloaths
(together with my Coverlet, which I brought under
my Arm) into the Veffel, and drawing it after me,
between Wading and Swimming, arrived at the Royal
Port of Blefufcu, where the People had long expected
me; they lent me two Guides to direct me to the capital
City, which is of the fame Name. I held them in my
Hands till I came within two hundred Yards of the
Gate, and defired them to fignify my Arrival to one
of the Secretaries, and let him know, I there waited
his Majeſty's Command. I had an Anſwer in about
an Hour, that his Majefty, attended by the Royal
Family, and great Officers of the Court, was coming
out to receive me. I advanced a hundred Yards. The
Emperor, and his Train, alighted from their Horfes,
the Emprefs and Ladies from their Coaches, and Í
did not perceive they were in any Fright or Concern.
I lay on the Ground to kifs his Majefty's and the
Emprefs's Hand. I told his Majefty that I was come
according to my Promife, and with the Licence of the
Emperor my Mafter, to have the Honour of ſeeing fo
mighty a Monarch, and to offer him any Service in
my Power, confiftent with my Duty to my own Prince
not mentioning a Word of my Difgrace, becauſe I had
hitherto no regular Information of it, and might fup-
pofe myſelf wholly ignorant of any fuch Defign; neither
could I reaſonably conceive that the Emperor would
diſcover the Secret, while I was out of his Power;
wherein, however, it foon appeared I was deceived.
;
I fhall not trouble the Reader with the particular Ac-
count of my Reception at this Court, which was fuitable
to the Generoſity of fo great a Prince; nor of the Diffi-
culties I was in for want of a Houſe and Bed, being
forced to lie on the Ground, wrapt up
in my
Coverlet.
CHAP.
to LILLIPUT.
63
:
CHAP.
VIII.
The Author, by a lucky Accident, finds Means to
leave Blefufcu; and, after fome Difficulties, re-
turns fafe to his native Country.
Τ'
HREE Days after my Arrival, walking out
of Curiofity to the North-Eaſt Coaſt of the I-
fland, I obferved, about half a League off, in the Sea,
fomewhat that looked like a Boat overturned. I pull-
ed off my Shoes and Stockings, and, wading two or
three hundred Yards, I found the Object to approach
nearer by Force of the Tide; and then plainly faw
it to be a real Boat, which I fuppofed might, by fome
Tempeft, have been driven from a Ship: Whereupon
I returned immediately towards the City, and defired
his Imperial Majefty to lend me twenty of the talleſt
Veffels he had left after the Lofs of his Fleet, and
three thouſand Seamen, under the Command of the
Vice Admiral. This Fleet failed round, while I
went back the fhorteſt Way to the Coaft, where I
firft difcovered the Boat; I found the Tide had driven-
it till ncarer. The Seamen were all provided with
Cordage, which I had beforehand twilted to a fuffi-
cient Strength. When the Ships came up, I ftript
myſelf, and waded till I came within an hundred
Yards of the Boat, after which I was forced to ſwim
till I got up to it. The Seamen threw me the End of
the Cord, which I faftened to a Hole in the Fore-part
of the Boat, and the other End to a Man of War:
But I found all my Labour to little Purpofe; for, be-
ing out of my Depth, I was not able to Work. Ia
this Neceffity, I was forced to fwim behind, and puſh
the Boat forwards as often as I could, with one of
my Hands; and, the Tide favouring me, I advanced-
fo far, that I could just hold up my Chin, and feel
the Ground. I refted two or three Minutes, and then
gave the Boat another Shove, and fo on, till the Sea
was
64
AVOYAG É
譬
​was no higher than my Arm-pits; and now, the most
laborious Part being over, I took out my other Ca-
bles, which were ftowed in one of the Ships, and faſt-
ened them firſt to the Boat, and then to nine of the
Veffels which attended me; the Wind being favoura-
ble, the Seamen towed, and I fhoved till we arrived
within forty Yards of the Shore, and, waiting till the
Tide was out, I got dry to the Boat, and by the Af-
fiftance of two thouſand Men, with Ropes and Engines,
I made a fhift to turn it on its Bottom, and found it
was but little damaged.
I fhall not trouble the Reader with the Difficulties I
was under by the Help of certain Paddles, which coft
me ten Days making, to get my Boat to the Royal
Port of Blefufcu, where a mighty Concourfe of People
appeared upon my Arrival, full of Wonder at the Sight
of fo prodigious a Veffel. I told the Emperor, that
my good Fortune had thrown this Boat in my Way, to
carry me to fome Place, from whence I might return
into my native Country, and begged his Majefty's Or-
ders for getting Materials to fit it up, together with
his Licence to depart, which, after fome kind Expof-
tulations, he was pleaſed to grant.
I did very much wonder, in all this Time, not to
have heard of any Expreſs relating to me, from our
Emperor, to the Court of Blefufcu. But I was after-
wards given privately to understand, that his Imperial
Majefty, never imagining I had the leaft Notice of his
Defigns, believed I was only gone to Blefufcu, in Per-
formance of my Promiſe, according to the Licence he
had given me, which was well known at our Court,
and would return in a few Days when the Ceremony
was ended. But he was at laſt in Pain at my long Ab-
fence; and, after confulting with the Treaſurer, and
the reſt of that Cabal, a Perfon of Quality was dif-
patched with the Copy of the Articles againft me. This
Envoy had Inſtructions to reprefent to the Monarch of
Blefufcu, the great Lenity of his Matter, who was con-
tent to punish me no farther than with the Lofs of mine
Eyes;
i
to LILLIPUT.
65
Eyes; that I had fled from Juftice, and, if I did not
return in two Hours, I fhould be deprived of my Title
of Nardac, and declared a Traitor. The Envoy fur-
ther added, that in order to maintain the Peace and
Amity between both Empires, his Mafter expected, that
his Brother of Blefufcu would give Orders to have me
fent back to Lilliput, bound Hand and Foot, to be
puniſhed as a Traitor.
The Emperor of Blefufcu, having taken three Days
to confult, returned an Anfwer, confifting of many Ci-
vilities and Excufes. He faid, that, as for fending me
bound, his Brother knew it was impoffible; that al-
though I had deprived him of his Fleet, yet he owed
great Obligations to me for many good Offices I had
done him in making the Peace. That, however, both
their Majefties would foon be made eaſy; for I had
found a prodigious Veffel on the Shore, able to carry
me on the Sea, which he had given Order to fit up
with my own Affittance and Direction; and he hoped,
in a few Weeks, both Empires would be freed from fo
infupportable an Incumbrance.
With this Anſwer, the Envoy returned to Lilliput,
and the Monarch of Blefufcu related to me all that had
palt; offering me at the fame Time (but under the
ftrictest Confidence) his gracious Protection, if I would
continue in his Service; wherein, although I believed
him fincere, yet I refolved never more to put any
Confidence in Princes or Minifters, where I could pof-
fibly avoid it; and, therefore, with all due Acknow-
ledgements for his favourable Intentions, I humbly beg-
ged to be excufed. I told him, that fince Fortune,
whether good or evil, had thrown a Weffel in my Way,
I was refolved to venture myfelf in the Ocean, rather
than be an Occafion of Difference between two fuch.
mighty Monarchs. Neither did I find the Emperor at
all diſpleaſed; and I difcovered, by a certain Accident,
that he was very glad of my Refolution, and ſo were
moft of his Minifters.
F
Thefe
AVOYAGE
:
Thefe Confiderations moved me to haften
haften my De
parture fomewhat fooner than I intended; to which
the Court, impatient to have me gone, very readily
contributed. Five hundred Workmen were imployed
to make two Sails to my Boat, according to my Di-
rections, by quilting thirteen Fold of their ſtrongeſt Lin-
nen together. I was at the Pains of making Ropes
and Cables, by twisting ten, twenty, or thirty of the
thickeſt and ſtrongeſt of theirs. A great Stone that I
happened to find, after a long Search by the Sea-fhore,
ferved me for an Anchor. I had the Tallow of three
hundred Cows for greafing my Boat, and other Ufes.
I was at incredible Pains in cutting down fome of the
largeſt Timber-Trees for Oars and Mafts, wherein I
was, however, much aflifted by his Majefty's Ship-
carpenters, who helped me in frioothing them after I
had done the rough Work.
·
A
In about a Month, when all was prepared, I fent to
receive his Majeſty's Commands, and to take my Leave.
The Emperor and Royal Family came out of the Pa-
lace; I laid down on my Face to kifs his Hand, which
he very graciouſly gave me; fo did the Emprefs, and
young Princes of the Blood. His Majefty prefented me
with fifty Purfes of two hundred Sprugs a piece, toge.
ther with his Picture at full Length, which I put im-
mediately into one of my Gloves, to keep it from be-
ing hurt. The Ceremonies at my Departure were too
many to trouble the Reader with at this Time.
I ftored the Boat with the Carcafes of an hundred
Oxen, and three hundred Sheep, with Bread and Drink
proportionable, and as much Meat ready dreffed as
four-hundred Cooks could provide. I took with me
fix Cows and two Bulls alive, with as many Ewes and
Rams, intending to carry thera into my own Country,
and propagate the Breed. And, to feed them on Board,.
I had a good Bundle of Hay, and a Bag of Corn: I
would gladly have taken a Dozen of the Natives, but
this was a Thing the Emperor would by no Means
perrmit; and, befides a diligent Search into my Pockets,
hiss
to LILLIPUT.
67
His Majefty engaged my Honour not to carry away any
of his Subjects, although with their own Confent and
Defire.
Having thus prepared all Things as well as I was
able, I fet Sail on the twenty-fourth Day of September
1701, at fix in the Morning, and when I had gone
about four Leagues to the Northward, the Wind being
at South-Eaft, at Six in the Evening, I defcried a ſmall
Iſland about half a League to the North-Weft. I ad-
vanced forward, and caft Anchor on the Lee-fide of the
Ifland, which feemed to be uninhabited. I then took
ſome Refreſhment, and went to my Reft. I flept well,
and I conjecture at leaſt fix Hours, for I found the Day
broke in two Hours after I awaked. It was a clear
Night. I eat my Breakfaſt before the Sun was up;
and heaving Anchor, the Wind being favourable, I
fteered the fame Courfe, that I had done the Day before,
wherein I was directed by my Pocket compafs. My
Intention was to reach, if poffible, one of thofe Iflands,
which I had Reaſon to believe lay on the North-Eaſt of
Van Diemen's Land. I difcovered nothing all that Day,
but upon the next, about three in the Afternoon, when
I had by my Computation made twenty-four Leagues
from Blefufcu, I defcried a Sail fteering to the South-
Eaft; my Courfe was due Eaft. I hailed her, but could
get no Anſwer; yet I found I gained upon her, for the
Wind flackened. I made all the Sail I could, and in
half an Hour ſhe fpied me, then hung out her Ancient,
and difcharged a Gun. It is not eafy to exprefs the Joy
I was in upon the unexpected Hope of once more fee-
ing my beloved Country, and the dear Pledges I left in
it.
ļ
The Ship flackened her Sails, and I came up with
her between Five and Six in the Evening, September 26;
but my Heart leapt within me to fee her English Co-
lours. I put my Cows and Sheep into my Coat-Poc-
kets, and got on board with all my little Cargo of Pro-
vifions. The Veffel was an English Merchant-man, re-
turning from Japan by the North and South-Seas; the
Captain, Mr. John Biddel of Deptford, a ve y civil
:
F 2
Man,
AVOYAGE
Man, and an excellent Sailor. We were now in the
Latitude of 30 Degrees South, there were about fifty
Men in the Ship; and here I met an old Comrade of
mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a good Cha-
racter to the Captain. This Gentleman treated me with.
Kindneſs, and defired I would let him know what Place
I came from laft and whither I was bound; which I
did in few Words, but he thought I was raving, and
that the Dangers I underwent had diflurbed my Head,
whereupon I took my black Cattle and Sheep out of
my Pocket, which, after great Aftonifhment, clearly
convinced him of my Veracity. I then fhewed him
the Gold given me by the Emperor of Blefufcu, toge
ther with his Majefty's Picture at full Length, and
fome other Rarities of that Country. I gave him two
Purfes of two hundred Sprags each, and promifed, when
we arrived in England, to make him a Prefent of a Cow
and a Sheep big with Young.
1
I fhall not trouble the Reader with a particular Ac-
count of this Voyage, which was very profperous for
the moſt Part. We arrived in the Downs, on the 13th
of April 170z. I had only one Misfortune, that the
Rats on Board carried away one of my Sheep; I found
her Bones in a Hole, picked clean from the Fleſh.
The rest of my Cattle I got fafe a-fhore, and fet them
a grazing in a Bowling-Green at Greenwich, where the
Fineness of the Grafs made them feed very heartily,
though I had always feared the contrary: Neither could
poffibly have preferved them in fo long a Voyage, if
the Captain had not allowed me ſome of his beſt Bifket,
which rubbed to Powder, and mingled with Water,
was their conftant Food. The fhort Time I continued
in England, 1 made a confiderable Profit by fhewing
my Cattle to many Perfons of Quality, and others: And,
before I began my fecond Voyage, I fold them for fix
hundred Pounds. Since my lalt Return, I find the Breed
is confiderably increaſed, efpecially the Sheep, which I
hope will prove much to the Advantage of the Woollen
Manufacture, by the Fineness of the Fleeces.
I flayed
to LILLIPUT.
69
I ftayed but two Months with my Wife and Family;
for my infatiable Defire of ſeeing foreign Countries
would fuffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen-
hundred Pounds with my Wife, and fixed her in a
good Houſe at Redriff. My remaining Stock 1 carried
with me, Part in Money and Part in Goods, in hopes
to improve my Fortunes. My eldeſt Uncle John had
left me an Eſtate in Land, near Epping, of about thir-
ty Pounds a Year; and I had a long Leafe of the Black
Buli in Fetter-Lane, which yielded me as much more:
So that I was not in any Danger of leaving my Family
upon the Pariſh. My Son Johnny, named ſo after his
Uncle, was at the Grammar School, and a towardly
Child. My Daughter Betty (who is now well married,
and has Children) was then at her Needlework: I
took Leave of my Wife, and Boy and Girl, with Tears
on both Sides, and went on board the Adventure, a
Merchant Ship, of three hundred Tons bound for Surat,
Captain John Nicholſon of Liverpool, Commander. But
my Account of this Voyage must be referred to the Se-
cond Part of my Travels.
The End of the Firft Part.
F 3
TRA
[ 70 ]
TRAVEL S.
PART II.
A Voyage to BROBDING NAG.
CHA P. I.
A great Storm defcribed, the Long-Boat fent to fetch
Water, the Author goes with it to discover the
Country. He is left on Shore, is feized by one
of the Natives, and carried to a Farmer's Houfe.
His Reception there, with feveral Accidents that
happened there. A Deſcription of the Inhabitants.
H
AVING been condemned by Nature and
Fortune to an active and reftlefs Life, in twa
Months after my Return, I again left my
native Country, and took Shipping in the Downs on
the 20th Day of June 1702, in the Adventure, Capt.
John Nicholas, a Cornish Man, Commander, bound for
Surat. We had a very profperous Gale till we arrived
at the Cape of Good Hope, where we landed for freſh
Water, but, difcovering a Leak, we unfhipped our
Goods, and wintered there; for, the Captain falling
fick of an Ague, we could not leave the Cape till the
End of March. We then fet Sail, and had a good
Voyage till we paffed the Streights of Madagafcar; but
having got Northward of that Ifland, and to about five
Degrees South Latitude, the Winds, which in thoſe
Seas were obſerved to blow a conftant equal Gale
between
Plate Part I.Page 70
BROBDINGNAGE
Tianfufnic.
Lar brulgrad.
Difcovered AD.1703.
NORTH AMERICA.
Straits of Annian
CBlanco
St Sebaſtian.
CMendocino.
PostFranc.Draki
NEW!
ALBION.
ST Martin
Mount-
P.Monterey.
AVOYAGE, &c.
71
between the North and West, from the Beginning of
December, to the Beginning of May, on the 9th of
April began to blow with much greater Violence, and
more Wefterly than ufual, continuing fo for twenty Days
together, during which Time, we were driven a little to
the Eaft of the Molucca fflands, and about three Degrees
Northward of the Line, as our Captain found by an
Obfervation he took the zd of May, at which Time the
Wind ceaſed, and it was a perfect Calm, whereat I was
not a little rejoiced. But he, 'being a Man-experienced
in the Navigation of thofe Seas, bid us all prepare
againſt a Storm, which accordingly happened the Day
following: For a Southern Wind, called the Southern
Monfoon, began to fet in.
+
་
1
Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our
Sprit-fail, and ft.od by to hand the Fore-fail; but,
making foul Weather, we looked the Guns were all
faſt, and handed the Miffen. The Ship lay very broad
off, fo we thought it better ſpooning before the Sea,
than trying or hulling. We reeft the Fore fail and
fet him, and hawled aft the Fore-fheet; the Helm was
hard a Weather. The Ship wore bravely. We belayed
the Fore down-hall; but the Sail was fplit, and we
hawled down the Yard, and got the Sail into the Ship,
and unbound all the Things clear of it. It was a very
fierce Storm; the Sea broke ftrange and dangerous.
We hawled off upon the Lanniard of the Whipftaff,
and helped the Man at the Helm. We would not
get down our Top-maft, but let all ftand, becauſe ſhe
fcudded before the Sea very well, and we knew that,
the Top-maft being aloft, the Ship was the wholfomer,
and made better Way through the Sea, feeing we had
Sea-Room. When the Storm was over, we fet Fore-
fail and Main-fail, and brought the Ship to.
we fet the Miffen, Main top-fail, and the Fore top-fail.
Our Courſe was 'Eaft North-Eaſt, the Wind was at
South-West. We got the Star-board Tacks aboard,
we caft off our Weather Braces and Lifts; we fet in the
Lee braces, and hawled forward by the Weather-
bowlings,
F 4
.
Then
72
AYOYAGE
bowlings, and hawled them right, and belayed them,
and hawled over the Miffen-tack to Windward, and
kept her full and by as near as fhe would lie.
During this Storm, which was followed by a ftrong
Wind Weft South-West, we were carried by my Com-
putation, about five hundred Leagues to the Eaſt, ſo
that the oldeft Sailor aboard could not tell in what
Part of the World we were. Our Provifions held out
well, our Ship was ftaunch, and our Crew all in good
Health; but we lay in the utmoſt Diftrefs for Water.
We thought it beſt to hold on the fame Courſe, rather
than turn more Northerly, which might have brought
us to the North-Weft Parts of Great Tartary, and into
the frozen Sea.
On the 16th Day of June 1703, a Boy on the Top-
maft diſcovered Land. On the 17th, we came in full
View of a great Iſland or Continent (for we knew not
whether) on the South Side whereof was a ſmall Neck of
Land jutting out into the Sea, and a Creek too fhallow
to hold a Ship of above one hundred Tuns. We caft
Anchor within a League of this Creek, and our Captain
fent a Dozen of his Men well armed in the Long-Boat,
with Veffels for Water, if any could be found. I de-
fired his Leave to go with them, that I might fee the
Country, and make what Diſcoveries I could. When
we came to Land, we ſaw no River or Spring, nor any
Sign of Inhabitants. Our Men therefore wandered on
the Shore, to find out fome freſh Water near the Sea,
and I walked alone about a Mile on the other Side,
where I obferved the Country all barren and rocky.
I now began to be weary, and, feeing nothing to en-
tertain my Curiofity, I returned gently down towards
the Creek; and, the Sea being full in my View, I faw
our Men already got into the Boat, and rowing for
Life to the Ship. I was going to hollow after them,
although it had been to little Purpoſe, when I obferved
a huge Creature walking after them in the Sea, as faft
as he could; He waded not much deeper than his
Knees, and took prodigious Strides: But our Men had
the
to BROBDINGNAG.
73
the Start of him half a League, and, the Sea there-
abouts being full of fharp-pointed Rocks, the Monſter
was not able to overtake the Boat. This I was after-
wards told, for I durft not ftay to fee the Iffue of the
Adventure; but ran as faft as I could the Way I first
went, and then climbed up a ſteep Hill, which gave
me fome Profpect of the Country. I found it fully
cultivated; but that which firft furpriſed me was the
Length of the Grafs, which, in thoſe Grounds that
feemed to be kept for Hay, was about twenty Feet
high.
I fell into a high Road, for fo I took it to be,
though it ferved to the Inhabitants only as a Foot-
Path through a Field of Barley. Here I walked on
for fome Time, but could fee little on either Side, it
being now at leaft Harveft, and the Corn rifing near
forty Feet. I was an Hour walking to the End of this
Field, which was fenced in with a Hedge of at leaſt
one hundred and twenty Feet high, and the Trees fo
lofty that I could make no Computation of their
Altitude. There was a Stile to paſs from this Field
into the next. It had four Steps, and a Stone to croſs
over when you came to the uppermoft. It was im-
poffible for me to climb this Stile, becauſe every Step
was fix Feet high, and the upper Stone above twenty.
I was endeavouring to find fome Gap in the Hedge,
when I diſcovered one of the Inhabitants in the next
Field, advancing towards the Stile, of the fame Size
with him I faw in the Sea, purſuing our Boat. He
appeared as tall as an ordinary Spire-Steeple, and took
about ten Yards at every Stride, as near as I could
guefs. I was ftruck with the utmoft Fear and Afto-
niſhment, and ran to hide myſelf in the Corn, from
whence I ſaw him at the Top of the Stile, looking back
into the next Field on the Right Hand, and heard him
call in a Voice many Degrees louder than a Speaking
Trumpet; but the Noife was fo high in the Air, that
at first I certainly thought it was Thunder. Where-
upon, feven Moniters, like himſelf, came towards him
with
774
A VOYAGE
4
with Reaping-Hooks in their Hands, each Hook about
the Largeneſs of fix Scythes. Thefe People were not
fo well clad as the firft, whofe Servants or Labourers
they ſeemed to be: For, upon fome Words he fpoke,
they went to reap the Corn in the Field where I lay.
I kept from them at as great a Diſtance as I could,
but was forced to move with extreme Difficulty, for
the Stalks of the Corn were fometimes not above a
Foot diftant, ſo that I could hardly fqueefe my Body
betwixt them. I made Shift to go forward, till I came
to a Part of the Field where the Corn had been laid
by the Rain and Wind. Here it was impoffible for
me to advance a Step; for the Stalks were fo inter-
woven that I could not creep thorough, and the Beards
of the fallen Ears fo ftrong and pointed that they
pierced through my Cloaths into my Fleſh. At the
fame Time I heard the Reapers not above an hundred
Yards behind me. Being quite difpirited with Toil,
and wholly overcome by Grief and Defpair, I lay down
between two Ridges, and heartily wished I might there
end my Days. I bemoaned my defolate Widow, and
fatherless Children. I lamented my own Folly and
Wilfulneſs in attempting a fecond Voyage against the
Advice of all my Friends and Relations. In this
terrible Agitation of Mind I could not forbear think-
ing of Lilliput, whofe Inhabitants looked upon me as
the greateſt Prodigy that ever appeared in the World:
Where I was able to draw an Imperial Fleet in my
Hand, and perform thofe other Actions which will be
recorded for ever in the Chronicles of that Empire,
while Pofterity fhall hardly believe them, although
attelled by Millions. I reflected what a Mortification
it muft prove to me to appear as inconfiderable in this
Nation, as one fingle Lilliputian would be among us.
But this I conceived was to be the leaft of my Mis-
fortunes: For, as human Creatures are obferved to be
more favage and cruel in Proportion to their Bulk,
what could I expect but to be a Morfel in the Mouth
of the firt among thefe enormous Barbarians that
fhould
to BROBDINGNA G.
75
fhould happen to feize me? Undoubtedly Philofophers
are in the Right when they tell us, that nothing is
great or little otherwife than by Compariſon. It might
have pleaſed Fortune to let the Lilliputians find fome
Nation, where the People were as diminutive with
reſpect to them, as they were to me. And who knows
but that even this prodigious Race of Mortals might be
equally overmatched in fome diftant Part of the World,
whereof we have yet no Diſcovery?
Scared and confounded as I was, I could not for-
bear going on with theſe Reflections, when one of the
Reapers, approaching within ten Yards of the Ridge
where I lay, made me apprehend, that with the
next Step I ſhould be fquafhed to Death under his
Foot, or cut in two with his Reaping-hook. And,
therefore, when he was again about to move, I ſcream-
ed as loud as Fear could make me. Whereupon the
huge Creature trod fhort, and, looking round about
under him for fome Time, at laſt eſpied me as I lay on
the Ground. He confidered a While with the Cauti-
on of one who endeavours to lay hold on a fmall dan-
gerous Animal, in fuch a Manner, that it may not be
able either to fcratch or to bite him, as I myſelf have
fometimes done with a Weafel in England. At length
he ventured to take me up behind by the Middle be-
tween his fore Finger and Thumb, and brought me
within three Yards of his Eyes, that he might behold
my Shape more perfectly. I gueffed his Meaning, and
my good Fortune gave me fo much Prefence of Mind,
that I refolved not to ftruggle in the leaft as he held
me in the Air, about fixty Feet from the Ground, al-
though he grievoufly pinched my Sides, for fear I
fhould flip through his Fingers. All I ventured was to
raiſe mine Eyes towards the Sun, and place my Hands
together in a fupplicating Pofture, and to ſpeak fome
Words in an humble melancholy Tone, fuitable to the
Condition I then was in. For I apprehended every
Moment that he would dafh me against the Ground,
as we ufually do any little hateful Animal which we
have
76
A VOYAGE
have a Mind to deftroy. But my good Star would
have it, that he appeared pleafed with my Voice and
Geſtures, and began to look upon me as a Curiofity,
much wondering to hear me pronounce articulate
Words, although he could not underſtand them. In
the mean Time I was not able to forbear groaning and
fhedding Tears, and turning my Head towards my
Sides; letting him know, as well as I could, how cru-
elly I was hurt by the Preffure of his Thumb and Fin-
ger. He feemed to apprehend my Meaning; for, lift-
ing up the Lappet of his Coat, he put me gently into it,
and immediately ran along with me to his Mafter, who
was a ſubſtantial Farmer, and the fame Perfon I had
firft fecn in the Field.
The Farmer having (as I fuppofe by their Talk) re-
ceived fuch an Account of me as his Servant could
give him, took a Piece of a finall Straw, about the
Size of a Walking-flaff, and therewith lifted up the
Lappets of my Coat; which, it ſeems, he thought to
be fome Kind of Covering that Nature had given me.
He blew my Hairs afide to take a better View of my
Face. He called his Hinds about him, and aſked
them (as I afterwards learned) whether they had ever
feen in the Fields any little Creature that refembled
me: He then placed me foftly on the Ground upon
all four, but I got immediately up, and walked flowly
backwards and forwards, to let thofe People fee I had
no Intent to run away. They all fat down in a Circle
about me, the better to obferve my Motions. I pulled
off my Hat, and made a low Bow towards the Far-
mer. I fell on my Knees, and lifted up my Hands and
Eyes, and fpoke feveral Words as loud as I could: I
took a Purſe of Gold out of my Pocket, and humbly
prefented it to him. He received it on the Palm of
his Hand, then applied it clofe to his Eye, to fee what
it was, and afterwards turned it feveral Times with
the Point of a Pin (which he took out of his Sleeve)
but could make nothing of it. Whereupon I made a
Sign that he ſhould place his Hand on the Ground. I
then
to BROBDINGNAG.
77
then took the Purfe, and opening it, poured all the
Gold into his Palm. There were fix Spanish Pieces of
four Piſtoles each, befides twenty or thirty fmaller
Coins. I faw him wet the Tip of his little Finger upon
his Tongue, and take up one of my largeſt Pieces, and
then another, but he ſeemed to be wholly ignorant what
they were. He made me a Sign to put them again into
my Purſe, and the Purfe again into my Pocket, which, after
offering it to him feveral Times, I thought it beft to do.
The Farmer, by this Time, was convinced I muſt
be a rational Creature. He spoke often to me, but
the Sound of his Voice pierced my Ears like that of a
Water-mill, yet his Words were articulate enough. I
anfwered as loud as I could, in feveral Languages,
and he often laid his Ear within two Yards of me =
but all in vain, for we were wholly unintelligible to
each other. He then fent his Servants to their Work,
and, taking his Handkerchief out of his Pocket, he
doubled and ſpread it on his left Hand, which he
placed flat on the Ground, with the Palm upwards,
making me a Sign to ftep into it, as I could eaſily do,
for it was not above a Foot in Thickneſs. I thought
it my Part to obey, and, for fear of falling, laid my-
felf at Length upon the Hankerchief, with the Re-
mainder of which, he lapped me up to the Head for
farther Security, and in this Manner carried me Home
to his Houſe. There he called his Wife, and fhewed
me to her; but the fereamed and ran back, as Women
in England do at the Sight of a Toad er a Spider.
However, when ſhe had a while feen my Pehaviour,
and how well I obferved the Signs her Husband made,
the was foon reconciled, and, by Degrees, grew ex-
tremely tender of me.
It was about twelve at Noon, and a Servant brought
in Dinner. It was only one fubftantial Diſh of Meat
(fit for the plain Condition of an Hufbandman) in a
Difh of about four and twenty Feet Diameter. The
Company were the Farmer and his Wife, three Chil-
dren, and an old Grandmother: When they were let
down,
78
A VOYAG È
1
down, the Farmer placed me at fome Diſtance from
him on the Table, which was thirty Feet high from
the Floor. I was in a terrible Fright, and kept as far
as I could from the Edge, for fear of falling. The
Wife minced a bit of Meat, then crumbled fome
Bread on a Trencher, and placed it before me. I
made her a low Bow, took out my Knife and Fork,
and fell to eat, which gave them exceeding Delight.
The Mistress fent her Maid for a fmall Dram Cup,
which held about two Gallons, and filled it with Drink;
I took up the Veffel with much Difficulty in both
Hands, and in a moſt reſpectful Manner, drank to her
Ladyship's Health, expreffing the Words as loud as I
could in English, which made the Company laugh fo
heartily, that I was almoft deafened with the Noife.
This Liquor tafted like a ſmall Cyder, and was not un-
pleafant. Then the Mafler made me a Sign to come
to his Trencher-fide; but as I walked on the Table,
being in great Surprize all the Time, as the indulgent
Reader will eafily conceive and excuſe, I happened to
ftumble againſt a Cruit, and fell flat on my Face, but
received no Hurt. I got up immediately, and ob-
ſerving the good People to be in much Concern, I took
my Hat (which I held under my Arm out of good
Manners) and, waving it over my Head, made three
Huzza's, to fhew I had got no Miſchief by my Fall.
But advancing forward towards my Mafter (as I fhall
henceforth call him) his youngeſt Son, who fat next
him, an arch Boy of about ten Years old, took me up
by the Legs, and held me fo high in the Air, that I
trembled every Limb
but his Father fnatched me
from him, and at the fame Time gave him fuch a Box
on the left Ear, as would have felled an European
Troop of Horſe to the Earth, ordering him to be taken
from the Table. But being afraid the Boy might owe
me a Spight, and well remembring how mifchievous
all Children among us naturally are to Sparrows, Rab-
bits, young Kittens, and Puppy-dogs, I fell on my
Knees, and, pointing to the Boy, made my Mafter to
;
under
to BROBDINGNAG.
79
underfland, as well as I could, that I defired his Son
might be pardoned. The Father complied, and the
Lad took his Seat again; whereupon I went to him
and kiſſed his Hand, which my Mafter took, and made
him ftroak me gently with it.
In the midſt of Dinner, my Miſtreſs's favourite Cat
leapt into her Lap. I heard a Noife behind me like
that of a dozen Stocking-weavers at Work; and, turn-
ing my Head, I found it proceeded from the Purring
of that Animal, who feemed to be three Times larger
than an Ox, as I computed by the View of her Head,
and one of her Paws, while her Mifrefs was feeding and
troaking her. The Fierceness of this Creature's Coun-
tenance altogether difcompofed me; though I ftood at
the further End of the Table, above fifty Feet off; and
although my Miſtreſs held her faft, for fear fhe might
give a Spring, and feize me in her Talons. But it hap-
pened there was no Danger; for the Cat took not the
leaft Notice of me, when my Mafter placed me within
three Yards of her. And as I have been always told,
and found true by Experience in my Travels, that Ay-
ing or difcovering Fear, before a fierce Animal, is a
certain Way to make it purſue or attack you, ſo I re-
folved, in this dangerous Juncture, to fhew no Manner
of Concern. I walked with Intrepidity five or fix
Times before the very Head of the Cat, and came
within half a Yard of her; whereupon the drew herſelf
back, as if the were more afraid of me: I had lefs Ap-
prehenfion concerning the Dogs, whereof three or four
came into the Room, as it is ufual in Farmers Houſes;
one of which was a Maftiff, equal in Bulk to four Ele-
phants, and a Greyhound fomewhat taller than the Maſ-
tiff, but not fo large.
When Dinner was almost done, the Nurſe came in
with a Child of a Year old in her Arms, who imme-
diately fpied me, and began a Squall that you might
have heard from London-Bridge to Chelsea, after the
uſual Oratory of Infants to get me for a Play-thing.
The Mother out of pure Indulgence took me up, and
put
80
A VOYAGE
put me towards the Child, who preſently feized me by
the Middle, and got my Head into his Mouth, where I
roared fo loud that the Urchin was frighted, and let
me drop, and I ſhould infallibly have broke my Neck
if the Mother had not held her Apron under me. The
Nurſe to quiet her Babe made ufe of a Rattle, which
was a kind of hollow Veffel filled with great Stones,
and faſtened by a Cable to the Child's Waſte : But all
in vain, ſo that ſhe was forced to apply the laft Reme-
dy by giving it Suck. I must confefs no Object ever
difgufted me fo much as the Sight of her monstrous
Breaft, which I cannot tell what to compare with, fo
as to give the curious Reader an Idea of its Bulk, Shape,
and Colour. It ſtood prominent fix Feet, and could
not be leſs than Sixteen in Circumference. The Nipple
was about half the Bignefs of my Head, and the Hue
both of that and the Dug fo varified with Spots, Pimples,
and Freckles, that nothing could appear more nauſe-
ous: For I had a near Sight of her, fhe fitting down
the more conveniently to give Suck, and I ſtanding on
the Table. This made me reflect upon the fair Skins
of our English Ladies, who appear fo beautiful to us,
only becauſe they are of our own Size, and their De-
fects not to be feen but through a Magnifying-glafs,
where we find by Experiment, that the fmootheft and
whiteſt Skins look rough and courſe, and ill-coloured.
I remember, when I was at Lilliput, the Complexions.
of thofe diminutive People appeared to me the faireſt
in the World, and talking upon this Subject with a Per-
fon of Learning there, who was an intimate Friend of
mine, he ſaid that my Face appeared much fairer and
ſmoother when he looked on me from the Ground, than
it did upon a nearer View when I took him up in my
Hand and brought him cloſe, which he confeffed was
at firſt a very ſhocking Sight. He ſaid he could diſco-
ver great Holes in my Skin; that the Stumps of my
Beard were ten Times ftronger than the Briftles of a
Boar, and my Complexion made up of feveral Colours
altogether difagreeable: Although I muft beg Leave to
fay
to BROBDINGNA G.
8x
fay for myſelf, that I am as fair as moft of my Sex
and Country, and very little Sun-burnt by Travels.
On the other Side, difcourfing of the Ladies in that
Emperor's Court, he uſed to tell me, one had Freckles,
another too wide a Mouth, a third too large a Noſe,
nothing of which I was able to diftinguiſh. I confefs,
this Reflection was obvious enough; which, however,
I could not forbear, left the Reader might think thoſe
vaft Creatures were actually deformed: For I muſt do
them Juftice to fay, they are a comely Race of People;
and particularly the Features of my Maiter's Counte-
nance, although he were but a Farmer, when I beheld
him from the Height of fixty Feet, appeared very well
proportioned.
When Dinner was done, my Mafter went out to his
Labourers, and, as I could difcover by his Voice and
Geſture, gave his Wife a ftrict Charge to take Care of
me. I was very much tired, and difpofed to fleep,
which my Mistress perceiving, fhe put me on her own
Bed, and covered me with a clean white Handkerchief,
but larger and coarſer than the Main fail of a Man of
War.
I flept about two Hours, and dreamed I was at Home
with my Wife and Children, which aggravated my Sor-
rows when I awaked, and found myſelf alone in a vaſt
Room, between two and three hundred Feet wide, and
above two-hundred high, lying in a Bed twenty Yards
wide. My Millrefs was gone about her Houthold Af-
fairs, and had locked me in. The Eed was eight Yards
from the Floor. Some natural Neceffities required me
to get down; I durft not prefume to call, and, if I had,
it would have been in vain, with fuch a Voice as mine,
at fo great a Diſtance as from the Room where I lay
to the Kitchen where the Family kept. While I was
under thefe Circumftances, two Rats crept up the Cur-
tains, and ran ſmelling backwards and forwards on the
Bed. One of them came up almoſt to my Face, where-
upon I roſe in a Fright, and drew out my Hanger to
defend myſelf. Thefe horrible Aniinals had the Bold-
G
nefs
82
A VOYAGE
nefs to attack me on both Sides, and one of them held his
Fore-feet at my Collar; but I had the good Fortune to rip
up his Belly, before he could do me any Miſchief. He
fell down at my Feet, and the other, feeing the Fate of
his Comrade, made his Eſcape, but not without one good
Wound on the Back, which I gave him as he fled, and
made the blood run trickling from him. After this
Exploit, I walked gently to and fro on the Bed, to re-
cover my Breath, and Lofs of Spirits. Thefe Creatures
were of the Size of a large Maſtiff, but infinitely more
nimble and fierce, ſo that, if I had taken off my Belt
before I went to fleep, I muſt have infallibly been torn
to Pieces and devoured. I meaſured the Tail of the
dead Rat, and found it to be two Yards long, wanting
an Inch; but it went againft my Stomach to drag the
Carcafs off the Bed, where it lay ftill bleeding; I ob-
ferved it had yet fome Life, but, with a ftrong Slaſh
crofs the Neck, I thoroughly diſpatched it.
Soon after, my Miftrefs came into the Room, who,
feeing me all bloody, ran and took me up in her Hand.
I pointed to the dead Rat, fmiling, and making other
Signs, to fhew I was not hurt, whereat fhe was ex-
tremely rejoiced, calling the Maid to take up the dead
Rat with a Pair of Tongs, and throw it out of the Win-
dow. Then the fet me on a Table, where I fhewed
her my Hanger all bloody, and, wiping it on the Lap-
pet of my Coat, returned it to the Scabbard. I was
preffed to do more than one Thing, which another could
not do for me, and therefore endeavoured to make my
Miſtreſs underſtand that I defired to be fet down on the
Floor; which after ſhe had done, my Baſhfulneſs would
not fuffer me to exprefs myfelf farther, than by pointing
to the Door, and bowing feveral Times. The good
Woman, with much Difficulty, at laft perceived what
I would be at, and taking me up again in her Hand,
walked into the Garden, where fhe fet me down. I
went on one Side, about two hundred Yards, and, beck-
oning to her not to look or to follow me, I hid myſelf
be-
to BROBDINGNA G.
83
between Leaves of Sorrel, and there difcharged the Ne-
ceffities of Nature.
I hope the gentle Reader will excufe me for dwelling
on thefe and the like Particulars, which, however in-
fignificant they may appear to grovelling vulgar Minds,
yet will certainly help a Philofopher to enlarge his
Thoughts and Imagination, and to apply them to a
Benefit of public as well as private Life, which was my
fole Defign in prefenting this and other Accounts of
my Travels to the World; wherein I have been chief-
ly ftudious of Truth, without affecting any Ornaments
of Learning or of Style. But the whole Scene of this
Voyage made fo ftrong an Impreffion on my Mind, and
is fo deeply fixed in my Memory, that, in committing
it to Paper, I did not omit one material Circumſtance :
However, upon a ftrict Review, I blotted out feveral
Paffages of leſs Moment which were in my firft Copy,
for fear of being cenfured as tedious and trifling, where-
of Travellers are often, perhaps not without Juſtice,
accuſed.
CHA P. II.
A Deſcription of the Farmer's Daughter. The Au-
thor carried to a Market-Town, and then to the
Metropolis. The Particulars of his Journey.
M
Y Miſtreſs had a Daughter of nine Years old,
a Child of towardly Parts for her Age, very
dexterous at her Needle, and fkilful in dreffing her
Baby. Her Mother and the contrived to fit up the
Baby's Cradle for me againſt Night: The Cradle was
put into a ſmall Drawer placed upon a Hanging-Shelf,
for Fear of the Rats. This was my Bed all the Time
I ftayed with thofe People, tho' made more convenient
by Degrees, as I began to learn their Language, and
make my Wants known. This young Girl was fo
handy, that, after I had once or twice pulled off my
G 2
Cloaths
本
​A VOYAGE
Cloaths before her, fhe was able to drefs and undres
me, though I never gave her that Trouble, when ſhe
would let me do either myſelf. She made me ſeven
Shirts, and fome other Linnen, of as fine Cloth as
could be got, which, indeed, was coarfer than Sack-
Cloth; and theſe ſhe conftantly waſhed for me with
her own Hands. She was likewife my School-Miſtreſs,
to teach me the Language: When I pointed to any
Thing, fhe told me the Name of it in her own Tongue,
fo that, in few Days, I was able to call for whatever
I had a Mind to. She was very good-natured, and
not above forty Feet high, being little for her Age.
She gave me the Name of Grildrig, which the Family
took up, and afterwards the whole Kingdom. The
Word imports, what the Latins call Nanunculus, the
Italians Homunceletino, and the Engliſh Mannikin. To
her I chiefly owe my Prefervation in that Country :
We never parted while I was there, I called her my
Glumdalel ich, or little Nurfe: And ſhould be guilty
of great Ingratitude, if I omitted this honourable
Mention of her Care and Affection towards me, which
I heartily wish it lay in my Power to requite as the
deferves, inftead of being the innocent, but unhappy
Inftrument of her Difgrace, as I have too much Rea-
fon to fear.
It now began to be known and talked of in the
Neighbourhood, that my Mafter had found a ftrange
Animal in the Field, about the Bignefs of a Splacknuck,
but exactly ſhaped in every Part like a human Crea-
ture; which it likewife imitated in all its Actions;
feemed to fpeak in a little Language of its own, had
already learned feveral Words of theirs, went erect
upon two Legs, was tame and gentle, would come
when it was called, do whatever he was bid, had the
fineft Limbs in the World, and a Complexion fairer
than a Nobleman's Daughter of three Years old.
Another Farmer, who lived hard by, and was a par-
ticular Friend of my Mafter, came on a Vifit on
Purpoſe to enquire into the Truth of this Story. I
was
to BROBDINGNAG.
85
was immediately produced, and placed upon a Table,
where I walked as I was commanded, drew my Han-
ger, put it up again, made my Reverence to my
Maſter's Gueft, afked him in his own Language how
he did, and told him he was welcome, juſt as my little
Nurſe.had inftructed me. This Man, who was old and
dim-fighted, put on his Spectacles to behold me better,
at which I could not forbear laughing very heartily,
for his Eyes appeared like the Full-Moon fhining into
a Chamber at two Windows. Our People, who dif-
covered the Cauſe of my Mirth, bore me Company
in laughing, at which the Old Fellow was Fool enough
to be angry and out of Countenance. He had the
Character of a great Mifer, and, to my Misfortune,
he well deferved it, by the curſed Advice he gave my
Maſter to fhew me as a Sight upon a Market-Day in
the next Town, which was half an Hour's Riding,
about two and twenty Miles from our Houfe. I gueffed
there was fome Mifchief contriving, when I obferved
my Maſter and his Friend whiſpering long together,
fometimes pointing at me; and my Fears made me
fancy that I overheard and underſtood fome of their
Words. But, the next Morning, Glumdalclitch, my
little Nurfe, told me the whole Matter, which ſhe had
cunningly picked out from her Mother. The poor
Girl laid me on her Bofom, and fell a weeping with
Shame and Grief. She apprehended fome Miſchief
would happen to me from rude vulgar Folks, who
might fqueefe me to Death, or break one of my Limbs,
by taking me in their Hands. She had alſo obſerved
how modelt I was in my Nature, how nicely I re-
garded my Honour, and what an Indignity I fhould
conceive it to be expofed for Money as a public
Spectacle to the meanelt of the People. She faid, her
Papa and Mamma had promifed that Grildrig fhould
be hers, but now ſhe found they meant to ferve her
as they did laft Year, when they pretended to give
her a Lamb, and yet, as foon as it was fat, fold it to
a Butcher. For my own Part, I may truly affirm,
that
G 3
86
A VOYAGE
that I was lefs concerned than my Nurfe. I had a
ftrong Hope, which never left me, that I fhould one
Day recover my Liberty; and as to the Ignominy of
being carried about for a Monſter, I confidered myſelf
to be a perfect Stranger in the Country, and that fuch
a Misfortune could never be charged upon me as a
Reproach, if ever I ſhould return to England; fince the
King of Great Britain himſelf, in my Condition, muſt
have undergone the fame Diftrefs.
My Mafter, purſuant to the Advice of his Friend,
carried me in a Box the next Market-Day to the
neighbouring Town, and took along with him his
little Daughter, my Nurſe, upon a Pillion behind him.
The Box was clofe on every Side, with a little Door
for me to go in and out, and a few Gimlet-Holes to
let in Air. The Girl had been fo careful to put the
Quilt of her Baby's Bed into it, for me to lie down on.
However, I was terribly fhaken and difcompofed in
this Journey, though it were but of half an Hour.
For the Horfe went about forty Feet at every Step,
and trotted fo high, that the Agitation was equal to
the rifing and falling of a Ship in a great Storm, but
much more frequent: Our Journey was fomewhat
farther than from London to St. Alban's. My Maſter
alighted at an Inn which he uſed to frequent; and after
confulting a while with the Inn-Keeper, and making
fome neceffary Preparations, he hired the Grultrud or
Crier to give Notice through the Town of a ſtrange
Creature to be feen at the Sign of the Green Eagle, not
fo big as a Spiacnuck, (an Animal in that Country very
finely ſhaped, about fix Feet long) and in every Part
of the Body reſembling an human Creature, could
ſpeak feveral Words, and perform an hundred divert-
ing Tricks.
I was placed upon a Table in the largeſt Room of
the Inn, which might be near three hundred Feet fquare.
My little Nurſe ſtood on a low Stool cloſe to the Table,
to take Care of me, and direct what I fhould do.
Mafter, to avoid a Croud, would fuffer only thirty
My
People
to BROBDINGNAG.
87
People at a Time to ſee me. I walked about on the
Table as the Girl commanded: She aſked me Questions,
as far as ſhe knew my Underſtanding of the Language
reached, and I answered them as loud as I could.
I turned about feveral Times to the Company, paid
my humble Refpects, faid they were welcome, and
ufed fome other Speeches I had been taught. I took
up a 'Thimble filled with Liquor, which Glumdalclitch
had given me for a Cup, and drank their Health.
I drew out my Hanger, and flouriſhed with it after
the Manner of Fencers in England. My Nurfe gave
me Part of a Straw, which I exerciſed as a Pike, having
learned the Art in my Youth. I was that Day fhewn
to twelve Sets of Company, and as often forced to
go over again the fame Fopperies, till I was half dead
with Wearinefs and Vexation. For thoſe who had
feen me made fuch wonderful Reports, that the People
were ready to break down the Doors to come in.
My Mafter, for his own Intereft, would not fuffer any
one to touch me except my Nurfe; and, to prevent
Danger, Benches were fet round the Table at ſuch a
Distance as to put me out of every Body's Reach.
However, an unlucky School-Boy aimed a Hazel-Nut
directly at my Head, which very narrowly miffed me;
otherwiſe, it came with fo much Violence that it would
have infallibly knocked out my Brains, for it was
almost as large as a fmall Pumpion: But I had the
Satisfaction to fee the young Rogue well beaten, and
turned out of the Room.
My Mafter gave public Notice, that he would fhew
me again the next Market Day, and in the mean Time
he prepared a more convenient Vehicle for me, which
he had Reaſon enough to do; for I was fo tired with
my first Journey, and with entertaining Company for
eight Hours together, that I could hardly ftand upon
my Legs, or fpeak a Word. It was at least three Days
before I recovered my Strength; and that I might
have no Reft at Home, all the neighbouring Gentle-
men from a hundred Miles round, hearing of my
Fame,
G 4
88
AVOYAGE
Fame, came to ſee me at my Maſter's own Houſe.
There could not be fewer than thirty Perfons with their
Wives and Children (for the Country is very populous;)
and my Mafter demanded the Rate of a full Room
whenever he fhewed me at Home, although it were
only to a fingle Family: So that for fome Time I had
but little Eafe every Day of the Week (except Wedneſ-
day, which is their Sabbath) although I were not car-
ried to the Town.
My Mafter, finding how profitable I was like to be,
refolved to carry me to the moſt confiderable Cities
of the Kingdom. Having therefore provided himſelf
with all Things neceffary for a long Journey, and
fettled his Affairs at Home, he took Leave of his Wife,
and upon the 17th of August 1703, about two Months
after my Arrival, we fet out for the Metropolis, fituated
near the Middle of that Empire, and about three thou-
fand Miles Diſtance from our Houſe: My Maſter made
his Daughter Glumdalclitch ride behind him. She car-
ried me on her Lap, in a Box tied about her Waiſt.
The Girl had lined it on all Sides with the fofeft Cloth
fhe could get, well quilted underneath, furniſhed it with
her Baby's Eed, provided me with Linnen and other.
Neceffaries, and made every Thing as convenient as
fhe could. We had no other Company but a Boy
of the Houſe, who rode after us with the Luggage.
My Maſter's Defign was to fhew me in all the Towns
by the Way, and to ſtep out of the Road for fifty or
an hundred Miles, to any Village, or Perfon of Qua-
lity's Houfe, where he might expect Cuftom. We
made eafy Journeys of not above feven or eight Score
Miles a Day: For Glumdalclitch, on Purpofe to fpare
me, complained fhe was tired with the Trotting of
the Horfe. She often took me out of my Box, at my
own Defire, to give me Air, and fhew me the Country,
but always held me faft by a Leading-String. We
paffed over five or fix Rivers, many Degrees broader
and deeper than the Nile, or the Ganges; and there
was hardly a Rivulet fo fmall as the Thames at London
Bridge.
to BROBDINGNAG.
89
Bridge. We were ten Weeks in our Journey, and I
was fhewn in eighteen large Towns, befides many
Villages and private Families.
On the 26th Day of October, we arrived at the Me-
tropolis, called, in their Language, Lorbrulgrud, or
Pride of the Univerfe. My Mafter took a Lodging in
the principal Street of the City, not far from the Royal
Palace, and put out Bills in the ufual Form, contain-
ing an exact Defcription of my Perfon and Parts. He
hired a large Room, between three and four hundred
Feet wide. He provided a Table fixty Feet in diame
ter, upon which I was to act my Part, and pallifadoed
it round three Feet from the Edge, and as many high,
to prevent my falling over. I was fhewn ten Times a
Day, to the Wonder and Satisfaction of all People. I
could now ſpeak the Language tolerably well, and
perfectly underſtood every Word that was fpoken to
me. Befides, I had learned their Alphabet, and could
make a Shift to explain a Sentence here and there; for
Glumdalclitch had been my Inſtructor while we were at
Home, and at leifure Hours during our Journey. She
carried a little Book in her Pocket, not much larger
than a Sanſon's Atlas; it was a common Treatiſe for
the Ufe of young Girls, giving a fhort Account of their
Religion; out of this fhe taught me my Letters, and
interpreted the Words.
CHAP.
ga
AVOYAGE
CHA P. III.
The Author fent for to Court. The Queen buys him
of his Mafter the Farmer, and prefents him to the
King. He difputes with his Majefty's great Scho-
lars. An Apartment at Court provided for the
Author. He is in high Favour with the Queen.
He ftands up for the Honour of his own Country.
His Quarrels with the Queen's Dwarf.
THE
in
HE frequent Labours I underwent, every Day,
made in few Weeks a very confiderable Change
my Health: The more my Mafter got by me, the
more inſatiable he grew. I had quite loſt my Stomach,
and was almoſt reduced to a Skeleton. The Farmer
obferved it, and, concluding I muft foon die, refolved
to make as good a Hand of me as he could. While he
was thus reafoning and refolving with himfelf, a Slar-
dral, or Gentleman-Ufher, came from Court, com-
manding my Mafter to carry me immediately thither,
for the Diverfion of the Queen and her Ladies. Some
of the latter had already been to fee me, and reported
ftrange Things of my Beauty, Behaviour, and good
Senfe. Her Majefty, and thoſe who attended her, were
beyond Meaſure delighted with my Demeanour, I fell
on my Knees, and begged the Honour of kiffing her
Imperial Foot; but this gracious Princefs held out her
little Finger towards me (after I was fet on a Table)
which I embraced in both my Arms, and put the Tip
of it, with the utmoſt Reſpect, to my Lips. She made
me fome general Queftions about my Country, and my
Travels, which I answered as diftinctly, and in as few
Words as I could. She aſked whether I would be con-
tent to live at Court. I bowed down to the Board of
the Table, and humbly anſwered that I was my Maſ-
ter's Slave; but, if I were at my own Difpofal, I ſhould
be proud to devote my Life to her Majefty's Service.
She
to BROBDINGNAG.
91
She then aſked my Mafter whether he were willing to
fell me at a good Price. He, who apprehended I
could not live à Month, was ready enough to part with
me, and demanded a thouſand Pieces of Gold, which
were ordered him on the Spot, each Piece being about
the Bignefs of eight-hundred Moydores; but, allowing
for the Proportion of all Things between that Country
and Europe, and the high Price of Gold among them,
was hardly fo great a Sum as a thouſand Guineas would
be in England. I then faid to the Queen, fince I was now
her Majefty's moſt humble Creature and Vaffal, I muſt
beg the Favour, that Glumdalclitch, who had always
tended me with ſo much Care and Kindneſs, and un-
derſtood to do it fo well, might be admitted into her
Service, and continue to be my Nurfe and Intructor.
Her Majefty agreed to my Petition, and eafily got the
Farmer's Confent, who was glad enough to have his
Daughter preferred at Court: And the poor Girl her-
felf was not able to hide her Joy: My late Maſter
withdrew, bidding me Farewel, and faying he had left
me in a good Service; to which I replied not a Word,
only making him a flight Pow.
The Queen obferved my Coldneſs, and, when the
Farmer was gone out of the Apartment, afked me the
Reafon. I made bold to tell her Majefty, that I owed
no other Obligation to my late Mafter, than his not
daſhing out the Brains of a poor harmleſs Creature found
by Chance in his field; which Obligation was amply re-
compenfed by the Gain he had made in fhewing me thro'
half the Kingdom, and the Price he had now fold me
for. That the Life I had fince led, was laborious enough
to kill an Animal of ten Times my Strength. That
my Health was much impaired by the continual Drud-
gery of entertaining the Rabble every Hour of the Day.
and that, if my Mailer had not thought my Life in
Danger, her Majefty would not have got fo cheap a
Bargain. But as I was out of all Fear of being ill treat-
ed under the Protection of fo great and good an Em-
prefs, the Ornament of Nature, the Darling of the
World,
92
A VOYAGE
World, the Delight of her Subjects, the Phoenix of
the Creation; fo, I hoped my late Mafters apprehen-
fions would appear to be groundleſs, for I already found
my Spirits to revive by the Influence of her moſt au-
guft Prefence.
This was the Sum of my Speech, delivered with
great Improprieties and Hefitation; the latter Part
was altogether framed in the Style peculiar to that Peo-
ple, whereof I learned fome Phraíes from Glumdal-
clitch, while fhe was carrying me to Court.
The Queen, giving great Allowance for my De-
fectiveness in fpeaking, was however furprifed at fo
much Wit and good Senfe in fo diminutive an Animal.
She took me in her own Hands, and carried me to the
King, who was then retired to his Cabinet. His Ma-
jefty, a Prince of much Gravity, and auftere Counte-
nance, not well obferving my Shape at firſt View, aſk-
ed the Queen after a cold Manner, how long it was
fince she grew fond of a Splacnuck; for fuch it ſeems
he took me to be, as I lay upon my Breaſt in her Ma-
jefty's Right-hand. But this Princefs, who hath an
infinite deal of Wit and Humour, fet me gently on my
Feet upon the Scrutore, and commanded me to give
his Majefty an Account of myſelf, which I did in a ve-
ry few Words; and Glumdalclitch, who attended at
the Cabinet Door, and could not endure I fhould be
out of her Sight, being admitted, confirmed all that
had paffed from my Arrival at her Father's Houſe.
The King, although he be as learned a Perfon as
any in his Dominions, had been educated in the Stu-
dy of Philofophy, and particularly Mathematics; yet
when he obferved my Shape exactly, and faw me walk
erect, before I began to fpeak, conceived I might be a
Piece of Clock-work (which is in that Country arrived
to a very great Perfection) contrived by fome ingenious
Artift. But when he heard my Voice, and found what
I delivered to be regular and rational, he could not
conceal his Aſtoniſhment. He was by no Means fa-
tisfied with the Relation I gave him of the Manner I
came
.
93
to BROBDINGNAG.
came into his Kingdom, but thought it a Story con-
certed between Glumdalclitch and her Father, who had
taught me a Set of Words to make me fell at a better
Price. Upon this Imagination he put feveral other
Queſtions to me, and ftill received rational Anſwers,
no otherwiſe defective, than by a foreign Accent, and
an imperfect Knowledge in the Language, with fome
ruftic Phraſes which I had learned at the Farmer's
Houſe, and did not fuit the polite Style of a Court.
His Majefty fent for three great Scholars who were
then in their weekly Waiting, according to the Cuf-
tom in that Country. Thefe Gentlemen, after they
had a while examined my Shape with much Nicety,
were of different Opinions concerning me. They all
agreed that I could not be produced according to the
regular Laws of Nature, becauſe I was not framed with
a Capacity of preferving my Life, either by Swiftnefs,
or Climbing of Trees, or Digging Holes in the Earth.
They obferved by my Teeth, which they viewed with
great Exactnefs, that I was a carnivorous Animal; yet
moft Quadrupeds being an Overmatch for me, and
Field-mice, with fome others, too nimble, they could
not imagine how I fhould be able to fupport myſelf,
unless I fed upon Snails and other Infects, which they
offered, by many learned Arguments, to evince that
I could not poffibly do. One of theſe Virtuofi ſeemed
to think that I might be an Embryo, or abortive Birth.
But this Opinion was rejected by the other two, who
obferved my Limbs to be perfect and finished, and that
I had lived feveral Years, as it was manifeft from my
Beard, the Stumps whereof they plainly difcovered
through a Magnifying-glafs. They would not allow
me to be a Dwarf, becaufe my Littleness was beyond
all Degrees of Comparison; for the Queen's favourite
Dwarf, the fmaileft ever known in that Kingdom, was
near thirty Feet high. After much Debate, they
concluded unanimouЛly that I was only Relplum Scal-
catch, which is interpreted literally, Lufus Naturæ ;
a Determination exactly agreeable to the modern Phi-
lofophy
94
A VOYAGE
lofophy of Europe, whofe Profeffors, difdaining the old
Evafion of occult Cauſes, whereby the Followers of
Ariftotle endeavoured in vain to diſguiſe their Ignorance,
have invented this wonderful Solution of all Difficul-
ties, to the unspeakable Advancement of human Know-
ledge.
After this decifive Conclufion, I entreated to be heard
a Word or two. I applied myſelf to the King, and af
fured his Majefty that I came from a Country which
abounded with feveral Millions of both Sexes, and of my
own Stature; where the Animals, Trees, and Houfes
were all in Proportion, and where by Confequence I
might be as able to defend myſelf, and to find Sufte-
nance, as any of his Majeſty's Subjects could do here;
which I took for a full Anſwer to thoſe Gentlemens Ar-
guments. To this they only replied with a Smile of
Contempt, faying, That the Farmer had inſtructed me
very well in my Leffon. The King, who had a much
better Underſtanding, difmifiing his learned Men, ſent
for the Farmer, who by good fortune was not yet gone
Out of Town: Having therefore firſt examined him
privately, and then confronted him with me and the
young Girl, his Majefty began to think that what we
told him might poffibly be true. He defired the Queen
to order that a particular Care ſhould be taken of me,
and was of Opinion, that Glumdalclitch ſhould ſtill con-
tinue in her Office of tending me, becauſe he obferved
we had a great Affection for each other. A convenient
Apartment was provided for her at Court; fhe had a
a Sort of Governeſs appointed to take Care of her Edu-
cation, a Maid to drefs her, and two other Servants for
menial Offices; but the Care of me was wholly appropri-
ated to herſelf. The Queen commanded her own Cabi-
net maker to contrive a Box that might ferve me for a
Bed-chamber, after the Model that Glumdalclitch and I
fhould agree upon. This Man was a molt ingenious Ar-
tift, and, according to my Directions, in three Weeks fi
niſhed for me a wooden Chamber of fixteen Feet ſquare,
and twelve high, with Safh-windows, a Door, and two
Clofets,
to BROBDINGNAG.
95
י
Cloſets, like a London Bed-chamber. The Board, that
made the Cieling, was to be lifted up and down by two
Hinges, to put in a Bed ready furniſhed by her Majeſty's
Upholsterer, which Glumdalclitch took out every Day to
Air, made it with her own Hands, and, letting it down
at Night, locked up the Roof over me. A nice Work-
man, who was famous for little Curiofities, undertook
to make me two Chairs, with Backs and Frames of a
Subſtance not unlike Ivory, and two Tables, with a Ca-
binet to put my Things in. The Room was quilted
on all Sides, as well as the Floor and the Cieling, to
prevent any Accident from the Careleſneſs of thoſe who
carried me, and to break the Force of a Jolt when I
went in a Coach. I defired a Lock for my Door, to
prevent Rats and Mice from coming in: The Smith,
after ſeveral Attempts, made the ſmalleſt that ever was
feen among them, for I have known a larger at the
Gate of a Gentleman's Houſe in England. I made a
Shift to keep the Key in a Pocket of my own, fearing
Glumdalclitch might loſe it. The Queen likewiſe or-
dered the thineft Silks that could be gotten, to make
me Cloaths, not much thicker than an English Blanket,
very cumberſome, till I was accuftomed to them. They
were after the Faſhion of the Kingdom, partly refem-
bling the Perfian, and partly the Chineſe, and are a
very grave and decent Habit.
The Queen became fo fond of my Company, that
ſhe could not dine without me. I had a Table placed
upon the fame at which her Majefty eat, juft at her
Left Elbow, and a Chair to fit on. Glumdalclitch ſtood
on a Stool on the Floor, near my Table, to affiit and
take Care of me. I had an entire Set of Silver Dishes
and Plates, and other Neceffaries, which, in Proportion
to thoſe of the Queen's, were not much bigger than
what I have feen of the fame Kind in a London Toy-
Shop, for the Furniture of a Baby-Houfe: Thefe my
little Nurſe kept in her Pocket, in a Silver Box, and
gave me at Meals as I wanted them, always cleaning
them herſelf. No Perfon dined with the Queef but
the
96
AVOYAGE
the two Princeffes Royal, the elder fixteen Years old,
and the younger at that Time thirteen and a Month.
Her Majesty uſed to put a Bit of Meat upon one of
my Diſhes, out of which I carved for myſelf; and her
Diverfion was to fee me eat in Miniature. For the
Queen (who had, indeed, but a weak Stomach) took
up, at one Mouthful, as much as a Dozen English
Farmers could eat at a Meal, which, to me, was for
fome Time a very naufeous Sight. She would crunch
the Wing of a Lark, Bones and all, between her
Teeth, although it were nine Times as large as that
of a full grown Turkey; and put a Bit of Bread into
her Mouth, as big as two Twelve- Penny Loaves. She
drank out of a Golden Cup, above a Hogfhead at a
Draught. Her Knives were twice as long as a Scythe,
fet frait upon the Handle. The Spoons, Forks, and
other Infruments, were all in the fame Proportion.
I remember, when Glumdalclitch carried me out of
Curiofity to fee fome of the Tables at Court, where ten
or a dozen of theſe enormous Knives and Forks were
lifted up together. I thought I had never, till then,
beheld fo terrible a Sight.
It is the Cuſtom, that every Wedneſday (which, as I
have before obſerved, was their Sabbath) the King and
Queen, with the Royal Iffue of both Sexes, dine toge-
ther in the Apartment of his Majefty, to whom I was
now become a great Favourite; and at theſe Times
my little Chair and Table were placed at his Left Hand,
before one of the Salt-Cellars. This Prince took a
Pleaſure in converfing with me, enquiring into the
Manners, Religion, Laws, Government, and Learning
of Europe; wherein I gave him the beft Account I
was able. His Apprehenfion was fo clear, and his
Judgment fo exact, that he made very wife Reflections
and Obfervations upon all I faid. But I confefs, that af-
ter I had been a little too copious in Talking of my own
beloved Country, of our Trade, and Wars by Sea and
Land, of our Schifms in Religion, and Parties in the
State; the Prejudices of his Education prevailed fo
får,
to BROBDINGNAG.
97
far, that he could not forbear taking me up in his
Right Hand, and ſtroaking me gently with the other,
after an hearty Fit of Laughing, afked me, Whether Í
was a Whig or Tory? Then turning to his Firſt Mini-
fter, who waited behind him with a white Staff, near
as tall as the Main-Maft of the Royal Sovereign, he
obferved how contemptible a Thing was human Gran-
deur, which could be mimicked by fuch diminutive
Infects as I: And yet, fays he, I dare engage, theſe
Creatures have their Titles and Distinctions of Honour,
they contrive little Nefts and Burrows, that they call
Houſes and Cities; they make a Figure in Drefs and
Equipage; they love, they fight, they difpute, they
cheat, they betray. And thus he continued on, while
my Colour came and went ſeveral Times, with Indig-
nation, to hear our noble Country, the Miſtreſs of Arts
and Arms, the Scourge of France, the Arbitreſs of
Europe, the Seat of Virtue, Piety, Honour, and Truth,
the Pride and Envy of the World, fo contemptuoufly
treated.
But as I was not in a Condition to refent Injuries,
fo, upon mature Thoughts, I began to doubt whether
I was injured or no. For, after having been accuf-
tomed feveral Months to the Sight and Converſe of
this People, and obferved every Object upon which
I caft mine Eyes, to be of proportionable Magnitude,
the Horror I had at firſt conceived, from their Bulk
and Afpect, was fo far worn off, that if I had then
beheld a Company of English Lords and Ladies in
their Finery, and Birth-Day Cloaths, acting their fe-
veral Parts in the moſt courtly Manner, of ftrutting,
and bowing, and prating; to fay the Truth, I fhould
have been ſtrongly tempted to laugh as much at them,
as the King and his Grandees did at me. Neither,
indeed, could I forbear fmiling at myſelf, when the
Queen uſed to place me upon her Hand towards a
Looking-Glafs, by which both our Perfons appeared
before me in full View together; and there could no-
thing be more ridiculous than the Comparifon : So that
H
I re-
98
A VOYAGE
I really began to imagine myſelf dwingled many
Degrees below my uſual Size.
Nothing angered and mortified me fo much as the
Queen's Dwarf, who being of the lowest Stature that
was ever in that Country (for I verily think he was not
full thirty Feet high) became infolent at ſeeing a Crea-
ture fo much beneath him, that he would always
affect to ſwagger and look big as he paffed by me in
the Queen's Anti-Chamber, while I was ftanding on
fome Table talking with the Lords or Ladies of the
Court, and he ſeldom failed of a ſmart Word or two
upon my Littleness; againſt which I could only re-
venge myſelf by calling him Brother, challenging him
to wreſtle, and fuch Repartees as are ufual in the Mouths
of Court Pages. One Day, at Dinner, this malicious
Little Cubb was fo nettled with fomething I had faid to
him, that, raiſing himſelf upon the Frame of her Maje-
ity's Chair, he took me up by the Middle, as I was fitting
down, not thinking any Harin, and let me drop into
a large Silver Bowl of Cream, and then ran away as
faſt as he could. I fell over Head and Ears, and, if I
had not been a good Swimmer, it might have gone
hard with me; for Glumdalclitch, in that Inftant,
happened to be at the other End of the Room, and the
Queen was in fuch a Fright, that ſhe wanted Prefence
of Mind to affit me. But my little Nurfe ran to
my Relief, and took me out, after I had fwallowed
above a Quart of Cream. I was put to Bed; however,
I received no other Damage than the Lofs of a Suit of
Cloaths, which was utterly fpoiled. The Dwarf was
foundly whipped, and, as a farther Punishment, forced
to drink up the Bowl of Cream, into which he had
thrown me; neither was he ever reftored to Favour:
For, foon after, the Queen bestowed him on a Lady
of high Quality, fo that I faw him no more, to my
very great Satisfaction; for I could not tell to what
Extremity fuch a malicious Uichin might have carried
his Refentment.
very
He
to BROBDINGNAG.
99
He had before ferved me a fcurvy Trick, which fet
the Queen a laughing, although at the fame Time
fhe was heartily vexed, and would have immediately
cafhiered him, if I had not been fo generous as to
intercede. Her Majefty had taken a Marrow-Bone
upon her Plate, and, after knocking out the Marrow,
placed the Bone again in the Diſh erect, as it flood
before; the Dwarf watching his Opportunity, while
Glumdalclitch was gone to the Side-Board, mounted
the Stool fhe ftood on to take Care of me at Meals,
took me up in both Hands, and, fqueefing my Legs
together, wedged them into the Marrow-Bone above my
Waift, where I ftuck for fome Time, and made a very
ridiculous Figure. I believe it was near a Minute
before any one knew what was become of me; for I
thought it below me to cry out. But, as Princes fel-
dom get their Meat hot, my Legs were not fcalded,
only my Stockings and Breeches in a fad Condition.
The Dwarf, at my Entreaty, had no other Puniſhment
than a found Whipping.
I was frequently rallied by the Queen upon Ac-
count of my Fearfulnefs; and the ufed to afk me, Whe
ther the People of my Country were as great Cowards
as myſelf? The Occafion was this: The Kingdom is
much peſtered with Flies in Summer; and theſe odious
Infects, each of them as big as a Dunſtable Lark, hard-
ly gave me any Reft while I fat at Dinner, with their
continual humming and buzzing about mine Ears.
They would fometimes alight upon my Victuals, and
leave their loathfome Excrement or Spawn behind,
which to me was very vifible, though not to the Na-
tives of that Country, whoſe large Optics were not ſo
acute as mine in viewing fmaller Objects. Sometimes
they would fix upon my Nofe or Forehead, where
they ftung me to the Quick, fmelling very offenfive-
ly, and I could easily trace that viſcous Matter, which,
our Naturalifts tell us, enables thofe Creatures to walk
with their Feet upwards upon a Cieling. I had much
ado to defend myſelf against thefe deteftable Animals,
H 2
and
100
A VOYAGE
and could not forbear ſtarting when they came on my
Face. It was the common Practice of the Dwarf to
catch a Number of theſe Infects in his Hand, as School-
boys do among us, and let them out fuddenly under
my Nofe, on Purpoſe to frighten me, and divert the
Queen. My Remedy was to cut them in Pieces with
my Knife, as they flew in the Air, wherein my Dex-
terity was much admired.
I remember, one Morning, when Glumdalclitch had
fet me in my Box upon a Window, as ſhe uſually did
in fair Days to give me Air (for I durft not venture to
let the Box be hung on a Nail out of the Window, as
we do with Cages in England) after I had lifted up
one of my Saſhes, and fat down at my Table to eat
a Piece of ſweet Cake for my Breakfaſt, above twenty
Wafps, allured by the Smell, came flying into the
Room, humming louder than the Drones of as many
Bagpipes. Some of them feized my Cake, and car-
ried it Piece-meal away; others flew about my Head
and Face, confounding me with the Noife, and putting
me in the utmoſft Terror of their Stings. However,
had the Courage to rife and draw my Hanger, and
attack them in the Air. I difpatched four of them,
but the reft got away, and I prefently fhut my Win-
dow. Thefe Infects were as large as Partridges; I took
out their Stings, found them an Inch and a half long,
and as fharp as Needles. I carefully preferved them
all, and having fince fhewn them with fome other Cu-
riofities, in feveral Parts of Europe; upon my Return
to England, I gave three of them to Gresham-College,
and kept the fourth for myſelf.
CHAP.
to BROBDINGNAG.
IOI
CHA P. IV.
The Country defcribed. A Propofal for correcting
modern Maps. The King's Palace, and fome Ac-
count of the Metropolis. The Author's Way of
Travelling. The chief Temple defcribed.
I
Now intend to give the Reader a fhort Deſcription
of this Country, as far as I travelled in it, which
was not above two-thousand Miles round Lorbrulgrud,
the Metropolis. For the Queen, whom I always at-
tended, never went farther when ſhe accompanied the
King in his Progreffes, and there ftaid till his Majef-
ty returned from viewing his Frontiers. The whole
Extent of this Prince's Dominions reacheth about fix-
thouſand Miles in Length, and from three to five in
Breadth. From whence I cannot but conclude, that
our Geographers of Europe are in a great Error, by
fuppofing nothing but Sea between Japan and Califor-
nia; for it was ever my Opinion, that there muſt be
a Balance of Earth to counterpoife the great Continent
of Tartary; and therefore they ought to correct their
Maps and Charts, by joining this vaft Tract of Land
to the North-weft Parts of America, wherein I ſhall be
ready to lend them my Affiftance.
The Kingdom is a Peninfula, terminated to the
North-east by a Ridge of Mountains thirty Miles high,
which are altogether impaffable, by Reafon of the
Volcanoes upon the Tops. Neither do the moſt Learn-
ed know what Sort of Mortals inhabit beyond thoſe
Mountains, or whether they be inhabited at all. On
the three other Sides it is bounded by the Ocean.
There is not one Sea-port in the whole Kingdom, and
thofe Parts of the Coafts into which the Rivers iffue,
are fo full of pointed Rocks, and the Sea generally fo
rough, that there is no venturing with the fmalleft of
their Boats, fo that thefe People are wholly excluded
H 3
fron
102
AVOYAGE
from any Commerce with the reſt of the World. But
the large Rivers are full of Veffels, and abound with
excellent Fiſh, for they ſeldom get any from the Sea,
becauſe the Sea-Fiſh are of the fame Size with thoſe in
Europe, and confequently not worth catching; whereby
it is manifeft, that Nature in the Production of Plants
and Animals of fo extraordinary a Bulk is wholly con-
fined to this Continent, of which I leave the Reafons
to be determined by Philofophers. However, now
and then they take a Whale that happens to be daſhed
againſt the Rocks, which the common People feed on
heartily. Theſe Whales I have known fo large that
a Man could hardly carry one upon his Shoulders; and
fometimes for Curiofity they are brought in Hampers
to Lorbrulgrud: I faw one of them in a Difh at the
King's Table, which paffed for a Rarity, but I did
not obſerve he was fond of it; for I think indeed the
Bignefs difgufted him, although I have feen one fome-
what larger in Greenland.
The Country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty-
one Cities, near an hundred walled Towns, and a
great Number of Villages. To fatisfy my curious
Reader, it may be fufficient to defcribe Lorbrulgrud.
This City ſtands upon almoft two equal Parts on each
Side the River that paffes through. It contains above
eighty-thouſand Houſes, and about fix-hundred-thou-
fand Inhabitants. It is in Length three Glomglungs
(which make about fifty-four English Miles) and two and
à half in Breadth, as I meaſured it myſelf in the Royal
Map made by the King's Order, which was laid on the
Ground on Purpoſe for me, and extended an hundred
Feet; I paced the Diameter and Circumference ſeveral
Times bare-foot, and computing by the Scale, meaſur-
ed it pretty exactly.
The King's Palace is no regular Edifice, but an
Heap of Building about feven Miles round: The chief
Rooms are generally two hundred and forty Feet high,
and broad and long in Proportion. A Coach was al-
lowed to Glumdalclitch and me, wherein her Gover-
nefs
to BROBDINGNA G.
103
nefs frequently took her out to fee the Town, or go
among the Shops; and I was always of the Party, car-
ried in my Box; although the Girl at my own De-
fire would often take me out, and hold me in her Hand,
that I might more conveniently view the Houſes and
the People, as we paffed along the Streets. I reckon-
ed our Coach to be about a Square of Westminster-hall,
but not altogether fo high: However, I cannot be ve-
ry exact. One Day the Governeſs ordered our Coach-
man to ſtop at ſeveral Shops, where the Beggars watch-
ing their Opportunity, crouded to the Sides of the Coach,
and gave me the moſt horrible Spectacles that ever an
European Eye beheld. There was a Woman with a
Cancer in her Breaft, fwelled to a monstrous Size, full
of Holes, in two or three of which I could have eafily
crept, and covered my whole Body. There was a Fel-
low with a Wen in his Neck, larger than five Wool-
packs, and another with a couple of Wooden Legs, each
about twenty Feet high. But the most hateful Sight of
all was the Lice crawling on their Cloaths. I could fee
diftinctly the Limbs of thefe Vermin with my naked
Eye, much better than thoſe of an European Louſe thro'
a Microſcope, and their Snouts with which they routed
like Swine. They were the firft I had ever beheld, and
I fhould have been curious enough to diffect one of
them, if I had proper Inftruments (which I unluckily
left behind me in the Ship) although indeed the Sight
was fo nauſeous, that it perfectly turned my Stomach.
Befide the large Box in which I was ufually carried,
the Queen ordered a ſmaller one to be made for me, of
about twelve Feet fquare and ten high, for the Conve-
nience of Travelling, becauſe the other was fomewhat
too large for Glumdalclitch's Lap, and cumberſome in
the Coach; it was made by the fame Artift, whom I
directed in the whole Contrivance. This Travelling-
Clofet was an exact Square with a Window in the Mid-
dle of three of the Squares, and each Window was lat-
ticed with Iron Wire on the Outfide, to prevent Acci-
dents in long Journies. On the fourth Side, which had
H 4
no
104
A VOYAGE
no Window, two ftrong Staples were fixed, through
which the Perfon that carried me, when I had a Mind
to be on Horſeback, put in a Leathern Belt, and buck-
led it about his Wafte. This was always the Office of
fome grave trufly Servant in whom I could confide,
whether I attended the King and Queen in their Pro-
greffes, or were difpofed to fee the Gardens, or pay a
Vifit to ſome great Lady or Miniſter of State in the
Court, when Glumdalclitch happened to be out of Or-
der: For I foon began to be known and efteemed among
the greateſt Officers, I fuppofe more upon Account of
their Majelly's Favour than any Merit of my own.
In Journies, when I was weary of the Coach, a Ser-
vant on Horſe-back would buckle my Box, and place it
on a Cuſhion before him; and there I had a full Prof-
pect of the Country on three Sides from the three Win-
dows. I had in this Clofet a Field-Bed and a Ham-
mock hung from the Cieling, two Chairs and a Table,
neatly ſcrewed to the Floor, to prevent being toffed
about by the Agitation of the Horſe or the Coach. And
having been long ufed to Sea-Voyages, thofe Motions,
although ſometimes very violent, did not much diſcom-
pofe me.
Whenever I had a Mind to fee the Town, it was al-
ways in my Travelling-Clofet, which Glumdalclitch held
in her Lap in a Kind of open Sedan, after the Faſhion
of the Country, borne by four Men, and attended by
two others in the Queen's Livery. The People, who
had often heard of me, were very curious to croud a-
bout the Sedan, and the Girl was complaifant enough
to make the Bearers flop, and to take me in her Hand
that I might be more conveniently feen.
I was very defirous to fee the chief Temple, and
particularly the Tower belonging to it, which is reckon-
ed the highest in the Kingdom. Accordingly one Day
my Nurfe carried me thither, but I may truly fay I
came back diſappointed; for the Height is not above
three-thouſand Feet, reckoning from the Ground to the
higheſt Pinnacle Top; which allowing for the Diffe-
rence
to BROBDINGNAG.
105
rence between the Size of thoſe People, and us in Eu-
rote, is no great Matter for Admiration, nor at all equal
in Proportion (if I rightly remember) to Salisbury Stee-
ple. But, not to detract from a Nation to which during
my Life I fhall acknowledge myfelf extremely obliged,
it muſt be allowed that whatever this famous Tower
wants in Height is amply made up in Beauty and
Strength. For the Walls are near an hundred Feet thick,
built of hewn Stone, whereof each is about forty Feet
fquare, and adorned on all Sides with Statues of Gods
and Emperors cut in Marble larger than the Life, placed
in their ſeveral Niches. I meaſured a little Finger which
had fallen down from one of the Statues, and lay un-
perceived among fome Rubbiſh, and found it exactly
four Feet and an Inch in Length. Glumdalclitch wrap-
ped it up in her Handkerchief; and carried it Home in
her Pocket to keep among other Trinkets, of which
the Girl was very fond, as Children at her Age uſually
are.
The King's Kitchen is indeed a noble Building, vault-
ed at Top, and about fix-hundred Feet high. The
great Oven is not fo wide by ten Paces as the Cupola at
St. Paul's: For I meaſured the latter on Purpoſe after
my Return. But if I ſhould defcribe the Kitchen-grate,
the prodigious Pots and Kettles, the Joints of Meat turn-
ing on the Spits, with many other Particulars, perhaps
I fhould be hardly believed; at leaft a fevere Critic
would be apt to think I enlarged a little, as Travellers
are often fufpected to do. To avoid which Cenfure,
I fear I have run too much into the other Extream;
and that if this Treatife ſhould happen to be tranſlated
into the Language of Brobdingnag, (which is the gene-
ral Name of that Kingdom) and tranfmitted thither, the
King and his People would have Reaſon to complain
that I had done them an Injury by a falfe and diminu-
tive Reprefentation.
His Majefty feldom keeps above fix-hundred Horfes
in his Stables: They are generally from fifty-four to
fixty Feet high. But, when he goes Abroad on folemn
Days,
106
A VOYAGE
Days, he is attended for State by a Militia Guard of
five-hundred Horfe, which indeed I thought was the
moſt ſplendid Sight that could be ever beheld, till I faw
Part of his Army in Battalia, whereof I ſhall find ano-
ther Occafion to ſpeak.
CHA P. V.
Several Adventures that happened to the Author. The
Execution of a Criminal. The Author fhews his
Skill in Navigation.
Should have lived happy enough in that Country,
if my Littleneſs had not expofed me to feveral ridi-
culous and troubleſome Accidents: Some of which I
fhall venture to relate. Glumdalclitch often carried me
into the Gardens of the Court in my fmaller Box, and
would fometimes take me out of it, and hold me in her
Hand, or fet me down to walk. I remember, before
the Dwarf left the Queen, he followed us one Day into
thofe Gardens, and my Nurfe having fet me down,
he and I being cloſe together, near fome Dwarf Ap-
ple Trees, I muft need fhew my Wit, by a filly Allu-
fion between him and the Trees, which happens to hold
in their Language, as it doth in ours. Whereupon, the
malicious Rogue watching his Opportunity, when I was
walking under one of them, fhook it directly over my
Head, by which a dozen Apples, each of them near as
large as a Bristol Barrel, came tumbling about my Ears ;
one of them hit me on the Back as I chanced to ſtoop,
and knocked me down flat on my Face; but I received
no other Hurt, and the Dwarf was pardoned at my De-
fire, becauſe I had given the Provocation.
Another Day Glumdalclitch left me on a fmooth
Grafs plot to divert myfelf, while fhe walked at fome
Distance with her Governefs. In the mean Time there
fuddenly fell fuch a violent Shower of Hail, that I was
immediately, by the Force of it, ftrucks to the Ground:
And
to BROBDINGNAG.
107
And, when I was down, the Hail-ftones gave me fuch
cruel Bangs all over the Body, as if I had been pelted
with Tennis Balls; however, I made a Shift to creep
on all four, and ſhelter myſelf, by lying flat on my Face,
on the Lee-fide of a Border of Lemon Thyme, but fo
bruifed from Head to Foot, that I could not go Abroad
in ten Days. Neither is this at all to be wondered at,
becauſe, Nature in that Country obferving the fame
Proportion through all her Operations, a Hail-ftone is
near eighteen-hundred Times as large as one in Europe,
which I can affert upon Experience, having been fo
curious to weigh and meaſure them.
But a more dangerous Accident happened to me in
the fame Garden, when my little Nurfe believing fhe
had put me in a ſecure Place, which I often entreated
her to do, that I might enjoy my own Thoughts, and
having left my Box at Home to avoid the Trouble of
carrying it, went to another Part of the Garden with
her Governeſs, and fome Ladies of her Acquaintance.
While fhe was abfent, and out of Hearing, a fmall
white Spaniel belonging to one of the chief Gardeners,
having got by Accident into the Garden, happened to
range near the Place where I lay: The Dog, following
the Scent, came directly up, and, taking me in his
Mouth, ran ftrait to his Mafter, wagging his Tail, and
fet me gently on the Ground. By good Fortune he had
been fo well taught, that I was carried between his
Teeth without the leaft Hurt, or even tearing my
Cloaths. But the poor Gardener, who knew me well,
and had a great Kindness for me, was in a terrible
Fright: He gently took me up in both his Hands, and
afked me how I did; but I was fo amazed and out of
Breath, that I could not fpeak a Word. In few Mi-
nutes I came to myfelf, and he carried me fafe to my
little Nurfe, who by this Time had returned to the
Place where the left me, and was in cruel Agonies when
I did not appear, nor anfwer when ſhe called: She
feverely reprimanded the Gardener on Account of his
Dog. But the Thing was hufhed up, and never known
at Court; for the Girl was afraid of the Queen's An-
ger,
108
A VOYAGE
ger, and truly as to myſelf, I thought it would not be
for my Reputation that ſuch a Story ſhould go about.
This Accident abfolutely determined Glumdalclitch
never to truſt me Abroad for the future out of her Sight.
I had been long afraid of this Reſolution, and therefore
concealed from her fome little unlucky Adventures that
happened in thoſe Times when I was left by myſelf.
Once a Kite, hovering over the Garden, made a Stoop
at me, and if I had not refolutely drawn my Hanger,
and run under a thick Efpalier, he would have certain-
ly carried me away in his Talons. Another Time,
walking to the Top of a freſh Mole-hill, I fell to my
Neck in the Hole, through which that Animal had caſt
up the Earth, and coined fome Lye, not worth remem-
bring, to excufe myſelf for fpoiling my Cloaths. I like-
wife broke my right Shin againſt the Shell of a Snail,
which I happened to fumble over, as I was walking
alone, and thinking on poor England.
I cannot tell whether I were more pleaſed or morti-
fied, to obferve in thoſe folitary Walks, that the fmal-
ler Birds did not appear to be at all afraid of me, but
would hop about within a Yard's Distance, looking for
Worms, and other Food, with as much Indifference
and Security, as if no Creature at all were near them.
I remember, a Thrush had the Confidence to ſnatch
out of my Hand, with his Bill, a Piece of Cake that
Glumdalclitch had juſt given me for my Breakfaſt.
When I attempted to catch any of thefe Birds, they
would boldly turn againft me, endeavouring to pick
my Fingers, which I durft not venture within their
Reach; and then they would hop back unconcerned,
to hunt for Worms or Snails, as they did before. But
one Day I took a thick Cudgel, and threw it with all
my Strength fo luckily at a Linnet, that I knocked
him down, and, feizing him by the Neck with both my
Hands, ran with him in Triumph to my Nurfe. How-
ever, the Bird, who had only been ftunned, recovering
himfelf, gave me fo many Boxes with his Wings on
both Sides of my Head and Body, though I held him-
at
to BROBDINGNAG.
109
at Arms Length, and was out of the Reach of his
Claws, that I was twenty Times thinking to let him
go. But I was foon relieved by one of our Servants,
who wrung off the Bird's Neck, and I had him next
Day for Dinner by the Queen's Command. This Lin-
net, as near as I can remember, ſeemed to be ſome-
what larger than an England Swan.
The Maids of Honour often invited Glumdalclitch to
their Apartments, and defired fhe would bring me a-
long with her, on Purpoſe to have the Pleaſure of fee-
ing and touching me. They would often ſtrip me na-
ked from Top to Toe, and lay me at full Length in
their Bofoms ; wherewith I was much difgufted; be-
cauſe, to ſay the Truth, a very offenfive Smell came
from their Skins; which I do not mention, or intend,
to the Diſadvantage of thofe excellent Ladies, for
whom I have all Manner of Reſpect; but I conceive
that my Senſe was more acute, in Proportion to my
Littleness, and that thofe illuftrious Perfons were no
more diſagreeable to their Lovers, or to each other, than
People of the fame Quality are with us in England. And,
after all, I found their natural Smell was much more
ſupportable, than when they uſed perfumes, under which
I immediately fwooned away. I cannot forget, that
an intimate Friend of mine in Lilliput, took the Free-
dom, in a warm Day, when I had ufed a good deal
of Exercife, to complain of a ſtrong Smell about me,
although I am as little faulty that Way, as moft of my
Sex: But I fuppofe his Faculty of Smelling was as
nice, with Regard to me, as mine was to that of this
People. Upon this Point, I cannot forbear doing Juf-
tice to the Queen my Miſtreſs, and Glumdalclitch
Nurfe, whofe Perfons were as fweet as thofe of any
Lady in England.
my
That which gave me moft Uneafinefs among theſe Maids
of Honour (when my Nurfe carried me to vifit them)
was to fee them ufe me without any Manner of Cere-
mony, like a Creature who had no Sort of Confequence:
For they would ftrip themſelves to the Skin, and put on
their
TIO
AVOYAGE
i
their Smocks in my Prefence, while I was placed on
their Toylet, directly before their naked Bodies, which,
I am fure, to me, was very far from being a tempt-
ing Sight, or from giving me any other Emotions,
than thofe of Horror and Difguft. Their Skins ap-
peared fo coarſe and uneven, fo varioufly coloured,
when I faw them near, with a Mole here and there, as
broad as a Trencher, and Hairs hanging from it thick-
er than Pack threads, to fay nothing farther concern-
ing the reſt of their Perfons. Neither did they at all
fcruple, while I was by, to diſcharge what they had
drank, to the Quantity of at leaft two Hogfheads, in a
Veffel that held above three Tuns. The handfomeſt
among thefe Maids of Honour, a pleaſant, frolicfome
Girl, of fixteen, would ſometimes fet me aftride upon
one of her Nipples, with many other Tricks, wherein
the Reader will excufe me for not being over particular.
But I was ſo much difpleaſed, that I entreated Glum-
dalclitch to contrive fome Excufe for not ſeeing that
young Lady any more.
One Day a young Gentleman, who was Nephew
to my Nurfe's Governeſs, came and preffed them both
to fee an Execution. It was of a Man who had mur-
dered one of that Gentleman's intimate Acquaintance.
Glumdalclitch was prevailed on to be of the Company,
very much againft her Inclination, for fhe was natural-
ly tender-hearted: And, as for myſelf, although I ab-
horred fuch Kind of Spectacles, yet my Curiofity tempt-
ed me to ſee ſomething that I thought must be extra-
ordinary. The Malefactor was fixed in a Chair upon
a Scaffold, erected for that Purpoſe, and his Head cut
off at one Blow, with a Sword of about forty Feet
long. The Veins and Arteries fpouted up fuch a pro-
digious Quantity of Blood, and fo high in the Air, that
the great Fett d'eau, at Versailles, was not equal for the
Time it lated; and the Head, when it fell on the
Scaffold Floor, gave fuch a Bounce, as made me ftart,
although I were at least half an English Mile diftant.
}
The
to BROBDINGNAG.
III
The Queen, who often uſed to hear me talk of my
Sea-Voyages, and took all Occafions to divert me when
I was melancholy, afked me whether I underflood
how to handle a Sail, or an Oar, and whether a little
Exercife of Rowing might not be convenient for my
Health? I answered, that I underſtood both very well:
For, although my proper Employment had been to be
Surgeon or Doctor to the Ship, yet often, upon a Pinch,
I was forced to work like a common Mariner. But
I could not fee how this could be done in their Coun-
try, where the ſmalleſt Wherry was equal to a Firſt-
rate Man of War among us, and fuch a Boat as I could
manage, would never live in any of their Rivers. Her
Majefty faid, if I would contrive a Boat, her own
Joiner fhould make it, and fhe would provide a place
for me to fail in. The Fellow was an ingenious Work-
man, and, by my Inftructions, in ten Days, finiſhed a
Pleafure-boat, with all its Tackling, able convenient-
ly, to hold eight Europeans. When it was finished, the
Queen was fo delighted, that the ran with it in her
Lap to the King, who ordered it to be put in a Ciſtern
full of Water, with me in it, by Way of Trial; where
I could not manage my two Sculls, or little Oars, for
Want of Room. But the Queen had before contrived
another ProjeЯ: She ordered the Joiner to make a
wooden Trough of three hundred Feet long, fifty broad,
and eight deep; which being well pitched, to prevent
Leaking, was placed on the Floor along the Wall, in
an outer Room of the Palace. It had a Cock near the
Bottom, to let out the Water when it began to grow
ftale, and two Servants could eafily fill it in half an
Hour. Here I often uſed to row for my own Diver-
fion, as well as that of the Queen and her Ladies,
who thought themſelves well entertained with my Skill
and Agility. Sometimes I would put up my Sail, and
then my Buſineſs was only to fteer, while the Ladies
gave me a Gale with their Fans; and, when they were
weary, fome of the Pages would blow my Sail forward
with their Breath, while I fhewed my Art by fleering
Star-
112
A VOYAGE
Starboard or Larboard, as I pleaſed. When I had
done, Glumdalclitch always carried back my Boat into
her Cloſet, and hung it on a Nail to dry.
In this Exercife I once met an Accident, which had
like to have coft me my Life: For, one of the Pages
having put my Boat into the Trough, the Governess,
who attended Glumdalclitch, very officiouſly lifted me
up to place me in the Boat, but I happened to flip
through her Fingers, and fhould infallibly have fallen
down forty Feet upon the Floor, if, by the luckieſt
Chance in the World, I had not been ſtopped by a
Corking-pin that ftuck in the good Gentlewoman's
Stomacher; the Head of the Pin paffed between my
Shirt and the Waiſtband of my Breeches, and thus I
was held by the Middle in the Air, till Glumdalelitch
ran to my Relief.
Another Time, one of the Servants, whofe Office
it was to fill my Trough every third Day with freſh
Water, was fo careleſs, to let a huge Frog (not per-
ceiving it) flip out of his Pail. The Frog lay conceal-
ed till I was put into my Boat, but then, feeing a reſt-
ing-place, climbed up, and made it lean fo much on
one Side, that I was forced to balance it with all my
Weight on the other, to prevent Overturning. When
the Frog was got in, it hopped at once half the Length
of the Boat, and then over my Head, backwards and
forwards, daubing my Face and Clothes with its odi-
ous Slime. The Largeneſs of its Features, made it ap-
pear
the moſt deformed Animal that can be conceived.
However, I defired Glumdalclitch to let me deal with it
alone. I banged it a good While with one of my
Sculls, and at laſt forced it to leap out of the Boat.
But the greateſt Danger I ever underwent, in that
Kingdom, was from a Monkey, who belonged to one
of the Clerks of the Kitchen. Glumdalclitch had lock-
ed me up in her Clofet, while fhe went fomewhere up-
on Buſineſs, or a Vifit. The Weather being very
warm, the Clofet-window was left open, as well as
the Windows and the Door of my bigger Box, in which
I ufual-
to BROBDINGNAG.
113
I uſually lived, becauſe of its Largeneſs and Conveni-
ency. As I fat quietly, meditating at my Table, I
heard fomething bounce in at the Cloſet-Window, and
ſkip about from one Side to the other ; whereat, altho'
I were much alarmed, yet I ventured to look out, but
not ſtirring from my Seat; and then I ſaw this frolic-
fome Animal, frifking and leaping up and down, till
at laſt he came to my Box, which he ſeemed to view
with great Pleaſure and Curiofity, peeping in at the
Door and every Window. I retreated to the farther
Corner of my Room, or Box, but the Monkey look-
ing in, at every Side, put me into fuch a Fright, that
I wanted Prefence of Mind to conceal myſelf under the
Bed, as I might have eafily done. After fome Time
fpent in peeping, grinning, and chattering, he at laft
efpied me, and reaching one of his Paws in at the
Door, as a Cat does when the plays with a Mouſe, al-
though I often ſhifted Place to avoid him, he at length
feized the Lappet of my Coat (which, being made of
that Country Silk, was very thick and ſtrong) and drag-
ged me out. He took me up in his right Fore-foot,
and held me as a Nurſe does a Child fhe is going to
fuckle, juft as I have feen the fame Sort of Creature
do with a Kitten in Europe: And, when I offered to
ftruggle, he fqueefed me fo hard, that I thought it
more prudent to fubmit. I have good Reafon to be-
lieve, that he took me for a young one of his own Spe-
cies, by his often ftroaking my Face very gently with
his other Paw. In thefe Diverfions, he was interrupt-
ed by a Noife at the Clofet-Door, as if fome Body
were opening it; whereupon he fuddenly leaped up to
the Window, at which he had come in, and thence
upon the Leads and Gutters, walking upon three Legs,
and holding me in the fourth, till he clambered up to
a Roof that was next to ours. I heard Glumdalclitch
give a Shreek at the Moment he was carrying me out.
The poor Girl was almoſt diſtracted: That Quarter of
the Palace was all in an Uproar, the Servants ran for
Ladders; the Monkey was feen by hundreds in the
I
Court,
114
AVOYAGE
Court, fitting upon the Ridge of a Building, holding
me like a Baby in one of his Fore-paws, and feeding
me with the other, by cramming into my Mouth fome
Victuals he had fqueefed out of the Bag on one Side of
his Chaps, and patting me when I would not eat;
whereat many of the Rabble below could not forbear
laughing; neither do I think they justly ought to be
blamed, for, without Queftion, the Sight was ridicu-
lous enough to every Body but myfelf. Some of the
People threw up Stones, hoping to drive the Monkey
down; but this was ftrictly forbidden, or elfe, very pro-
bably, my Brains had been dafhed out.
The Ladders were now applied, and mounted by fe-
veral Men, which the Monkey obferving, and finding
himself almoſt encompaffed; not being able to make
Speed enough with his three Legs, let me drop on a
Ridge tyle, and made his Eſcape. Here I fat for fome
Time, five hundred Yards from the Ground, expect-
ing every Moment to be blown down by the Wind, or
to fall by my own Giddineſs, and come tumbling over
and over from the Ridge to the Eves: But an honeſt
Lad, one of my Nurfe's Footmen, climbed up, and,
putting me into his Breeches-pocket, brought me down
fafe.
I was almoft choaked with the filthy Stuff the Mon-
key had crammed down my Throat; but my dear lit-
tle Nurfe picked it out of my Mouth with a ſmall
Needle, and then I fell a vomiting, which
gave me
great Relief. Yet I was fo weak, and bruiſed in the
Sides, with the Squeezes given me by this odious Ani-
mal, that I was forced to keep my Bed a Fortnight.
The King, Queen, and all the Court, fent every Day
to enquire after my Health, and her Majelly made me
feveral Vifits during my Sickness. The Monkey was
killed, and an Order made, that no fuch Animal ſhould
be kept about the Palace.
When I attended the King after my Recovery, to
return him Thanks for his Favours, he was pleafed to
rally me a good Deal upon this Adventure. He aſked
me
to BROBDINGNA G.
115
me what my Thoughts and Speculations were, while
I lay in the Monkey's Paw; how I liked the Victuals
he gave me; his Manner of Feeding; and whether the
freſh Air on the Roof had ſharpened my Stomach. He
defired to know what I would have done upon
fuch an
Occafion in my own Country. I told his Majelly,
that in Europe we had no Monkies, except fuch as were
brought for Curiofities from other Places, and fo fmall,
that I could deal with a Dozen of them together, if
they prefumed to attack me. And as for that mon-
ftrous Animal with whom I was fo lately engaged (it
was, indeed, as large as an Elephant) if my Fears had
fuffered me to think fo far as to make Ufe of my Hanger
(looking fiercely, and clapping my Hand upon the Hilt
as I fpoke) when he poked his Paw into my Chamber,
perhaps, I fhould have given him fuch a Wound, as
would have made him glad to withdraw it with more
Hate than he put it in. This I delivered in a firm
Tone, like a Perfon who was jealous, left his Courage
ſhould be called in Queftion. However, my Speech
produced nothing elfe, befides a loud Laughter, which
all the Refpect due to his Majefty, from thofe about
him, could not make them contain. This made me
reflect, how vain an Attempt it is for a Man to endea-
vour doing himſelf Honour among thoſe who are out
of all Degree of Equality or Comparifon with him.
And yet I have ſeen the Moral of my own Behaviour
very frequent in England fince my Return, where a
little contemptible Varlet, without the leaft Title to
Birth, Perfon, Wit, or common Senfe, fhall prefume to
look with Importance, and put himſelf upon a Foot
with the greateſt Perfons of the Kingdom.
I was every Day furniſhing the Court with fome ri-
diculous Story; and Glumdalelitch, although the loved
me to Exceſs, yet was arch enough to inform the Queen,
whenever I committed any Folly that he thought
would be diverting to her Majefty. The Girl, who
had been out of Order, was carried by her Governeſs
to take the Air about an Hour's Diſtance, or thirty
I 2
Miles
116
AVOYAGE
Miles from Town. They alighted out of the Coach
near a ſmall Foot-path in the Field, and Glumdalclitch
fetting down my Travelling-box, I went out of it to
walk. There was a Cow-dung in the Path, and I
muft need try my Activity, by attempting to leap over
it. I took a Run, but unfortunately jumped fhort, and
found myſelf juft in the Middle up to my Knees. I
waded through with fome Difficulty, and one of the
Footmen wiped me as clean as he could with his Hand-
kerchief; for I was filthily bemired, and
Nurſe con-
fined me to my Box, till we returned Home; where
the Queen was foon informed of what had paffed, and
the Footman ſpread it about the Court; fo that all the
Mirth, for fome Days, was at my Expence.
CHAP. VI.
my
Several Contrivances of the Author to pleaſe the King
and Queen. He fhews his Skill in Mufic. The
King enquires into the State of Europe, which the
Author relates to him. The King's Obfervations
thereon.
I
Uſed to attend the King's Levee once or twice a
Week, and had often feen him under the Barber's
Hand, which, indeed, was at firft, very terrible to be-
hold: For the Razor was almoſt twice as long as an
ordinary Scythe. His Majefty, according to the Cuf
tom of the Country was only fhaved twice a Week. I
once prevailed on the Barber to give me fome of the
Suds or Lather, out of which I picked forty or fifty of
the ſtrongeſt Stumps of Hair. I then took a Piece of
fine Wood, and cut it like the Back of a Comb, ma-
king feveral Holes in it at equal Distance, with as ſmall
a Needle as I could get from Glumdalclitch. I fixed in
the Stumps fo artificially, fcraping and floping them with
my Knife towards the Points, that I made a very tole-
rable Comb; which was a ſeaſonable Supply, my own
being.
to BROBDINGNA G.
117
being fo much broken in the Teeth, that it was almoſt
uſeleſs: Neither did I know any Artiſt in that Country
fo nice and exact, as would undertake to make me a-
nother.
And this puts me in Mind of an Amuſement where-
in I ſpent many of my leifure Hours. I defired the
Queen's Woman to fave for me the Combings of her
Majeſty's Hair, whereof in Time I got a good Quan-
tity, and confulting with my Friend the Cabinet-maker,
who had received general Orders to do little Jobbs for
me, I directed him to make two Chair-frames, no
larger than thoſe I had in my Box, and then to bore
little Holes with a fine Awl round thofe Parts where I
defigned the Backs and Seats; through theſe Holes I
wove the ſtrongeſt Hairs I could pick out, juſt after
the Manner of Cane Chairs in England. When they
were finiſhed, I made a Preſent of them to her Majeſty,
who kept them in her Cabinet, and uſed to ſhew them
for Curiofities, as, indeed, they were the Wonder of
every one that beheld them. The Queen would have
had me fit upon one of thefe Chairs, but I abfolutely
refuſed to obey her, protefting I would rather die a
thouſand Deaths, than place a dishonourable Part of
my Body on thofe precious Hairs that once adorned
her Majefty's Head. Of thefe Hairs (as I had always
a mechanical Genius) I likewife made a neat little
Purfe about five Feet long, with her Majefty's Name
decyphered in Gold Letters, which I gave to Glumdal-
clitch, by the Queen's Confent. To fay the Truth, it
was more for Shew than Ufe, being not of Strength to
bear the Weight of the larger Coins, and therefore the
kept nothing in it but fome little Toys that Girls are
fond of.
The King, who delighted in Mufic, had frequent
Concerts at Court, to which I was fometimes carried,
and fet in my Box on a Table to hear them: But the
Noife was fo great, that I could hardly diſtinguiſh the
Tunes. I am confident, that all the Drums and Trum-
pets of a Royal Army, beating and founding together
1 3
just
Į
118
A VOYAGE
juſt at your Ears, could not equal it. My Practice was to
have my Box removed from the Places where the Per-
formers fat, as far as I could, then to ſhut the Doors
and Windows of it, and draw the Window-curtains;
after which I found their Mufic not difagreeable.
I had learned in my Youth to play a little upon the
Spinet. Glumdalclitch kept one in her Chamber, and a
Mafter attended twice a Week to teach her: I call it a
Spinet, becaufe it fomewhat refembled that Inſtrument,
and was played upon in the fame Manner. A Fancy
came into my Head that I would entertain the King and
Queen with an English Tune upon this Inftrument. But
this appeared extremely difficult: For the Spinet was
near fixty Feet long, each Key being almoſt a Foot
wide, fo that, with my Arms extended, I could not
reach to above five Keys, and to prefs them down re-
quired a good ſmart Stroak with my Fift, which would
be too great a Labour, and to no Purpoſe. The Me-
thod I contrived was this: I prepared two round Sticks
about the Bignefs of common Cudgels; they were thicker
at one End than the other, and I covered the thicker
Ends with a Piece of a Moufe's Skin, that, by rapping
on them, I might neither damage the Tops of the Keys,
nor interrupt the Sound. Before the Spinet a Bench
was placed about four Feet below the Keys, and I was
put upon the Bench. I ran fideling upon it that Way
and this, as faft as I could, banging the proper Keys
with my two Sticks, and made a Shift to play a Jigg,
to the great Satisfaction of both their Majesties: But it
was the most violent Exercife I ever underwent, and
yet I could not ſtrike above fixteen Keys, nor, confe-
quently, play the Bafs and Treble together, as other
Artiſts do; which was a great Diſadvantage to my Per-
formance.
The King, who, as I before obferved, was a Prince
of excellent Understanding, would frequently order that
I ſhould be brought in my Box, and ſet upon the Table
in his Cloſet: He would then command me to bring
one of my Chairs out of the Box, and fit down within
three
to BROBDINGNAG.
119
three Yards Diſtance upon the Top of the Cabinet,
which brought me almoſt to a Level with his Face. In
this Manner I had feveral Converfations with him. I
one Day took the Freedom to tell his Majesty, that the
Contempt he diſcovered towards Europe, and the reſt of
the World, did not ſeem anſwerable to thoſe excellent
Qualities of Mind he was Mafter of. That Reafon did
not extend itſelf with the Bulk of the Body: On the
Contrary, we obferved in our Country, that the talleſt
Perſons were ufually leaft provided with it. That, a-
mong other Animals, Bees and Ants had the Reputa-
tion of more Induſtry, Art, and Sagacity, than many
of the larger Kinds; and that, as inconfiderable as he
took me to be, I hoped I might live to do his Majeſty
fome fignal Service. The King heard me with Atten-
tion, and began to conceive a much better Opinion of
me than he had ever before He defired I would give
him as exact an Account of the Government of Eng-
land, as I poffibly could; becauſe, as fond as Princes
commonly are of their own Cuſtoms (for fo he conjec-
tured of other Monarchs by my former Difcourfes) he
fhould be glad to hear of any Thing that might deſerve
Imitation.
Imagine with thyself, courteous Reader, how often
I then wifhed for the Tongue of Demofthenes or Cicero,
that might have enabled me to celebrate the Praiſe of
my own dear native Country, in a Style equal to its
Merits and Felicity.
I began my Difcourfe, by informing his Majefty, that
our Dominions confifted of two Iflands, which compo-
fed three mighty Kingdoms under one Sovereign, be-
fides our Plantations in America. I dwelt long upon
the Fertility of our Soil, and the Temperature of our
Climate. I then ſpoke at large upon the Conftitution of
an English Parliament, partly made up of an illuftrious
Body, called the Houfe of Peers, Perfons of the nobleſt
Blood, and of the moſt antient and ample Patrimonies.
I defcribed that extraordinary Care always taken of
their Education in Arts and Arms, to qualify them for
I
1 4
> being
120
AVOYAGE
being Counſellors both to the King and Kingdom; to
have a Share in the Legiſlature; to be Members of the
higheſt Court of Judicature, from whence there could.
be no Appeal; and to be Champions always ready for
the Defence of their Prince and Country, by their Va-
lour, Conduct, and Fidelity. That theſe were, the Or-
nament and Bulwark of the Kingdom, worthy Fol-
lowers of their moſt renowned Anceſtors, whofe Ho-
nour had been the Reward of their Virtue, from which
their Pofterity were never once known to degenerate.
To theſe were joined ſeveral holy Perſons, as Part of
that Affembly, under the Title of Bifhops, whofe pe-
culiar Buſineſs it is to take Care of Religion, and of
thoſe who inſtruct the People therein. Theſe were
fearched and fought out through the whole Nation, by
the Prince, and his wifeft Counſellors, among fuch of
the Priesthood as were moft deſervedly diftinguiſhed by
the Sanctity of their Lives, and the Depth of their Eru-
dition, who were, indeed, the fpiritual Fathers of the
Clergy and the People.
That the other Part of the Parliament confifted of
an Affembly called the Houſe of Commons, who were
all principal Gentlemen, freely picked and culled out
by the People themſelves, for their great Abilities, and
Love of their Country, to repreſent the Wiſdom of the
whole Nation. And theſe two Bodies make up the
moſt auguſt Affembly in Europe, to whom, in Conjunc-
tion with the Prince, the whole Legislature is com
mitted.
I then defcended to the Courts of Juſtice, over which
the Judges, thofe venerable Sages and Interpreters of
the Law, prefided, for determining the difputed Rights.
and Properties of Men, as well as for the Puniſhment
of Vice, and Protection of Innocence. I mentioned
the prudent Management of our Treafury, the Valour
and Atchievements of our Forces by Sea and Land. I
computed the Number of our People, by reckoning.
how many Millions there might be of each religious
Sect, or political Party among us. I did not omit even
Our
to BROBDINGNAG.
121
our Sports and Paftimes, or any other Particular, which
I thought might redound to the Honour of my Coun-
try.
And I finiſhed all with a brief hiſtorical Account
of Affairs and Events in England, for about an hundred
Years paſt.
This Converſation was not ended under five Audi-
ences, each of feveral Hours; and the King heard the
Whole with great Attention, frequently taking Notes
of what I ſpoke, as well as Memorandums of what
Queſtions he intended to aſk me.
When I had put an End to theſe long Diſcourſes, his
Majefty, in a fixth Audience, confulting his Notes, pro-
poſed many Doubts, Queries, and Objections, upon
every Article. He asked what Methods were uſed to
cultivate the Minds and Bodies of our young Nobility,
and in what Kind of Buſineſs they commonly ſpent the
first and teachable Part of their Lives. What Courſe
was taken to ſupply that Affembly, when any noble
Family became extinct. What Qualifications were ne-
ceffary in thoſe who are to be created new Lords: Whe-
ther the Humour of the Prince, a Sum of Money to a
Court Lady, or a Prime Minifter, or a Defign of
ftrengthening a Party oppofite to the public Intereſt,
ever happened to be Motives in thoſe Advancements.
What Share of Knowledge thefe Lords had in the Laws
of their Country, and how they came by it, fo as to
enable them to decide the Properties of their Fellow-
fubjects in their laft Refort. Whether they were always
fo free from Avarice, Partialities, or Want, that a
Bribe, or fome other finifter View, could have no Place
among them. Whether thoſe holy Lords I ſpoke of,
were always promoted to that Rank upon Account of
their Knowledge in religious Matters, and the Sanctity
of their Lives, had never been Compliers with the
Times, while they were common Priefts, or flavish prof-
titute Chaplains to fome Nobleman, whofe Opinions
they continued fervilely to follow, after they were ad-
mitted into that Affembly.
He
122
AVOYAGE
:
He then defired to know what Arts were practiſed
in electing thoſe whom I called Commoners: Whe-
ther a Stranger, with a ſtrong Purſe, might not influ-
ence the vulgar Voters to chufe him before their own
Landlord, or the moft confiderable Gentleman in the
Neighbourhood. How it came to pafs, that People were
fo violently bent upon getting into this Affembly, which
I allowed to be a great Trouble and Expence, often
to the Ruin of their Families, without any Salary or
Penfion Becauſe that appeared fuch an exalted Strain
of Virtue and public Spirit, that his Majefty feemed to
doubt it might poffibly not be always fincere: And
he defired to know whether fuch zealous Gentlemen
could have any Views of refunding themfelves for the
Charges and Trouble they were at, by facrificing the
public Good to the Defigns of a weak and vicious
Prince, in Conjunction with a corrupted Miniftry. He
multiplied his Queftions, and fifted me thoroughly upon
every Part of this Head, propofing numberlefs Enqui-
ries and Objections, which I think it not prudent or
convenient to repeat.
Upon what I faid, in Relation to our Courts of Juf-
tice, his Majeſty defired to be fatisfied, in feveral Points:
And, this I was the better able to do, having been
formerly almoft ruined by a long Suit in Chancery,
which was decreed for me with Cofts. He afked, what
Time was uſually ſpent in determining between Right
and Wrong, and what Degree of Expence. Whether
Advocates and Orators had Liberty to plead in Caufes
manifeftly known to be unjust, vexatious, or oppref-
five. Whether Party in Religion or Politics were ob-
ferved to be of any Weight in the Scale of Juftice.
Whether thoſe pleading Orators were Perfons educated
in the general Knowledge of Equity, or only in pro-
vincial, national, and other local Cuftoms. Whether
they or their Judges had any Part in penning thofe
Laws which they affumed the Liberty of interpreting
and gloffing upon at their Fleaſure. Whether they had
ever at different Times pleaded for and againſt the
fame
to BROBDINGNAG.
123
fame Cauſe, and cited Precedents to prove contrary
Opinions. Whether they were a rich or a poor Cor-
poration. Whether they received any pecuniary Re-
ward for pleading or delivering their Opinions. And
particularly, whether they were every admitted as Mem-
bers in the lower Senate.
He fell next upon the Management of our Treafury,
and faid, he thought my Memory had failed me, be-
cauſe I computed our Taxes at about five or fix
Millions a Year, and, when I came to mention the
Iffues, he found they fometimes amounted to more
than double; for the Notes he had taken, were very
particular in this Point, becauſe he hoped, as he told
me, that the Knowledge of our Conduct might be uſe-
ful to him, and he could not be deceived in his Calcu-
lations: But, if what I told him were true, he was ftill
at a Lofs how a Kingdom could run out of its Eſtate
like a private Perfon. He asked me, who were our
Creditors; and where we fhould find Money to pay
them. He wondered to hear me talk of ſuch charge-
able and expenfive Wars; that certainly we must be a
quarrelfome People, or live among very bad Neigh-
bours, and that our Generals muft needs be richer
than our Kings. He asked what Bufinefs we had out
of our own Iſlands, unleſs upon the Score of Trade or
Treaty, or to defend the Coats with our Fleet. A-
bove all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a merce-
nary ſtanding Army in the midst of Peace, and among
a free People. He faid, if we were governed by our
own Conſent in the Perfons of our Reprefentatives, he
could not imagine of whom we were afraid, or againſt
whom we were to fight; and would hear my Opini-
on, whether a private Man's Houfe might not better
be defended by himfelf, his Children, and Family,
than by half a Dozen Rafcals picked up at a Venture
in the Streets, for fmall Wages, who might get an
hundred Times more by cutting their Throats.
He laughed at my odd Kind of Arithmetic (as he
was pleaſed to call it) in reckoning the Numbers of
Our
124
A VOYAGE
our People by a Computation drawn from the ſeveral
Sects among us in Religion and Politics. He faid, he
knew no Reaſon, why thofe who entertain Opinions
prejudicial to the Public, fhould be obliged to change,
or fhould not be obliged to conceal them. And as it
was Tyranny in any Government to require the firſt,
fo it was Weakneſs not to enforce the fecond: For a
Man may be allowed to keep Poiſons in his Cloſet, but
not to vend them about for Cordials.
He obſerved, that, among the Diverfions of our
Nobility and Gentry, I had mentioned Gaming. He
defired to know at what Age this Entertainment was
ufually taken up, and when it was laid down; how
much of their Time it employed; whether it ever went
ſo high as to affect their Fortunes: Whether mean vi-
cious People, by their Dexterity in that Art, might not
arrive at great Riches, and fometimes keep our very
Nobles in Dependance, as well as habituate them to
vile Companions, wholly take them from the Improve-
ment of their Minds, and force them, by the Loffes
they have received, to learn and practiſe that infamous
Dexterity upon others.
He was perfectly alloniſhed with the hiftorical Ac-
count I gave him of our Affairs during the laft Centu-
ry, proteſting it was only a Heap of Confpiracies, Re-
bellions, Murders, Maffacres, Revolutions, Baniſh-
ments, the very worst Effects that Avarice, Faction,
Hypocrify, Perfidiouſneſs, Cruelty, Rage, Madneſs,
Hatred, Envy, Luft, Malice, or Ambition, could pro-
duce.
His Majefty in another Audience was at the Pains to
recapitulate the Sum of all I had spoken, compared
the Queſtions he made with the Anſwers I had given ;
then taking me into his Hands, and ftroaking me
gently, delivered himſelf in thefe Words, which I
fhall never forget, nor the Manner he ſpoke them in :
My little Friend Grildrig, you have made a moſt ad-
mirable Panegyric upon your Country: You have
clearly proved, that Ignorance, Idlenefs, and Vice, are
the
to BROBDINGNAG.
125
the proper Ingredients for qualifying a Legiſlator: That
Laws are best explained, interpreted, and applied by
thoſe whofe Intereft and Abilities lie in perverting,
confounding, and eluding them. I obferve among you
fome Lines of an Inftitution, which, in its Original,
might have been tolerable; but theſe half eraſed, and
the reft wholly blurred and blotted by Corruptions. It
doth not appear from all you have faid, how any one
Perfection is required toward the Procurement of any
one Station among you; much leſs that Men are en-
nobled on Account of their Virtue, that Priefts are ad-
vanced for their Piety or Learning, Soldiers for their
Conduct or Valour, Judges for their Integrity, Sena-
tors for the Love of their Country, or Counſellors for
their Wiſdom. As for yourfelf (continued the King)
who have ſpent the greateſt Part of your Life in Tra-
velling, I am well difpofed to hope you may hitherto
have eſcaped many Vices of your Country. But, by
what I have gathered from your own Relation, and
the Anſwers I have with much Pains wringed and ex-
torted from you, I cannot but conclude the Bulk of
your Natives to be the most pernicious Race of little
odious Vermin that Nature ever fuffered to crawl upon
the Surface of the Earth.
*
CHAP.
VII.
The Author's Love of his Country. He makes a Pro-
pofal of much Advantage to the King, which is
rejected. The King's great Ignorance in Politics.
The Learning of that Country very imperfect and
confined. Their Laws, and military Affairs, and
Parties in the State.
N°
OTHING but an extreme Love of Truth,
could have hindered me from concealing this
Part of my Story. It was in vain to diſcover my Re-
fentments,
126
A VOYAGE
fentments, which were always turned into Ridicule ;
and I was forced to rest with Patience, while my no-
ble and most beloved Country was fo injuriouſly treated.
I am heartily forry, as any of my Readers can poffi-
bly be, that fuch an Occafion was given: But this
Prince happened to be fo curious and inquifitive upon
every Particular, that it could not confift either with
Gratitude or good Manners, to refuſe giving him what
Satisfaction I was able. Yet thus much I may be al-
lowed to fay in my own Vindication, That I artfully
cluded many of his Quellions, and gave to every Point
a more favourable Turn, by many Degrees, than the
Strictnefs of Truth would allow. For I have always
borne that laudable Partiality to my own Country,
which Dionyfius Halicarnoffenfis with fo much Juftice
recommends to an Hiſtorian: I would hide the Frail-
ties and Deformities of my political Mother, and place
her Virtues and Beauties in the most advantageous
Light. This was my fincere Endeavour in thofe ma-
ny Difcourfes I had with that Monarch, although it
unfortunately failed of Succeſs.
But great Allowances fhould be given to a King who
lives wholly fecluded from the reft of the World, and
muft therefore be altogether unacquainted with the Man-
ners and Cuſtoms that moſt prevail in other Nations:
The Want of which Knowledge will ever produce ma-
ny Prejudices, and a certain Narrownes of Thinking,
from which we and the politer Countries of Europe are
wholly exempted. And it would be hard, indeed, if
fo remote a Prince's Notions of Virtue and Vice were
to be offered as a Standard for all Mankind.
To confirm what I have now faid, and further, to
fhew the miferable Effects of a confined Education, I ſhall
here infert a Paffige which will hardly obtain Belief.
In Hopes to ingratiate myfelf farther into his Majesty's
Favour, I told him of an Invention diſcovered between
three and four-hundred Years ago, to make a certain
Powder, into an Heap of which the ſmalleſt Spark of
Fire falling, would kindle the Whole in a Moment, al-
though
to BROBDINGNAG.
127
though it were as big as a Mountain, and make it all
fly up in the Air together, with a Noiſe and Agitation
greater than Thunder. That a proper Quantity of this
Powder rammed into an hollow Tube of Brafs or Iron,
according to its Bignefs, would drive a Ball of Iron or
Lead with fuch Violence and Speed, as nothing was a-
ble to ſuſtain its Force. That the largeſt Balls, thus dif-
charged, would not only destroy whole Ranks of an
Army at once, but batter the ftrongest Walls to the
Ground, fink down Ships, with a thouſand Men in each,
to the Bottom of the Sea; and, when linked together
by a Chain, would cut through Mafts and Rigging, di-
vide Hundreds of Bodies in the Middle, and lay all
waſte before them. That we often put this Powder in-
to large hollow Balls of Iron, and diſcharged them by
an Engine into fome City we were befieging, which
would rip up the Pavements, tear the Houfes to Pieces,
burt and throw Splinters on every Side, dafhing out
the Brains of all who came near. That I knew the
Ingredients very well, which were cheap, and common ;
I underſtood the Manner of compounding them, and
could direct his Workmen how to make thoſe Tubes of
a Size proportionable to all other Things in his Majef-
ty's Kingdom, and the largeſt need not be above an
hundred Feet long; twenty or thirty of which Tubes,
charged with the proper Quantity of Powder and Balls,
would batter down the Walls of the ſtrongeſt Town in
his Dominions in few Hours, or destroy the whole Me-
tropolis, if ever it fhould pretend to difpute his abfo-
lute Commands. This I humbly offered to his Majef-
ty, as a ſmall Tribute of Acknowledgment in Return
of fo many Marks that I had received of his Royal Fa-
vour and Protection.
The King was ftruck with Horror at the Defcription
I had given of thofe terrible Engines, and the Propofal
I had made. He was amazed how fo impotent and
groveling an Infect as I (theſe were his Expreffions)
could entertain fuch inhuman Ideas, and in fo familiar
a Manner, as to appear wholly unmoved at all the
Scenes
128
A VOY A GÉ
Scenes of Blood and Defolation, which I had painted
as the common Effects of thoſe deſtructive Machines,
whereof, he ſaid, ſome evil Genius, Enemy to Man-
kind, muſt have been the firſt Contriver. As for him-
felf, he protested, that, although few Things delighted
him fo much as new Diſcoveries in Art or in Nature,
yet he would rather loſe half his Kingdom, than be pri-
vy to fuch a Secret, which he commanded me, as I
valued my Life, never to mention any more.
A ftrange Effect of narrow Principles and ſhort Views!
that a Prince poffeffed of every Quality which procures
Veneration, Love, and Efteem; of ftrong Parts, great
Wiſdom, and profound Learning, endued with admi-
rable Talents for Government, and almoſt adored by
his Subjects, fhould, from a nice unneceffary Scruple,
whereof in Europe we can have no Conception, let flip
an Opportunity put into his Hands, that would have
made him abfolute Maſter of the Lives, the Liberties,
and the Fortunes of his People. Neither do I ſay this
with the leaſt Intention to detract from the many Vir-
tues of that excellent King, whofe Character, I am
fenfible, will on this Account, be very much leffened,
in the Opinion of an English Reader: But I take this
Defect among them to have rifen from their Ignorance,
by not having hitherto reduced Politics into a Science,
as the more acute Wits of Europe have done. For I
remember very well, in a Difcourfe one Day with the
King, when I happened to ſay there were ſeveral thou-
fand Books among us, written upon the Art of Govern-
ment, it gave him (directly contrary to my Intention)
a very mean Opinion of our Underſtandings. He pro-
feffed both to abominate and defpife all Mystery, Refine-
ment, and Intrigue, either in a Prince or a Minifter.
He could not tell what I meant by Secrets of State,
where an Enemy, or fome Rival Nation, were not in
the Cafe. He confined the Knowledge of Governing
within very narrow Bounds, to common Senſe and Rea-
fon, to Juftice and Lenity, to the fpeedy Determination
of civil and criminal Caufes ; with fome other obvious
5
Topics,
to BROBDINGNAG.
129
Topics, which are not worth confidering. And, he gave
it for his Opinion, that whoever could make two Eas
of Corn, or two Blades of Grafs, to grow upon a Spot
of Ground where only one grew before, would deſerve
better of Mankind, and do more effential Service to his
Country, than the whole Race of Politicians put together.
The Learning of this People is very defective, con-
fifting only in Morality, History, Poetry, and Mathe-
matics, wherein they muſt be allowed to excel. But,
the laſt of theſe is wholly applied to what may be ufe-
ful in Life, to the Improvement of Agriculture, and
all mechanical Arts; fo that among us, it would be
little eſteemed. And as to Ideas, Entities, Abſtracti-
ons, and Tranfcendentals, I could never drive the leaft
Conception into their Heads.
No Law of that Country muft exceed in Words the
Number of Letters in their Alphabet, which confifts
only in two and twenty. But, indeed, few of them
extend even to that Length. They are expreffed in the
moſt plain and fimple Terms, wherein thoſe People are
not mercurial enough to diſcover above one Interpreta-
tion: And to write a Comment upon any Law is a
capital Crime. As to the Decifion of civil Caufes, or
Proceedings againſt Criminals, either Precedents are fo
few, that they have little Reaſon to boaſt of any extra-
ordinary Skill in them.
They have had the Art of Printing, as well as the
Chineſe, Time out of Mind: But their Libraries are
not very large; for that of the King's, which is reck-
oned the biggeft, doth not amount to above a thouſand
Volumes, placed in a Gallery of twelve hundred Feet
long, from whence I had Liberty to borrow what
Books I pleafed. The Queen's Joiner had contrived, in
one of Glumdalclitch's Rooms, a Kind of wooden Ma-
chine, five and twenty Feet high, formed like a ſtanding
Ladder, the Steps were each fifty Feet long: It was, in-
deed, a moveable Pair of Stairs, the lowest End placed at
ten Feet Diſtance from the Wall of the Chamber. The
Book I had a Mind to read, was put up leaning a-
gainst the Wall: I first mounted to the upper Step of
K
the
130
A VOYAGE
the Ladder, and, turning my Face towards the Book;
began at the Top of the Page, and fo walking to the
right and left, about eight or ten Paces, according to
the Length of the Lines, till I had gotten a little below
the Level of mine Eyes, and then defcending gradually
till I came to the Bottom: After which, I mounted a-
gain, and began the other Page in the fame Manner,
and fo turned over the Leaf, which I could eafily do
with both my Hands, for it was as thick and ſtiff as a
Pafte-board, and, in the largeſt Folio's, not above
eighteen or twenty Feet long.
Their Style is clear, mafculine, and fmooth, but
not florid; for they avoid nothing more than multi-
plying unneceſſary Words, or ufing various Expreffions.
I have perufed many of their Books, eſpecially thoſe
in Hiſtory and Morality. Among the reſt, I was much
diverted with a little old Treatife, which always lay in
Glumdalclitch's Bed-chamber, and belonged to her Go-
verneſs, a grave elderly Gentlewoman, who dealt in
Writings of Morality and Devotion. The Book treats
of the Weakneſs of human Kind, and is in little Efteem,
except among the Women and the Vulgar. However,
I was curious to fee what an Author of that Country
could fay upon fuch a Subject. This Writer went
through all the ufual Topics of European Moralifts,
fhewing how diminutive, contemptible, and helpleſs an
Animal was Man in his own Nature; how unable to
defend himſelf from Inclemencies of the Air, or the
Fury of wild Beafts: How much he was excelled by
one Creature in Strength, by another in Speed, by a
third in Forefight, by a fourth in Induftry. He added,
that Nature was degenerated in thefe latter declining
Ages of the World, and could now produce only fmall
abortive Births, in Compariſon of thofe in antient
Times. He faid, it was very reaſonable to think, not
only that the Species of Men were originally much
larger, but alſo, that there must have been Giants in
former Ages, which, as it is afferted by Hiftory and
Tradition, fo it hath been confirmed by huge Bones
and
to BROBDINGNAG.
+3
and Skulls cafually dug up in feveral Parts of the King-
dom, far exceeding the common dwindling Race of
Man in our Days. He argued, that the very Laws of
Nature abfolutely required we fhould have been made.
in the Beginning, of a Size more large and robuft, not
fo liable to Deſtruction from every little Accident of a
Tile falling from an Houfe, or a Stone caft from the
Hand of a Boy, or being drowned in a little Brook.
From this Way of Reasoning, the Author drew feve-
ral moral Applications uſeful in the Conduct of Life,
but needlefs here to repeat. For my Part, I could not
avoid reflecting how univerfally this Talent was fpread,
of drawing Lectures in Morality, or, indeed, rather
Matter of Difcontent and Repining, from the Quar-
rels we raiſe with Nature. And, I believe, upon a
ftrict Enquiry, thofe Quarrels might be fhewn as ill-
grounded among us, as they are among that People.
As to their Military Affairs, they boat that the
King's Army confifts of an hundred and feventy-fix
thouſand Foot, and thirty-two thouſand Horfe: If
that may be called an Army which is made up of
Tradefmen in the feveral Cities, and Farmers in the
Country, whofe Commanders are only the Nobility and
Gentry, without Pay or Reward. They are, indeed,
perfect enough in their Exercifes, and under very good
Difcipline, wherein I faw no great Merit; for how
fhould it be otherwife, where every Farmer is under
the Command of his own Landlord, and every Citizen
under that of the principal Men in his own City, cho-
fen after the Manner of Venice by Ballot?
I have often ſeen the Militia of Lorbrulgrud drawn out
to Exerciſe in a great Field near the City, of twenty
Miles fquare. They were, in all, not above twenty-
five thousand Foot, and fix thoufand Horfe; but it was
impoffible for me to compute their Number, confider-
ing the Space of Ground they took up. A Cavalier,
mounted on a large Steed, might be about ninety Feet
high. I have feen this whole Body of Horfe, upon a
Word of Command, draw their Swords at once, and
K z
brandif
132
A VOYAG E
brandiſh them in the Air. Imagination can figure no-
thing fo grand, fo furprifing, and ſo aſtoniſhing! 1s
looked as if ten-thouſand Flaſhes of Lightening were
darting at the fame Time from every Quarter of the
Sky.
I was curious to know how this Prince, to whofe
Dominions there is no Accefs from any other Country,
came to think of Armies, or to teach his People the
Practice of military Difcipline. But I was foon inform-
ed, both by Converfation, and reading their Hiſtories -
For, in the Courſe of many Ages, they have been trou-
bled with the fame Difeafe to which the whole Race of
Mankind is fubje&t; the Nobility often contending for
Power, the People for Liberty, and the King for ab-
folute Dominion. All which, however, happily tem-
pered by the Laws of that Kingdom, have been fome-
times violated by each of the three Parties, and have
once, or more, occafioned Civil Wars, the laft where-
of was happily put an End to by this Prince's Grand-
father in a general Compofition; and the Militia, then
fettled with common Confent, hath been ever fince
kept in the ſtrictest Duty.
CHAP.
VIII.
The King and Queen make a Progress to the Frontiers.
The Author attends them. The Manner in which
he leaves the Country very particularly related.
He returns to England.
I
Had always a ftrong Impulfe, that I fhould fome
Time recover my Liberty, though it was impoffible
to conjecture by what Means, or to form any Project
with the leaft Hope of fucceeding. The Ship, in which
I failed was the firft ever known to be driven within
Sight of that Coaft, and the King had given ftri&t Or-
ders, that, if at any Time another appeared, it fhould
be taken afhore, and, with all its Crew and Paffengers,
brought
to BROBDINGNAG.
133
brought in a Tumbril to Lorbrulgrud. He was ftrong-
ly bent to get me a Woman of my own Size, by whom
I might propagate the Breed: But, I think, I ſhould
rather have died, than undergone the Difgrace of leav-
ing a Pofterity to be kept in Cages like tame Canary
Birds, and perhaps, in Time, fold about the Kingdom
to Perfons of Quality for Curiofities. I was, indeed,
treated with much Kindneſs: I was the Favourite of a
great King and Queen, and the Delight of the whole
Court; but it was upon fuch a Foot, as ill became the
Dignity of human Kind. I could never forget thoſe
domeftic Pledges I had left behind me. I wanted to
be among People with whom I could converfe upon
even Terms, and walk about the Streets and Fields,
without being afraid of being trod to Death, like a
Frog, or a young Puppy. But my Deliverance came
fooner than I expected, and, in a Manner, not very
common: The whole Story and Circumſtances of which
1 ſhall faithfully relate.
I had now been two Years in this Country; and,
about the Beginning of the third, Glumdalclitch and I
attended the King and Queen in a Progreſs to the South
Coaſt of the Kingdom. I was carried, as ufual, in my
Travelling Box, which, as I have already deſcribed,
was a very convenient Cloſet of twelve Feet wide.
And I had ordered a Hammock to be fixed, by filken
Ropes, from the four Corners at the Top, to break
the Jolts, when a Servant carried me before him on
Horſeback, as I fometimes defired, and would often
fleep in my Hammock while we were upon the Road.
On the Roof of my Cloſet, not directly over the Mid-
dle of the Hammock, I ordered the Joiner to cut out a
Hole of a Foot fquare, to give me Air in hot Weather,
as I flept; which Hole I fhut, at Pleaſure, with a
Board that drew backwards and forwards through a
Groove.
When we came to our Journey's End, the King
thought proper to pafs a few Days at a Palace he hath
Dear Flanflafuic, a City within eighteen English Miles
K 3
of
134
AVOYAGE
of the Sea fide. Glumdalclitch and I was much fatigued:
I had gotten a ſmall Cold, but the poor Girl was fo ill,
as to be confined to her Chamber. I longed to ſee the
Ocean, which muſt be the only Scene of my Eſcape, if
ever it fhould happen. I pretended to be worfe than I
really was, and defired Leave to take the freſh Air, of
the Sea, with a Page I was very fond of, and who
had fometimes been trufted with me. I ſhall never for-
get with what Unwillingnefs Glumdalclitch confented,
nor the ftrict Charge fhe gave the Page to be careful of
me, burſting at the fame Time into a Flood of Tears,
as if ſhe had fome Foreboding of what was to happen.
'The Boy took me out in my Box about half an Hour's
Walk from the Palace towards the Rocks on the Sea-
fhore. I ordered him to fet me down, and lifting up one
of my Saſhes, caft many a wiftful melancholy Look to-
wards the Sea. I found myſelf not very well, and told
the Page that I had a Mind to take a Nap in my Ham-
mock, which I hoped would do me Good. I got in,
and the Boy fhut the Window cloſe down to keep out
the Cold. I foon fell aſleep, and all I can conjecture
is, that, while I flept, the Page, thinking no Danger
could happen, went among the Rocks to look for Birds
Eggs, having before obferved him from my Window
fearching about, and picking up one or two in the Clefts.
Be that as it will, I found myſelf fuddenly awaked with
a violent Pull upon the Ring which was faſtened at the
Top of my Pox, for the Conveniency of Carriage. I
felt my Box raiſed very high in the Air, and then born
forward with prodigious Speed. The firft Jolt had like
to have ſhaken me out of my Hammock, but afterwards
the Motion was eafy enough. I called out feveral Times,
as loud as I could raiſe my Voice, but all to no Purpoſe.
I looked towards my Windows, and could fee nothing
but the Clouds and Sky. I heard a Noife over my
Head like the Clapping of Wings, and then began to
perceive the woful Condition I was in, that fome Eagle
had got the Ring of my Box in his Beak, with an In-
tent to let it fall on a Rock like a Tortoife in a Shell,
and
to BROBDINGNAG.
135
and then pick out my Body, and devour it. For the
Sagacity and Smell of this Bird enabled him to diſcover
his Quarry at a great Diſtance, though better concealed
than I could be within a two-inch Board.
In a little Time I obferved the Noife and Flutter
of Wings to increaſe very faſt, and my Box was toffed
up and down like a Sign poft in a windy Day. I
heard feveral Bangs or Buffets, as I thought, given to
the Eagle (for fuch I am certain it muſt have been that
held the Ring of my Box in his Beak) and then all on
a fudden felt myſelf falling perpendicularly down for a-
bove a Minute, but with fuch incredible Swiftneſs that
I almoſt loft my Breath. My Fall was ſtopped by a
terrible Squaſh, that founded louder to my Ears than
the Cataract of Niagara; after which I was quite in
the Dark for another Minute, and then my Box began
to riſe fo high that I could fee Light from the Tops of
the Windows. I now perceived that I was fallen into
the Sea. My Box, by the Weight of my Body, the
Goods that were in, and the broad Plates of Iron fixed
for Strength at the four Corners of the Top and Bot-
tom, floated above five Feet deep in Water. I did then,
and do now ſuppoſe that the Eagle which flew away
with my Box was purſued by two or three others, and
forced to let me drop while he was defending himſelf
againſt the reſt, who hoped to ſhare in the Prey. The
Plates of Iron faſtened at the Bottom of the Box (for
thoſe were the ſtrongeſt) preſerved the Balance while it
fell, and hindered it from being broken on the Surface
of the Water. Every Joint of it was well grooved;
and the Door did not move on Hinges, but up and
down like a Saſh, which kept my Cloſet fo tight that
very little Water came in. I got with much Difficul-
ty out of my Hammock, having firſt ventured to draw
back the Slip-board on the Roof already mentioned,
contrived on Purpoſe to let in Air, for Want of which
I found myſelf almoſt ſtifled.
How often did I then with myfelf with my dear
Glumdalclitch, from whom one fingle Hour had fo far
K 4
divided
136
AVOYAGE
divided me! And I may fay, with Truth, that in the
Midit of my own Misfortunes I could not forbear la-
menting my poor Nurſe, the Grief ſhe would fuffer for
my Lofs, the Diſpleaſure of the Queen, and the Ruin
of her Fortune. Perhaps many Travellers have not
been under greater Difficulties and Diſtreſs than I was
at this Juncture, expecting every Moment to ſee my
Box dafhed in Pieces, or at leaſt overfet by the firſt vio-
lent Blaft, or a rifing Wave. A Breach in one fingle
Pane of Glafs would have been immediate Death: Nor
could any Thing have preferved the Windows but the
ftrong Lattice-wires placed on the Outfide againft Ac-
cidents in Travelling. I faw the Water ooze in at ſe-
veral Crannies, although the Leaks were not confidera-
ble, and I endeavoured to ftop them as well as I could.
I was not able to lift up the Roof of my Cloſet, which
otherwife I certainly fhould have done, and fat on the
Top of it, where I might, at leaſt, preferve myſelf ſome
Hours longer than by being fhut up, as I may call it,
in the Hold. Or, if I escaped thefe Dangers for a Day
or two, what could I expect but a miſerable Death of
Cold and Hunger! I was four Hours under thefe Cir-
cumſtances, expecting, and indeed, wiſhing every Mo-
ment to be my laſt.
I have already told the Reader, that there were two
ftrong Staples fixed upon that Side of my Box which had
no Window, and into which the Servant who ufed to
carry me on Horſeback would put a leathern Belt, and
buckle it about his Wafte. Being in this difconfolate
State, I heard or at least thought I heard fome Kind of
grating Noife on that Side of my Box where the Sta-
ples were fixed, and ſoon after I began to fancy that
the Box was pulled or towed along in the Sea; for I
now and then felt a Sort of Tugging, which made the
Waves rife near the Tops of my Windows, leaving
me almoſt in the Dark. This gave me fome faint
Hopes of Relief; although I was not able to imagine
how it could be brought about. I ventured to unfcrew
one of my Chairs, which were always faſtened to the
Floori
to BROBDINGNA G.
137
Floor; and having made a hard Shift to fcrew it down
again directly under the Slipping-board that I had late-
ly opened, I mounted on the Chair, and, putting my
Mouth as near as I could to the Hole, I called for Help
in a loud Voice, and in all the Languages I underſtood.
I then faſtened my Hankerchief to a Stick I ufually
carried, and, thrufting it up the Hole, waved it feveral
Times in the Air, that, if any Boat or Ship were near,
the Seamen might conjecture fome unhappy Mortal to
be ſhut up in the Box.
I found no Effect from all I could do, but plainly
perceived my Cloſet to be moved along; and in the
Space of an Hour, or better, that Side of the Box
where the Staples were, and had no Window, fruck
againſt fomething that was hard. I apprehended it to
be a Rock, and found myſelf toffed more than ever.
I plainly heard a Noife upon the Cover of my Cloſet,
lile that of a Cable, and the Grating of it as it paſſed
through the Ring. I then found myſelf hoilled up by
Degrees, at leaſt three Feet higher than I was before.
Whereupon I again thruft up my Stick and Handker-
chief, calling for Help till I was almoſt hoarſe. In
Return to which, I heard a great Shout repeated three
Times, giving me fuch Tranfports of Joy, as are not
to be conceived but by thoſe who feel them. I now
heard a Trampling over my Head, and fome body cal-
ling through the Hole with a loud Voice in the English
Tongue, If there be any Body below, let them ſpeak.
I anſwered, I was an Engliſhman, drawn by ill Fortune
into the greateſt Calamity that ever any Creature under-
went, and begged, by all that was moving, to be deli-
vered out of the Dungeon I was in. The Voice re-
plied, I was fafe, for my Box was faſtened to their
Ship; and the Carpenter fhould immediately come and
faw a Hole in the Cover large enough to pull me out.
I answered, that was needlefs, and would take up too
much Time, for there was no more to be done, but let
one of the Crew put his Finger into the Ring, and take
the Box out of the Sea into the Ship, and fo into the
Cap-
138
AVOYAGE
Captain's Cabbin. Some of them, upon hearing me
talk fo wildly, thought I was mad; others laughed ;
for, indeed, it never came into my Head, that I was
now got among People of my own Stature and Strength,
The Carpenter came, and in few Minutes fawed a
Paffage about four Feet fquare, then let down a-fmall
Ladder, upon which I mounted, and from thence was
taken into the Ship in a very weak Condition.
The Sailors were all in Amazement, and aſked me a
thouſand Queſtions, which I had no Inclination to an-
fwer. I was equally confounded at the Sight of fo ma-
ny Pigmies, for fuch I took them to be, after having
fo long accustomed mine Eyes to the monſtrous Obje&s
I had left. But the Captain, Mr. Thomas Wilcocks,
an honeft worthy Shropshire Man, obferving I was rea-
dy to faint, took me into his Cabbin, gave me a Cor-
dial to comfort me, and made me to turn in upon his
own Bed, advifing me to take a little Reft, of which Í
had great Need. Before
Need. Before I went to fleep, I gave him
to underſtand that I had valuable Furniture in my Box,
too good to be loft; a fine Hammock, an handſome
Field-bed, two Chairs, a Table, and a Cabinet. That
my Cloſet was hung on all Sides, or rather quilted,
with Silk and Cotton: That, if he would let one of the
Crew bring my Clofet into his Cabbin, I would open it
there before him, and thew him my Goods. The Cap-
tain, hearing me utter theſe Abfurdities, concluded I was
raving However (I fuppofe to pacify me) he promiſed
to give Order, as I defired, and going upon Deck,
fent fome of his Men down into my Clofet, from
whence (as I afterwards found) they drew up all my
Goods, and ſtripped off the Quilting; but the Chairs,
Cabinet, and Bedftead, being fcrewed to the Floor,
were much damaged by the Ignorance of the Seamen,
who tore them up by Force. Then they knocked off
fome of the Boards for the Ufe of the Ship, and, when
they had got all they had a Mind for, let the Hulk
drop into the Sea, which, by Reafon of many Breaches
made in the Bottom and Sides, funk to Rights. And,
indeed,
to BROBDINGNAG.
139
indeed, I was glad not to have been a Spectator of the
Havock they made; becaufe I am confident it would
have fenfibly touched me, by bringing former Paffages
into my Mind, which I had rather forget.
I flept fome Hours, but perpetually disturbed with
Dreams of the Place I had left, and the Dangers I had
eſcaped. However, upon waking, I found myſelf much
recovered. It was now about eight o'Clock at Night,
and the Captain ordered Supper immediately, thinking
I had already fafted too long. He entertained me with
great Kindneſs, obferving me not to look wildly, or
talk inconfiftently; and, when we were left alone, de-
fired I would give him a Relation of my Travels, and
by what Accident I came to be fet adrift in that mon-
ftrous wooden Cheft. He faid, that about twelve
o'Clock at Noon, as he was looking through his Glafs,
he fpied it at a Distance, and thought it was a Sail,
which he had a mind to make, being not much out of
his Courſe, in Hopes of buying fome Bifket, his own
beginning to fall ſhort. That upon coming nearer,
and finding his Error, he fent out his Long-boat to dif
cover what I was; that his Men came back in a Fright,
fwearing they had feen a fwimming Houfe. That he
laughed at their Folly, and went himſelf in the Boat,
ordering his Men to take a ftrong Cable along with
them. That, the Weather being calm, he rowed round
me feveral Times, obferved my Windows, and the
Wire lattices that defended them. That he diſcovered
two Staples upon one Side, which was all of Boards,
without any Paffage for Light. He then commanded
his Men to row up to that Side, and, faſtening a Cable
to one of the Staples, ordered them to tow my Cheſt
(as they called it) towards the Ship. When it was there,
he gave Directions to faften another Cable to the Ring
fixed in the Cover, and to raiſe up my Cheft with Pul-
lies, which all the Sailors were not able to do above
two or three Feet. He faid, they faw my Stick and
Handkerchief thruft out of the Hole, and concluded
that fome unhappy Man muſt be fhut up in the Cavity.
I asked,
140
A VOYAGE
I asked, Whether he or the Crew had feen any prodi-
gious Bird in the Air about the Time he firſt diſcovered
me? To which he anfwered, That, difcourfing this
Matter with the Sailors while I was aſleep, one of them
faid, he had obferved three Eagles flying towards the
North, but remarked nothing of their being larger than
the uſual Size, which I fuppoſe muſt be imputed to the
great Height they were at; and he could not gueſs the
Reafon of my Queſtion. I then asked the Captain,
How far he reckoned we might be from Land? He
faid, by the beſt Computation he could make, we were
at least an hundred Leagues. I affured him, that he
muſt be miſtaken by almoſt half, for I had not left the
Country from whence I came above two Hours before
I dropt into the Sea. Whereupon, he began again to
think that my Brain was disturbed, of which he gave
me a Hint, and adviſed me to go to Bed in a Cabbin
he had provided. I affured him I was well refreſhed
with his good Entertainment and Company, and as
much in my Senfes as ever I was in my Life. He
then grew ferious, and defired to aſk me freely whe-
ther 1 were not troubled in Mind by the Conſciouſneſs
of fome enormous Crime, for which I was puniſhed at
the Command of fome Prince, by expofing me in that
Cheft, as great Criminals, in other Countries, have
been forced to Sea in a leaky Veffel without Provifi-
ons: For although he ſhould be forry to have taken fo
ill a Man into his Ship, yet he would engage his Word
to fet me fafe a-fhore in the firſt Fort where we arrived.
He added, that his Sufpicions were much increaſed, by
fome very abfurd Speeches I had delivered at first to
the Sailors, and afterwards to himfelf, in relation to
my Cloſet or Cheft, as well as by my odd Looks and
Behaviour while I was at Supper.
I begged his Patience to hear me tell my Story, which
I faithfully did, from the laft Time I left England, to
the Moment he firſt diſcovered me. And as Truth al-
ways forceth its Way into rational Minds, fo this honeſt
worthy Gentleman, who had fome Tincture of Learn-
ing,
to BROBDINGNAG.
141
ing, and very good Senfe, was immediately convinced
of my Candour and Veracity. But, farther to confirm
all I had faid, I entreated him to give Order that my
Cabinet ſhould be brought, of which I had the Key in
my Pocket, (for he had already informed me how the
Seamen difpofed of my Clofet). I opened it in his own
Prefence, and fhewed him the ſmall Collection of Ra-
rities I made in the Country from whence I had been
fo ftrangely delivered. There was the Comb I had
contrived out of the Stumps of the King's Beard, and
another of the fame Materials, but fixed into a Paring
of her Majeſty's Thumb-nail, which ferved for the
Back. There was a Collection of Needles and Ping
from a Foot to half a Yard long; four Wafp-ftings,
like Joiners Tacks; fome Combings of the Queen's
Hair; a gold Ring which one Day ſhe made me a
Preſent of in a moft obliging Manner, taking it from
her little Finger, and throwing it over my Head like a
Collar. I defired the Captain would pleafe to accept
this Ring, in Return of his Civilities; which he abſo-
lutely retufed. I fhewed him a Corn that I had cut off
with my own Hand, from a Maid of Honour's Toe; is
was about the Bignefs of a Kentish Pippin, and grown fo
hard, that, when I returned to England, I got it hol-
lowed into a Cup, and fet in Silver. Lally, I defired
him to ſee the Breeches I had then on, which were
made of a Moufe's Skin.
I could force nothing on him but a Footman's Tooth,
which I obferved him to examine with great Curiofity,
and found he had a Fancy for it. He received it with
Abundance of Thanks, more than fuch a Trifle could
deferve. It was drawn by an unskilful Surgeon, in a
Miſtake, from one of Glumdalclitch's Men, who was
afflicted with the Tooth ach, but it was as found as any
in his Head. I got it cleaned, and put it into my Ca-
binet. It was about a Foot long, and four Inches in
Diameter.
The Captain was very well fatisfied with this plain
Relation I had given him, and faid, he hoped, when
We
142
A VOYAGE
we returned to England, I would oblige the World, by
putting it in Paper, and making it public. My An-
fwer was, That I thought we were already over-ſtock-
ed with Books of Travels: That nothing could now
paſs which was not extraordinary; wherein I doubted
fome Authors lefs confulted Truth, than their own Va-
nity, or Intereſt, or the Diverſion of ignorant Readers
That my Story could contain little befides common
Events, without thoſe ornamental Defcriptions of
ftrange Plants, Trees, Birds, and other Animals; or
of the barbarous Cuſtoms and Idolatry of ſavage Peo-
ple, with which moft Writers abound. However, I
thanked him for his good Opinion, and promiſed to
take the Matter into my Thoughts.
He faid, he wondered at one Thing very much,
which was, to hear me ſpeak fo loud, asking me whe-
ther the King or Queen of that Country were thick of
Hearing. I told him, it was what I had been uſed to
for above two Years paft; and that I admired as much
at the Voices of him and his Men, who ſeemed to me
only to whiſper, and yet I could hear them well e-
nough. But, when I fpoke in that Country, it was
like a Man talking in the Street to another looking out
from the Top of a Steeple, unleſs when I was placed
on a Table, or held in any Perfon's Hand. I told
him, I had likewife obferved another Thing, that when
I first got into the Ship, and the Sailors ftood all about
me, I thought they were the moft little contemptible
Creatures I had ever beheld. For, indeed, while I was
in that Prince's Country, I could never endure to look
in a Glafs, after mine Eyes had been accuſtomed to
fuch prodigious Objects, becauſe the Compariſon gave
me fo defpicable a Conceit of myſelf. The Captain
faid, that, while we were at Supper, he obferved me
to look at every Thing with a Sort of Wonder, and
that I often ſeemed hardly able to contain my Laugh-
ter, which he knew not well how to take, but imputed
it to fome Diſorder in my Brain. I anſwered, it was
very true; and I wondered how I could forbear, when
1 faw
to BROBDINGNAG.
143
I faw his Diſhes of the Size of a filver Three-pence, a
Leg of Pork hardly a Mouthful, a Cup not fo big as a
Nut-fhell; and ſo I went on, deſcribing the reſt of his
Houfhold-ſtuff and Provifions, after the fame Manner.
For, although the Queen had ordered a little Equipage
of all Things neceffary while I was in her Service, yet
my Ideas were wholly taken up with what I faw on e-
very Side of me, and I winked at my own Littleneſs,
as People do at their own Faults. The Captain under-
flood my Raillery very well, and merrily replied with
the old English Proverb, that he doubted mine Eyes
were bigger than my Belly, for he did not obferve my
Stomach fo good, although I had fafted all Day; and,
continuing in his Mirth, protefled he would have glad-
ly given an hundred Pounds to have feen my Cloſet in
the Eagle's Bill, and afterwards in its Fall from fo great a
Height into the Sea; which would certainly have been
a moft aftonishing Object, worthy to have the Defcrip-
tion of it tranſmitted to future Ages: And the Compa-
rifon of Phaeton was fo obvious, that he could not for-
bear applying it, although I did not much admire Con-
ceit.
The Captain having been at Tonquin, was, in his Re-
turn to England, driven North-eastward, to the Lati-
tude of 44 Degrees, and of Longitude 143. But,
meeting a Trade-wind two Days after I came on Board
him, we failed Southward a long Time, and coafting
New Holland, kept our Courfe Weft-fouth-weft, and
then South-fouth-weft, till we doubled the Cape of Good-
Hope. Our Voyage was very profperous, but I fhall
not trouble the Reader with a Journal of it. The Cap-
tain called in at one or two Ports, and fent in his Long-
boat for Proviſions and freth Water, but I never went
out of the Ship till we came into the Dens, which
was on the third Day of June, 1706, about nine Months
after my Eſcape. I offered to leave my Goods in Se-
curity for Payment of my Freight; but the Captain
proteſted he would not receive one Farthing. We took
kind Leave of each other, and I made him promiſe he
would
144
AVOYAGE, &c.
come to ſee me at my Houſe in Redriff. I hired a Horfe
and Guide for five Shillings, which I borrowed of the
Captain.
As I was on the Road, obſerving the Littleneſs of
the Houſes, the Trees, the Cattle, and the People, I
began to think myſelf in Lilliput. I was afraid of tram-
pling on every Traveller I met, and often called aloud
to have them ftand out of the Way, fo that I had like
to have gotten one or two broken Heads for my Im-
pertinence.
When I came to my own Houfe, for which I was
forced to enquire, one of the Servants opening the Door,
I bent down to go in (like a Gooſe under a Gate) for
Fear of ftriking my Head. My Wife ran out to em-
brace me, but I ftooped lower than her Knees, think-
ing fhe could otherwiſe never be able to reach my
Mouth. My Daughter kneeled to aſk me Bleffing, but
I could not fee her till fhe aroſe, having been ſo long
uſed to ſtand with my Head and Eyes erect, to above
fixty Feet; and then I went to take her up with one
Hand, by the Waiſt. I looked down upon the Ser-
vants, and one or two Friends who were in the
Houſe, as if they had been Pigmies, and I a Giant. I
told my Wife ſhe had been too thrifty, for I found ſhe
had ſtarved herſelf and her Daughter to nothing. In
fhort, I behaved myfelf fo unaccountably, that they
were all of the Captain's Opinion when he first faw
me, and concluded I had loft my Wits. This I men-
tion as an Inſtance of the great Power of Habit and
Prejudice.
In a little Time, I and my Family and Friends came
to a right Underſtanding: But my Wife protefted I
fhould never go to Sea any more; although my evil
Deſtiny ſo ordered, that fhe had not Power to hinder
me, as the Reader may know hereafter. In the mean
Time, I here conclude the fecond Part of my unfortu
nate Voyages.
The End of the Second Part.
Plate Part II Page 145.
Parts unknown.
•
Straits
Balniparbi.
aghito.
Difcovered
AD. 1701.
Land-
§James B,
Robbin I.
of Jello.
Salmon
Bovy.
Se
of Corta
Companys-
Land.
Laputaz
Stats 1
the Uries.
Japon
Tay
Elied pr
Bythe p
Bimeretes
t
Ongeluckiy
South
Maldonad Lugnage.
Glangurti.
Binje..
Tanacimie
Clubdrubdrib
Urne.
Timul.
Clumegnig
Plate M. Part III.
Laputa. D
C
E
BALNIBARBI.
B
í.
F
agado.
G
Page145
H
Maldonada.
[ 145 ]
TRAVEL S.
PART. III.
A Voyage to LAPUTA, BALNIBARBI,
LUGGNAGG, GLUBBDUBDRIB, and JA-
PAN.
CHA P. I.
The Author Sets out on his third Voyage, is taken by
Pyrates. The Malice of a Dutchman. His Ar-
rival at an Iſland. He is received into Laputa.
I
Had not been at Home above ten Days, when
Captain William Robinſon, a Cornish Man, Com-
mander of the Hope well, a flout Ship of three-
hundred Tons, came to my Houfe. I had formerly
been Surgeon of another Ship where he was Maſter,
and a fourth Part Owner, in a Voyage to the Levant ;
he had always treated me more like a Brother, than an
inferior Officer, and, hearing of my Arrival, made me
a Viſit, as I apprehended, only out of Friendſhip, for
nothing paffed more than what is ufual after long Ab-
fences. But repeating his Vifits often, expreffing his
Joy to find me in good Health, aſking whether I were
now fettled for Life, adding, that he intended a Voy-
age to the Eaft-Indies, in two Months; at laſt he plain-
ly invited me, though with fome Apologies, to be Sur-
geon of the Ship; that I fhould have another Surgeon
under me, befides our two Mates; that my Sallary
ſhould be double to the ufual Pay; and that having ex-
perienced
L
146
AVOYAGE
perienced my Knowledge in Sea-affairs, to be at leaſt
equal to his, he would enter into any Engagement to
follow my Advice as much as if I had fhared in the
Command.
He faid fo many other obliging Things, and I knew
him to be fo honeft a Man, that I could not reject his
Propofal; the Thirſt I had of ſeeing the World, not-
withstanding my paft Misfortunes, continuing as violent
as ever. The only Difficulty that remained, was to
perfuade my Wife, whofe Confent, however, I at laſt
obtained, by the Profpect of Advantage fhe propofed
to her Children.
We fet out the 5th Day of August, 1706, and arrived
at Fort St. George the 11th of April, 1707.
We ſtay-
ed there three Weeks to refresh our Crew, many of
whom were fick. From thence we went to Tonquin,
where the Captain refolved to continue fome Time, be-
caufe many of the Goods he intended to buy were not
ready, nor could he expect to be difpatched in feveral
Months. Therefore, in Hopes to defray fome of the
Charges he must be at, he bought a Sloop, loaded it
with feveral Sorts of Goods, wherewith the Tonquinefe
ufually trade to the neighbouring Iflands, and putting
fourteen Men on Board, whereof three were of the
Country, he appointed me Matter of the Sloop, and
gave me Power to traffic, while he tranfacted his Af-
fairs at Tonquin.
We had not failed above three Days, when, a great
Storm arifing, we were driven five Days to the North-
north east, and then to the Eaft; after which we had
fair Weather, but ftill with a pretty flrong Gale from
the Welt. Upon the tenth Day, we were chaced by
two Pyrates, who foon overtook us; for my Sloop was
fo deep loaden, that the failed very flow, neither were
we in a Condition to defend ourſelves.
We were boarded about the fame Time by both the
Pyrates, who entered furiouſly at the Head of their
Men; but finding us all proftrate upon our Faces (for
fo
to LAPUTA, &c.
147
fo I gave Order) they pinioned us with ftrong Ropes,
and, fetting a Guard upon us, went to fearch the Sloop.
I obferved among them a Dutchman, who ſeemed to
be of fome Authority, though he was not Commander
of either Ship. He knew us by our Countenances to
be Engliſhmen, and, jabbering to us in his own Lan-
guage, fwore we ſhould be tied Back to Back, and
thrown into the Sea. I fpoke Dutch tolerably well;
I told him who we were, and begged him, in Confi-
deration of our being Chriftians and Proteftants of
neighbouring Countries, in ftrict Alliance, that he would
move the Captains to take fome Pity on us.
flamed his Rage, he repeated his Threatenings, and,
turning to his Companions, fpoke with great Vehe-
mence, in the Japanese Language, as I fuppofe, often
ufing the Word Chriftianos.
This in-
The largeſt of the two Pyrate Ships was commanded
by a Japanese Captain, who fpoke a little Dutch, but
very imperfectly. He came up to me, and after feve-
ral Queftions, which I anfwered in great Humility, he
faid we ſhould not die. I made the Captain a very
low Bow, and, then turning to the Dutchman, ſaid, I
was forry to find more Mercy in a Heathen, than in a
Brother Chriſtian. But I had foon Reafon to repent
thofe fooliſh Words: For that malicious Reprobate,
having often endeavoured in vain to perfuade both the
Captains that I might be thrown into the Sea (which
they would not yield to after the Promiſe made me,
that I ſhould not die) however prevailed fo far as to
have a Puniſhment inflicted on me, worfe, in all hu-
man Appearance, than Death itſelf. My Men were
fent, by an equal Divifion, into both the Pyrate Ships,
and my Sloop new manned. As to myſelf, it was de-
termined that I fhould be fet a-drift, in a ſmall Canoe,
with Paddles and a Sail, and four Days Provifions, which
laft the Japaneſe Captain was fo kind to double out of
his own Stores, and would permit no Man to fearch
me. I got down into the Canoe, while the Dutchman,
L 2
ftand-
148
AVOYAGE
}
ſtanding upon the Deck, loaded me with all the Curfes,
and injurious Terms, his Language could afford.
About an Hour before we faw the Pyrates, I had
taken an Obfervation, and found we were in the Lati-
tude of 46 N. and of Longitude 183. When I was
at fome Diſtance from the Pyrates, I diſcovered by my
Pocket-glaſs ſeveral Iſlands to the South-eaft. I fet up
my Sail, the Wind being fair, with a Defign to reach
the neareſt of thoſe Iflands, which I made a Shift to do
in about three Hours. It was all rocky, however I
got many Birds Eggs, and, ftriking Fire, I kindled fome
Heath and dry Sea-weed, by which I roafted my Eggs.
I eat no other Supper, being refolved to ſpare my Pro-
vifions as much as I could. I paffed the Night under
the Shelter of a Rock, ftrewing fome Heath under me,
and flept pretty well.
The next Day I failed to another Ifland, and thence
to a third and fourth, fometimes ufing my Sail, and
fometimes my Paddles. But, not to trouble the Reader
with a particular Account of my Diftreffes, let it ſuf-
fice that, on the fifth Day, I arrived at the laſt Iſland
in my Sight, which lay South-fouth-east to the former.
This Inland was at a greater Diſtance than I expect-
ed, and I did not reach it in leſs than five Hours. I
encompaſſed it almoſt round, before I could find a con.
venient Place to land in, which was a fmall Creek, a-
bout three Times the Wideneſs of my Canoe. I found
the Ifland to be all rocky, only a little intermingled
with Tufts of Grafs, and fweet-fmelling Herbs. I took
out my fmall Provifions, and, after having refreſhed
myfelf, I fecured the Remainder in a Cave, whereof
there were great Numbers. I gathered Plenty of Eggs
upon the Rocks, and got a Quantity of dry Sea-weed,
and parched Grafs, which I defigned to kindle the next
Day, and roaft my Eggs as well as I could (for I had
about me my Flint, Steel, Match, and Burning-glafs).
I lay all Night in the Cave where I had lodged my Pro-
vifions. My Bed was the fame dry Grafs and Sea-weed
which intended for Fewel. I slept very little, for
the
to LAPUTA, &c.
149
the Difquiets of my Mind prevailed over my Weari-
nefs, and kept me awake. I confidered how impof-
fible it was to preſerve my Life, in fo defolate a Place,
and how miferable my End muſt be. Yet found my-
ſelf ſo liſtlefs and defponding, that I had not the Heart
to rife; and, before I could get Spirits enough to creep
out of my Cave, the Day was far advanced. I walked
a while among the Rocks, the Sky was perfectly clear,
and the Sun fo hot, that I was forced to turn my Face
from it: When, all on a fudden, it became obfcure, as
I thought, in a Manner very different from what hap-
pens by the Interpofition of a Cloud. I turned back,
and perceived a vaſt opake Body between me and the
Sun, moving forwards towards the Iſland: It feemed
to be about two Miles high, and hid the Sun fix or fe-
ven Minutes, but I did not obferve the Air to be much
colder, or the Sky more darkened, than if I had ſtood
under the Shade of a Mountain, As it approached
nearer over the Place where I was, it appeared to be a
firm Subftance, the Bottom flat, fmooth, and fhining
very bright from the Reflexion of the Sea below. I
ftood upon a Height, about two hundred Yards from
the Shore, and faw this vaft Body deſcending almoſt to
a Parallel with me, at less than an English Mile Dif-
tance. I took out my Pocket-perſpective, and could
plainly discover Numbers of People moving up and
down the Sides of it, which appeared to be floping;
but, what thofe People were doing, I was not able to
diſtinguiſh.
The natural Love of Life gave me fome inward Mo-
tions of Joy, and I was ready to entertain a Hope, that
this Adventure might fome Way or other help to de-
liver me from the defolate Place and Condition I was
in. But at the fame Time the Reader can hardly con-
ceive my Aftoniſhment, to behold an Ifland in the Air,
inhabited by Men, who were able (as it fhould feem)
to raiſe or fink, or put it into a progreffive Motion, as
they pleafed. But, not being at that Time in a Dif-
pofition to philofophife upon this Phænomenon, I ra-
L 3
ther
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AVOYAGE
ther choſe to obferve what Courſe the Iſland would take,
becauſe it feemed for a While to fland ftill. Yet foon
after it advanced nearer, and I could fee the Sides of
it, encompaffed with feveral Gradations of Galleries
and Stairs, at certain Intervals, to defcend from one
to the other. In the loweſt Gallery, I beheld fome
People fiſhing with long Angling Rods, and others
looking on. I waved my Cap (for my Hat was long
fince worn out) and my Handkerchief towards the I-
fland; and, upon its nearer Approach, I called and
fhouted with the utmost Strength of my Voice; and
then, looking circumfpe&tly, I beheld a Crowd gather-
ed to that Side which was moft in my View. I found
by their pointing towards me, and to each other, that
they plainly difcovered me, although they made no
Return to my Shouting. But I could fee four or five
Men running in great Hafte up the Stairs to the Top
of the Ifland, who then difappeared. I happened right-
ly to conjecture, that theſe were fent for Orders to fome
Perfon in Authority upon this Occafion.
The Number of People encreaſed, and, in leſs than
half an Hour, the Ifland was moved and raiſed in fuch
a Manner, that the loweft Gallery appeared in a Pa-
rallel of less than an hundred Yards Diſtance from the
Height where I ftood. I then put myſelf into the moſt
fupplicating Postures, and fpoke in the humbleft Ac-
cent, but received no Anfwer. Thofe, who ftood near-
eft over-againſt me, feemed to be Perfons of Diftin&ti-
on, as I fuppofed by their Habit. They conferred
earneſtly with each other, looking often upon me. At
length one of them called out in a clear, polite, fmooth
Dialect, not unlike in Sound to the Italian; and, there-
fore, I returned an Anſwer in that Language, hoping,
at leaft, that the Cadence might be more agreeable to
his Ears. Although neither of us underſtood the other,
yet my Meaning was eafily known, for the People faw
the Diftrefs I was in.
They made Signs for me to come down from the
Rock, and go towards the Shore, which I accordingly
did;
to LAPUTA, &c.
151
did; and, the flying Iſland being raised to a conveni-
ent Height, the Verge directly over me, a Chain was
let down from the lowest Gallery, with a Seat faſtened
to the Bottom, to which I fixed myſelf, and was drawn
up by Pullies.
CHA P. II.
The Humours and Difpofitions of the Laputians de-
fcribed. An Account of their Learning. Of the
King, and his Court. The Author's Reception
there. The Inhabitants fubject to Fear and Dif
quietudes. An Account of the Women.
A
T my Alighting, I was furrounded with a Crowd
of People; but thoſe who ſtood neareft, feemed
to be of better Quality. They beheld me with all the
Marks and Circumftances of Wonder, neither, indeed,
was I much in their Debt; having, never, till then,
feen a Race of Mortals fo fingular in their Shapes, Ha-
bits, and Countenances. Their Heads were all reclined,
either to the Right or the Left; one of their Eyes
turned inward, and the other directly up to the Ze-
nith. Their outward Garments were adorned with
the Figures of Suns, Moons, and Stars, interwoven
with thofe of Fiddles, Flutes, Harps, Trumpets, Guit-
tars, Harpficords, and many more Inftruments of Mu-
fic, unknown to us in Europe. I obſerved, here and
there, many in the Habit of Servants, with a blown
Bladder faſtened like a Flayl to the End of a ſhort Stick,
which they carried in their Hands. In each Bladder
was a fmall Quantity of dried Peaſe, or little Pebbles
(as I was afterwards informed). With thefe Bladders,
they now and then flapped the Mouths and Fars of
thoſe who ſtood near them, of which Practice I could
not then conceive the Meaning; it feems, the Minds
of theſe People are fo taken up with intenfe Speculati-
L 4
ons,
152
AVOYAGE
=
ons, that they neither can fpeak, nor attend to the
Difcourfes of others, without being rouſed by ſome ex-
ternal Taction upon the Organs of Speech and Hear-
ing; for which Keafon, thoſe Perfons, who are able to
afford it, always keep a Flapper (the Original is Clime-
nole) in their Family, as one of their Dometics, nor
ever walk Abroad, or make Viſits, without him. And
the Buſineſs of this Officer is, when two or three more
Perfons are in Company, gently to ftrike with his Blad-
der the Mouth of him who is to ſpeak, and the right
Ear of him or them to whom the Speaker addreffeth
himſelf. This Flapper is likewife employed diligently
to attend his Mafter in his Walks, and, upon Occafion,
to give him a foft Flap on his Eyes, becauſe he is always
fo wrapped up in Cogitation, that he is in manifeft Dan-
ger of falling down every Precipice, and bouncing his
Head againſt every Poft; and in the Streets, of julling
others, or being juftled himſelf, into the Kennel.
It was neceffary to give the Reader this Information,
without which, he would be at the fame Lofs with me,
to underſtand the Proceedings of thefe People, as they
conducted me up the Stairs, to the Top of the Iſland,
and from thence to the Royal Palace. While we were
afcending, they forgot feveral Times what they were
about, and left me to myſelf, till their Memories were
again roufed by their Flappers; for they appeared al-
together unmoved by the Sight of my foreign Habit
and Countenance, and by the Shouts of the Vulgar,
whoſe Thoughts and Minds were more difengaged.
At laft we entered the Palace, and proceeded into
the Chamber of Prefence, where I faw the King ſeated
on his Throne, attended on each Side by Perfons of
prime Quality. Before the Throne, was a large Table
filled with Globes and Spheres, and Mathematical In-
ftruments of all Kinds. His Majefty took not the leaſt
Notice of us, although our Entrance was not without
fufficient Noife, by the Concourfe of all Perfons belong.
ing to the Court. But he was then deep in a Problem,
and we attended at leaft an Hour, before he could
folve
to LAPUTA, &c.
153
folve it. There flood by him, on each Side, a young
Page, with Flaps in their Hands, and, when they faw
he was at Leiſure, one of them gently ftruck his Mouth,
and the other his right Ear; at which he ſtarted like
one awaked on the fudden, and looking towards me,
and the Company I was in, recollected the Occafion of
our Coming, whereof he had been informed before.
He ſpoke fome Words, whereupon immediately a young
Man with a Flap came up to my Side, and flapt me
gently on the right Ear, but I made Signs, as well as
I could, that I had no Occafion for fuch an Inftru-
ment; which, as I afterwards found, gave his Majef-
ty, and the whole Court, a very mean Opinion of my
Underſtanding. The King, as far as I could conjec-
ture, afked me feveral Queſtions, and I addreffed my-
felf to him in all the Languages I had. When it was
found, that I could neither underſtand, nor be under-
ftood, I was conducted, by his Order, to an Apart-
ment in his Palace, (this Prince being diſtinguiſhed a-
bove all his Predeceffors, for his Hofpitality to Stran-
gers) where two Servants were appointed to attend me.
My Dinner was brought, and four Perfons of Quality,
whom I remembered to have ſeen very near the King's
Perſon, did me the Honour to dine with me. We had
two Courſes, of three Dishes each. In the firſt Courfe,
there was a Shoulder of Mutton, cut into an Equila-
teral Triangle, a Piece of Beef into a Rhomboides,
and a Pudding into a Cycloid. The fecond Courfe was
two Ducks, truffed up into the Form of Fiddles; Sau-
fages and Puddings refembling Flutes and Haut-boys,
and a Breaft of Veal in the Shape of a Harp. The
Servants cut our Bread into Cones, Cylinders, Parallelo-
grams, and ſeveral other Mathematical Figures.
While we were at Dinner, I made bold to afk the
Names of feveral Things in their Language, and thofe
noble Perfons, by the Affistance of their Floppers, de-
lighted to give me Anfwers, hoping to raife my Ad-
miration of their great Abilities, if I could be brought
to
154
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to converſe with them. I was foon able to call for
Bread and Drink, or whatever elfe I wanted.
After Dinner, my Company withdrew, and a Per-
fon was fent to me, by the King's Order, attended by
a Flapper. He brought with him Pen, Ink, and Paper,
and three or four Books, giving me to underſtand by
Signs, that he was fent to teach me the Language. We
fat together four Hours, in which Time I wrote down
a great Number of Words in Columns, with the Tran-
flations over againſt them; I likewife made a Shift to
learn feveral fhort Sentences. For my Tutor would
order one of my Servants to fetch fomething, to turn
about, to make a Bow, to fit, or to ftand, or walk,
and the like. Then I took down the Sentence in Wri-
ting. He fhewed me alfo, in one of his Books, the
Figures of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, the Zodiac, the
Tropics, and Polar Circles, together with the Deno-
minations of many Figures of Flanes and Solids.
gave me the Names and Defcriptions of all the mufical
Inftruments, and the general Terms of Art in Playing
on each of them. After he had left me, I placed all
my Words, with their Interpretations, in alphabetical
Order. And thus, in a few Days, by the Help of a
very faithful Memory, I got fome Infight into their
Language.
He
I
The Word, which I interpret the Flying or Floating
Iſland, is, in the Original, Laputa, whereof I could
never learn the true Etymology. Lap, in the old cb-
folete Language, fignifieth High, and Untuh, a Gover-
nor, from which they fay, by Corruption, was deri-
ved Laputa, from Lapuntuh. But I do not approve of
this Derivation, which feems to be a little flrained.
ventured to offer to the Learned among them a Con-
jecture of my own, that Laputa was quafi Lap outed;
Lap fignifying properly the Dancing of the Sun-beams
in the Sea, and outed, a Wing; which, however, I
hall not obtrude, but fubmit to the judicious Reader.
Thoſe to whom the King had entruſted me, obſerv-
ing how ill I was clad, ordered a Taylor to come next
Morn-
to LAPUTA, &c.
155
Morning, and take my Meaſure for a Suit of Clothes.
This Operator did his Office after a different Manner
from thoſe of his Trade in Europe. He firft took my
Altitude by a Quadrant, and then, with Rule and
Compaffes, defcribed the Dimenfions and Out- Lines of
my whole Body, all which he entered upon Paper, and
in fix Days brought my Clothes very ill made, and
quite out of Shape, by happening to miſtake a Figure
in the Calculation. But my Comfort was, that I ob-
ferved fuch Accidents very frequent, and little re-
garded.
During my Confinement for want of Clothes, and
by an Indifpofition that held me fome Days longer, I
much enlarged my Dictionary; and, when I went
next to Court, was able to underſtand many Things
the King ſpoke, and to return him ſome Kind of An-
fwers. His Majefty had given Orders that the Iſland
fhould move North-eaſt and by Eaft, to the vertical
Point over Lagado, the Metropolis of the whole King-
dom below upon the firm Earth. It was about ninety
Leagues diſtant, and our Voyage lafted four Days and
an half. I was not in the leaſt fenfible of the progref=
five Motion made in the Air by the Ifland. On the
fecond Morning, about eleven a Clock, the King him-
ſelf, in Perſon, attended by his Nobility, Courtiers,
and Officers, having prepared all their muſical Inſtru-
ments, played on them for three Hours, without In-
termiffion, fo that I was quite ftunned with the Noiſe
neither could I poffibly guefs the Meaning, till my
Tutor informed me. He faid, that the People of their
Iſland had their Ears adapted to hear the Mufic of the
Spheres, which always played at certain Periods, and
the Court was now prepared to bear their Part, in
whatever Inftrument they most excelled.
;
In our Journey towards Lagado, the capital City,
his Majefty ordered that the lfland ſhould ſtop over
certain Towns and Villages, from whence he might
receive the Petitions of his Subjects. And, to this Pur-
pofe, feveral Packthreads were let down, with ſmall
Weights
156
AVOYAGE
Weights at the Bottom. On thefe Pack threads the
People ftrung their Petitions, which mounted up direct-
ly, like the Scraps of Paper faftened by School-boys at
the End of the String that holds their Kite. Some-
times we received Wine and Victuals from below, which
were drawn up by Pullies.
The Knowledge I had, in Mathematics, gave me
great Affiftance in acquiring their Phrafeology, which
depended much upon that Science and Mufic; and, in
the latter, I was not unſkilled. Their Ideas are per-
petually converfant in Lines and Figures. If they
would, for Example, praiſe the Beauty of a Woman,
or any other Animal, they deſcribe it by Rhombs, Cir-
cles, Parallelograms, Ellipfes, and other geometrical
Terms, or by Words of Art drawn from Muſic, need-
lefs here to repeat. I obſerved, in the King's Kitchen,
all Sorts of mathematical and muſical Inſtruments, af-
ter the Figures of which they cut up the Joints that
were ferved to his Majeſty's Table.
Their Houſes are very ill built, the Walls bevil,
without one Right-Angle in any Apartment; and this
Defect ariſeth from the Contempt they bear to practi-
cal Geometry, which they defpife as vulgar and me-
chanic, thofe Inftructions they give being too refined
for the Intellectuals of their Workmen, which occa-
fions perpetual Miftakes. And although they are dex-
terous enough upon a Piece of Paper in the Manage-
ment of the Rule, the Pencil, and the Divider, yet, in
the common Actions and Behaviour of Life, I have not
feen a more clumfy, awkward, and unhandy People,
nor fo flow and perplexed in their Conceptions upon
all other Subjects, except thofe of Mathematics and
Mufic. They are very bad Reaſoners, and vehement-
ly given to Oppofition, unleſs when they happen to be
of the right Opinion, which is feldom their Cafe. Ima-
gination, Fancy, and Invention, they are wholly Stran-
gers to, nor have any Words in their Language, by
which thoſe Ideas can be expreffed; the whole Com-
paſs
to LAPUTA, &c.
157
paſs of their Thoughts and Mind being ſhut up within
the two forementioned Sciences.
Moſt of them, and eſpecially thoſe who deal in the
aſtronomical Part, have great Faith in judicial Aſtrolo-
gy, although they are afhamed to own it publicly. But,
what I chiefly admired, and thought altogether unac-
countable, was the ftrong Difpofition I obferved in them
towards News and Politics, perpetually enquiring into
Public Affairs, giving their Judgments in Matters of
State, and paffionately difputing every Inch of a Party
Opinion. I have, indeed, obferved the fame Difpofi-
tion among moſt of the Mathematicians I have known
in Europe, although I could never difcover the leaft
Analogy between the two Sciences; unleſs thofe People
fuppofe, that, becauſe the ſmalleſt Circle hath as many
Degrees as the largeſt, therefore the Regulation and
Management of the World require no more Abilities,
than the Handling and Turning of a Globe: But I ra-
ther take this Quality to fpring from a very common
Infirmity of human Nature, inclining us to be more
curious and conceited in Matters where we have leaft
Concern, and for which we are leaſt adapted, either by
Study or Nature.
Theſe People are under continual Difquietudes, ne-
ver enjoying a Minute's Peace of Mind; and their Dif-
turbances proceed from Caufes which very little affect
the reſt of Mortals. Their Apprehenfions arife from
feveral Changes they dread in the celeftial Bodies. For
Inftance, that the Earth, by the continual Approaches
of the Sun towards it, muſt, in Courſe of Time, be
abſorbed, or ſwallowed up. That the Face of the Sun
will by Degrees be encrufted with its own Effluvia, and
give no more Light to the World. That the Earth
very narrowly escaped a Brush from the Tail of the laſt
Comet, which would have infallibly reduced it to Aſhes;
and that the next, which they have calculated for one
and thirty Years hence, will probably deftroy us. For,
if in its Perihelion it fhould approach within a certain
Degree of the Sun (as by their Calculations they have
Rea on
-
158
A VOYAGE
Reafon to dread) it will conceive a Degree of Heat ten-
thouſand Times more intenſe, than that of red hot
glowing Iron; and, in its Abfence from the Sun, car-
ry a blazing Tail ten-hundred-thouſand and fourteen
Miles long; through which, if the Earth ſhould paſs at
the Dillance of one-hundred- thoufand Miles from the
Nucleus, or main Body of the Comet, it muſt in its Paf-
fage be fet on Fire, and reduced to Afhes. That the
Sun, daily spending its Rays without any Nutriment
to fupply them, will at laft be wholly confumed and an-
nihilated; which must be attended with the Deſtruction
of this Earth, and of all the Planets that receive their
Light from it.
They are fo perpetually alarmed with the Appre-
henfions of theſe, and the like impending Dangers, that
they can neither fleep quietly in their Beds, nor have
any Reliſh for the common Pleafures or Amufements of
Life. When they meet an Acquaintance in the Morn-
ing, the firſt Queſtion is about the Sun's Health, how
he looked at his Setting and Rifing, and what Hopes
they have to avoid the Stroke of the approaching Co-
met. This Converfation they are apt to run into with
the fame Temper that Boys difcover, in delighting to
hear terrible Stories of Spirits and Hobgoblins, which
they greedily liſten to, and dare not go to Bed for
Fear.
The Women of the Ifland have Abundance of Vi-
vacity; they contemn their Huſbands, and are exceed-
ingly fond of Strangers, whereof there is always a con-
fiderable Number from the Continent below, attending
at Court, either upon Affairs of the feveral Towns and
Corporations, or their own particular Occafions, but
are much deſpiſed, becauſe they want the fame Endow-
ments. Among thefe, the Ladies chufe their Gallants:
But the Vexation is, that they act with too much Eafe
and Security, for the Hufband is always fo rapt in Spe-
culation, that the Miſtreſs and Lover may proceed to
the greateſt Familiarities before his Face, if he be but
pro-
to LAPUTA, &c.
159
provided with Paper and Implements, and without his
Flapper at his Side.
The Wives and Daughters lament their Confinement
to the Iſland, although I think it the most delicious
Spot of Ground in the World; and although they live
here in the greateſt Plenty and Magnificence, and are
allowed to do whatever they pleafe, they long to fee
the World, and take the Diverfions of the Metropolis,
which they are not allowed to do, without a particular
Licence from the King; and this is not eafy to be ob-
tained, becauſe the People of Quality have found by
frequent Experience, how hard it is to perfuade their
Women to return from below. I was told, that a great
Court Lady, who had feveral Children, is married to
the Prime Miniſter, the richest Subject in the Kingdom,
a very graceful Perfon, extremely fond of her, and
lives in the fineft Palace of the Ifland, went down to
Lagado, on the Pretence of Health, there hid herſelf for
feveral Months, till the King fent a Warrant to fearch
for her, and fhe was found in an obfcure Eating Houſe
all in Rags, having pawned her Clothes to maintain an
old deformed Foot-man, who beat her every Day, and
in whofe Company fhe was taken much againſt her
And although her Huſband received her with
all poffible Kindness, and without the leaft Reproach,
the foon after contrived to fteal down again with all
her Jewels, to the fame Gallant, and hath not been
heard of fince.
Will.
This may perhaps pafs with the Reader rather for
an European or English Story, than for one of a Coun-
try fo remote.
But he may pleaſe to confider, that
the Caprices of Women kind are not limited by any
Climate, or Nation, and that they are much more uni-
form than can be eaſily imagined.
In about a Month's Time, I had made a tolerable
Proficiency in their Language, and was able to anſwer
most of the King's Queftions, when I had the Honour
to attend him. His Majelly diſcovered not the leaft
Curiofity to enquire into the Laws, Government, Hif
tory,
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A VOYAGE
tory, Religion, or Manners of the Countries where I
had been, but confined his Queſtions to the State of
Mathematics, and received the Account I gave him,
with great Contempt and Indifference, though often
rouſed by his Flapper on each Side.
CHA P. III.
A Phænomenon ſolved by modern Philoſophy and Aftro-
nomy. The Laputians great Improvements in the
latter. The King's Method of fuppreffing Infur-
rections.
DESIRED Leave of this Prince to fee the Cu-
ricfities of the Iſland, which he was graciouſly pleaf-
ed to grant, and ordered my Tutor to attend me. I
chiefly wanted to know to what Caufe in Art, or in Na-
ture, it owed its feveral Motions, whereof I will now
give a philofophical Account to the Reader.
The flying or floating Iſland is exactly circular, its
Diameter 7837 Yards, or about four Miles and half,
and confequently contains ten-thouſand Acres. It is
three-hundred Yards thick. The Bottom, or under
Surface, which appears to thoſe who view it from be-
low, is one even regular Plate of Adamant, fhooting
up to the Height of about two-hundred Yards. Above
it lie the feveral Minerals in their ufual Order, and over
all is a Coat of rich Mould, ten or twelve Feet deep.
The Declivity of the upper Surface, from the Circum-
ference to the Center, is the natural Cauſe why all the
Dews and Rains, which fall upon the Ifland are con
veyed in fmall Rivulets towards the Middle, where they
are emptied into four large Bafons, each of about half
a Mile in Circuit, and two-hundred Yards diftant from
the Center. From theſe Bafons, the Water is conti-
nually exhaled by the Sun in the Day-time, which ef-
fectually prevents their Overflowing. Befides, as it is
in the Power of the Monarch to raiſe the Iſland above
the
to LAPUTA, &c.
161
the Region of Clouds and Vapours, he can prevent the
Falling of Dews and Rains whenever he pleafes. For
the higheſt Clouds cannot rife above two Miles, as Na-
turalifts agree, at least they were never known to do fo
in that Country.
At the Center of the Iſland there is a Chafm about
fifty Yards in Diameter, from whence the Aftronomers
defcend into a large Dome, which is therefore called
Flandona Gagnole, or the Aftronomer's Cave, fituated at
the Depth of a hundred Yards, beneath the upper Sur-
face of the Adamant. In this Cave are twenty Lamps
continually burning, which, from the Reflection of the
Adamant, caft a ſtrong Light into every Part. The
Place is ftored with great Variety of Sextants, Quad-
rants, Teleſcopes, Aftrolabes, and other attronomical
Intruments. But the greateſt Curiofity, upon which
the Fate of the Ifland depends, is a Loadtone of a pro-
digious Size, in Shape refembling a Weaver's Shuttle.
It is in Length fix Yards, and, in the thickest Part, at
leaſt three Yards over. This Magnet is fuftained by
a very ſtrong Axle of Adamant paffing through its Mid-
dle, upon which it plays, and is poifed fo exactly, that
the weakeft Hand can turn it. It is hooped round with
an hollow Cylinder of Adamant, four Feet deep, as
many thick, and twelve Yards in Diameter, placed ho-
rizontally, and fupported by eight adamantine Feet,
each fix Yards high. In the Middle of the concave Side
there is a Groove twelve Inches deep, in which the
Extremities of the Axle are lodged, and turned round
as there is Occafion.
The Stone cannot be moved from its Place by any
Force, becauſe the Hoop and its Feet are one continued
Piece with that Body of Adamant which conflitutes the
Bottom of the Ifland.
By Means of this Load-ftone, the Ifland is made to
rife and fall, and move from one Place to another.
For, with Reſpect to that Part of the Earth over which
the Monarch prefides, the Stone is endued at one of
its Sides with an attractive Power, and at the other with
M
a re-
162
A VOYAGE
a repulfive. Upon placing the Magnet erect, with its
attracting End towards the Earth, the Ifland defcends ;
but, when the repelling Extremity points downwards,
the Iſland mounts directly upwards. When the Pofi-
tion of the Stone is oblique, the Motion of the Iſland is
fo too.
For, in this Magnet, the Forces always act
in Lines parallel to its Direction.
By this oblique Motion, the Ifland is conveyed to dif-
ferent Parts of the Monarch's Dominions. To explain
the Manner of its Progrefs, let AB reprefent a Line
drawn cross the Dominions of Balnibarbi, let the Line
cd reprefent the Loadſtone, of which let d be the re-
pelling End, and the attracting End, the Ifland be-
ing over C; let the Stone be placed in the Pofition c d,
with its repelling End downwards; then the Island will
be driven upwards obliquely towards D. When it is
arrived at D, let the Stone be turned upon its Axle till
its attracting End points towards E, and then the Iſland
will be carried obliquely towards E; where, if the
Stone be again turned upon its Axle, till it ſtands in
the Pofition E F, with its repelling Point downward,
the Iſland will rife obliquely towards F, where, by di-
recting the attracting End towards G, the Ifland may
be carried to G, and from G to H, by turning the Stone,
fo as to make its repelling Extremity point directly
downward. And thus, by changing the Situation of
the Stone as often as there is Occafion, the Ifland is
made to rife and fall by Turns in an oblique Direction,
and by thofe alternate Rifings and Fallings (the Obli-
quity being not confiderable) is conveyed from one
Part of the Dominions to the other.
But it muſt be obſerved, that this Ifland cannot move
beyond the Extent of the Dominions below, nor can it
rife above the Height of four Miles. For which the A-
ftronomers (who have written large Syftems concerning
the Stone) affign the following Reafon: That the mag-
netic Virtue does not extend beyond the Diſtance of
four Miles, and that the Mineral which acts upon the
Stone in the Bowels of the Earth, and in the Sea,
about
to LAPUTA, &c.
163
about fix Leagues diſtant from the Shore, is not diffuſed
through the whole Globe, but terminated with the Li-
mits of the King's Dominions; and it was eaſy, from
the great Advantage of fuch a fuperior Situation, for
a Prince to bring under his Obedience, whatever Coun-
try lay within the Attraction of that Magnet.
When the Stone is put parallel to the Plane of the
Horizon, the Iſland ftandeth ftill; for, in that Cafe,
the Extremities of it, being at equal Diſtance from the
Earth, act with equal Force, the one in drawing down-
wards, the other in puſhing upwards, and confequently
no Motion can enfue.
This Load-ftone is under the Care of certain Aftro-
nomers, who, from Time to Time, give it fuch Pofi-
tions as the Monarch directs. They ſpend the greateſt
Part of their Lives in obferving the celeftial Bodies,
which they do by the Affiſtance of Glaffes, far excel-
ling ours in Goodneſs. For, although their largeſt Te-
leſcopes do not exceed three Feet, they magnify much
more than thoſe of an hundred among us, and, at the
fame Time, fhew the Stars with greater Clearnefs.
This Advantage hath enabled them to extend their
Difcoveries much farther than our Aftronomers in Eu-
rope; for they have made a Catalogue of ten-thouſand
fixed Stars, whereas the largeſt of ours do not contain
above one third Part of that Number. They have
likewife difcovered two leffer Stars, or Satellites, which
revolve about Mars, whereof the innermost is diftant from
the Center of the primary Planet, exactly three of his
Diameters, and the outermoft, five; the former revolves
in the Space of ten Hours, and the latter in twenty-one
and an half; fo that the Squares of their periodical
Times are very near in the fame Proportion with the
Cubes of their Diſtance from the Center of Mars,
which evidently fhews them to be governed by the
fame Law of Gravitation, that influences the other
heavenly Bodies.
They have obferved ninety-three different Comets,
and fettled their Periods with great Exactnefs. If this
M 2
be
164
A VOYAGE
be true (and they affirm it with great Confidence) it is
much to be wifhed, that their Obfervations were made
public, whereby the Theory of Comets, which at pre-
fent is very lame and defective, might be brought to
the fame Perfection with other Parts of Aftronomy.
The King would be the moſt abſolute Prince in the
Univerfe, if he could but prevail on a Miniftry to join
with him; but thefe having their Eftates below on
the Continent, and confidering that the Office of a
Favourite hath a very uncertain Tenure, would never
confent to the enflaving their Country.
If any Town fhould engage in Rebellion or Mutiny,
fall into violent Factions, cr refufe to pay the uſual
Tribute, the King hath two Methods of reducing them.
to Obedience. The first and the mildeft Courſe, is by
keeping the Iſland hovering over fuch a Town, and
the Lands about it, whereby he can deprive them of
the Benefit of the Sun and the Rain, and confequently
afflict the Inhabitants with Death and Difeafes. And,
if the Crime deſerve it, they are at the fame Time pelt-
ed from above with great Stones, againſt which they
have no Defence, but by creeping into Cellars or
Caves, while the Roofs of their Houfes are beaten to
Pieces. But if they ftill continue obftinate, or offer to
raiſe Infurre&tions, he proceeds to the last Remedy, by
letting the Iſland drop directly upon their Heads, which
makes an univerſal Deſtruction, both of Houfes and
Men. However, this is an Extremity to which the
Prince is feldom driven, neither, indeed, is he willing
to put it in Execution, nor dare his Minifters adviſe
him to an Action, which, as it would render them o-
dious to the People, ſo it would be a great Damage to
their own Eftates, which lie all below, for the Ifland is
the King's Demeſn.
But there is ftill, indeed, a more weighty Reaſon,
why the Kings of this Country have been always a-
verfe from executing fo terrible an Action, unleſs upon
the utmoſt Neceffity. For, if the Town, intended to
be deſtroyed, ſhould have in it any tall Rocks, as ir
gene-
to LAPUTA, &c.
165
generally falls out in the larger Cities, a Situation pro-
bably choſen at first, with a View to prevent fuch a
Cataſtrophe; or, if it abound in high Spires, or Pillars
of Stone, a fudden Fall might endanger the Bottom,
or under Surface of the Iſland, which, although it
confift, as I have faid, of one intire Adamant, two-
hundred Yards thick, might happen to crack by too
great a Choque, or burft, by approaching too near the
Fires from the Houfes below, as the Backs both of
Iron and Stone will often do in our Chimnies. Of all
this, the People are well appriſed, and underſtand how
far to carry their Obftinacy, where their Liberty or
Property is concerned. And the King, when he is
higheſt provoked, and moſt determined to preſs a City
to Rubbiſh, orders the Ifland to defcend with great
Gentleness, out of a Pretence of Tenderneſs to his Peo-
ple; but, indeed, for Fear of breaking the adamantine
Bottom; in which Cafe, it is the Opinion of all their
Philofophers, that the Load-ftone could no longer hold
it up, and the whole Mafs would fall to the Ground.
By a fundamental Law of this Realm, neither the
King, nor either of his two elder Sons, are permitted to
leave the Iſland, nor the Queen, till fhe is paft Child-
bearing.
CHA P. IV.
The Author leaves Laputa, is conveyed to Balnibar-
bi, arrives at the Metropolis. A Defcription of
the Metropolis, and the Country adjoining. The
Author hofpitably received by a great Lord. His
Converfation with that Lord.
A
Lthough I cannot ſay that I was ill-treated in
this Inland, yet, I must confefs, I thought my-
felf too much neglected, not without fome Degree of
Contempt. For neither Prince nor People appeared to
M 3
be
166
À VOYAGE
be curious in any Part of Knowledge, except Mathe-
matics and Mufic, wherein I was far their inferiour,
and upon that Account very little regarded.
On the other Side, after having feen all the Curio-
fities of the Iſland, I was very defirous to leave it, be-
ing heartily weary of thoſe People. They were, in-
deed, excellent in two Sciences, for which I have great
Efteem, and wherein I am not unverfed, but at the
fame Time fo abftracted and involved in Speculation,
that I never met with fuch difagreeable Companions.
I converfed only with Women, Tradefmen, Flappers,
and Court-Pages, during two Months of my Abode
there; by which, at last, I rendered myſelf extremely
contemptible; yet theſe were the only People from
whom I could ever receive a reaſonable Anſwer.
I had obtained, by hard Study, a good Degree of
Knowledge in their Language; I was weary of being
confined to an Ifland, where I received fo little Coun-
tenance, and refolved to leave it with the firſt Oppor-
tunity.
There was a great Lord at Court, nearly related to
the King, and, for that Reafon alone, ufed with Ref-
pect. He was univerfally reckoned the moft ignorant.
and ftupid Perfon among them. He had performed
many eminent Services for the Crown, had great na-
tural and acquired Parts, adorned with Integrity and
Honour, but fo ill an Ear for Mufic, that his Detractors
reported he had been often known to beat Time in the
wrong Place; neither could his Tutors without ex-
treme Difficulty, teach him to demonftrate the moft ea-
fy Propofition in the Mathematics. He was pleafed to
fhew me many Marks of Favour, often did me the
Honour of a Vifit, defired to be informed in the Af-
fairs of Europe, the Laws and Customs, the Manners
and Learning of the feveral Countries where I had tra-
velled. He liftened to me with great Attention, and
made very wife Obfervations on all I spoke.
had two Flappers attending him for State, but never
He
made
to LAPUTA, &♪.
167
made Uſe of them, except at Court, and in Vifits of Ce-
remony, and would always command them to withdraw,
when we were alone together.
I entreated this illuftrious Perfon to intercede in my
Behalf with his Majefty for Leave to depart, which
he accordingly did, as he was pleaſed to tell me, with
Regret: For, indeed, he had made me ſeveral Offers
very advantageous, which, however, I refuſed with
Expreffions of the highest Acknowledgment.
On the 16th Day of February, I took Leave of his
Majeſty and the Court. The King made me a Pre-
fent, to the Value of about two-hundred Pounds Eng-
lih, and my Protector, his Kinfman, as much more,
together with a Letter of Recommendation to a Friend
of his in Lagado, the Metropolis: The Ifland being
then hovering over a Mountain about two Miles from
it, I was let down from the loweſt Gallery, in the fame
Manner as I had been taken up.
The Continent, as far as it is fubject to the Monarch
of the Flying Island, paffes under the general Name of
Balnibarbi; and the Metropolis, as I faid before, is
called Lagado. I felt fome little Satisfaction in finding
myſelf on firm Ground. I walked to the City without
any Concern, being clad like one of the Natives, and
fufficiently inftructed to converſe with them. I foon
found out the Perfon's Houfe to whom I was recom-
mended, prefented my Letter from his Friend the
Grandee in the Ifland, and was received with much
Kindness. This great Lord, whofe Name was Munos
di, ordered me an Apartment in his own Houfe, where
I continued during my Stay, and was entertained in a
moft hofpitable Manner.
The next Morning after my Arrival, he took me in
his Chariot to ſee the Town, which is about half the
Bigneſs of London, but the Houſes very flrangely built,
and moſt of them out of Repair. The People in the
Streets walked faft, looked wild, their Eyes fixed, and
were generally in Rags. We paffed through one of
M 4
the
168
A VOYAGE
the Town Gates, and went about three Miles into the
Country, where I faw many Labourers working with
feveral Sorts of Tools in the Ground, but was not a-
ble to conjecture what they were about; neither did I
obferve any Expectation either of Corn or Grafs, al-
though the Soil appeared to be excellent. I could not
forbear admiring at thefe odd Appearances both in
Town and Country; and I made bold to defire my
Conductor, that he would be pleafed to explain to me
what could be meant by fo many bufy Heads, Hands,
and Faces, both in the Streets and the Fields, becauſe
I did not diſcover any good Effects they produced;
but, on the Contrary, I never knew a Soil fo unhap-
pily cultivated, Houſes ſo ill contrived, and fo ruinous,
or a People whofe Countenances and Habit expreſſed ſo
much Mifery and Want.
This Lord Munodi was a Perfon of the firſt Rank,
and had been fome Years Governor of Lagado; but,
by a Cabal of Minifters, was diſcharged for Infufficien-
cy. However, the King treated him with Tenderneſs,
as a well-meaning Man, but of a low contemptible
Understanding.
When I gave that free Cenfure of the Country, and
its Inhabitants, he made no further Anfwer, than by
telling me, that I had not been long enough among
them to form a Judgment; and that the different Na-
ions of the World had different Cultoms; with other
common Topics to the fame Purpofe. But, when we
returned to his Palace, he asked me how I liked the
Building, what Abfurdities I obferved, and what Quar-
rel I had with the Drefs or Looks of his Domefticks.
This he might fafely do; becauſe every Thing about
him was magnificent, regular, and polite. I anfwered,
that his Excellency's Prudence, Quality, and Fortune,
had exempted him from thofe Defects which Folly and
Beggary had produced in others. He faid, if I would
go with him to his Country Houſe, about twenty Miles
diftant, where his Eftate lay, there would be more
Leifure for this Kind of Converfation. I told his Ex-
cellency
to LAPUTA, &c.
169
cellency that I was intirely at his Difpofal; and accord-
ingly we fet out next Morning.
During our Journey, he made me obſerve the feve-
ral Methods uſed by Farmers in managing their Lands;
which, to me, where wholly unaccountable; for, ex-
cept in fome very few Places, I could not difcover one
Ear of Corn, or Blade of Grafs. But, in three Hours
travelling, the Scene was wholly altered; we came into
a moſt beautiful Country; Farmers Houfes at fmall
Distances, neatly built, the Fields enclofed, containing
Vineyards, Corn-grounds, and Meadows. Neither do
I remember to have feen a more delightful Profpect.
His Excellency obferved my Countenance to clear up;
he told me, with a Sigh, that there his Eſtate began,
and would continue the fame till we fhould come to his
Houſe. That his Countrymen ridiculed and defpifed
him for managing his Affairs no better, and for fetting
fo ill an Example to the Kingdom, which, however, was
followed by very few, fuch as were old and wilful,
and weak like himſelf.
We came at length to the Houfe, which was, indeed,
a noble Structure, built according to the beſt Rules of
ancient Architecture. The Fountains, Gardens, Walks,
Avenues, and Groves, were all difpofed with exact
Judgment and Tafte. I gave due Praiſes to every
Thing I faw, whereof his Excellency took not the leaft
Notice, till after Supper; when, there being no third
Companion, he told me with a very melancholy Air,
that he doubted he muſt throw down his Houfes in
Town and Country, to rebuild them after the preſent
Mode, destroy all his Plantations, and caft others into
fuch a Form as modern Ufage required; and give the
fame Directions to all his Tenants, unleſs he would
fubmit to incur the Cenfure of Pride, Singularity, Af-
fectation, Ignorance, Caprice, and, perhaps, encreaſe
his Majelly's Diſpleaſure.
That the Admiration I appeared to be under, would
ceaſe, or diminiſh, when he had informed me of fome
Particulars, which probably I never heard of at Court,
the
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AVOYAGE
the People there being too much taken up in their own
Speculations, to have Regard to what paffed here be-
low.
The Sum of his Difcourfe was to this Effect: That,
about forty Years ago, certain Perſons went up to La-
puta, either upon Bufinefs or Diverfion, and after five
Months Continuance, came back with a very little Smat-
tering in Mathematics, but full of volatile Spirits, ac-
quired in that airy Region. That thefe Perfons, upon
their Return, began to diflike the Management of eve-
ry Thing below, and fell into Schemes of putting all
Arts, Sciences, Languages, and Mechanics, upon a
new Foot. To this End they procured a Royal Pa-
tent for erecting an Academy of Projectors in Lagado;
and the Humour prevailed fo ftrongly among the Peo-
ple, that there is not a Town of any Confequence in
the Kingdom, without fuch an Academy. In thefe
Colleges, the Profeffors contrive new Rules and Me-
thods of Agriculture and Building, and new Instruments
and Tools for all Trades and Manufactures, whereby,
as they undertake, one Man fhall do the Work of ten,
a Palace may be built in a Week, of Materials fo du-
rable, as to laft for ever, without Repairing. All the
Fruits of the Earth fhall come to Maturity at whatever
Seafon we think fit to chufe, and increaſe an hundred
Fold more than they do at prefent; with innumerable
other happy Propofals. The only Inconvenience is,
that none of theſe Projects are yet brought to Perfecti-
on; and, in the mean Time, the whole Country lies
miferably waſte, the Houſes in Ruins, and the People
without Food or Clothes. By all which, inſtead of be-
ing difcouraged, they are fifty Times more violently
bent upon profecuting their Schemes, driven equally on
by Hope and Defpair: That as for himſelf, being not
of an enterprifing Spirit, he was content to go on in
the old Forms, to live in the Houfes his Anceſtors had
built, and act as they did in every Part of Life, with-
out Innovation. That, fome few other Perfons of Qua-
lity and Gentry had done the fame, but were looked
on
to LAPUTA, &c.
171
on with an Eye of Contempt and Ill-will, as Enemies
to Art, ignorant, and ill Commonwealths-men, pre-
ferring their own Eafe and Sloth, before the general
Improvement of their Country.
His Lordship added, that he would not by any fur-
ther Particulars prevent the Pleafure I fhould certainly
take in viewing the grand Academy, whither he was
refolved I fhould go. He only defired me to obferve
a ruined Building upon the Side of a Mountain, about
three Miles diftant, of which he gave me this Account :
That he had a very convenient Mill within half a Mile
of his Houfe, turned by a Current from a large River,
and fufficient for his own Family, as well as a great
Number of his Tenants. That, about feven Years ago,
a Club of thofe Projectors came to him, with Propofals
to deſtroy this Mill, and build another on the Side of
that Mountain, on the long Ridge whereof a long Ca-
nal muſt be cut for a Repofitory of Water, to be con-
veyed up by Pipes and Engines to fupply the Mill:
Becaufe the Wind and Air upon a Height agitated the
Water, and thereby made it fitter for Motion: And
becauſe the Water, defcending down a Declivity,
would turn the Mill with half the Current of a River,
whoſe Courſe is more upon a Level. He ſaid, that be-
ing then not very well with the Court, and preffed by
many of his Friends, he complied with the Propoſal;
and, after employing an hundred Men for two Years,
the Work mifcarried, the Projectors went off, laying
the Blame intirely upon him, railing at him ever ſince,
and putting others upon the fame Experiment, with e-
qual Affurance of Succefs, as well as equal Difappoint-
ment.
In a few Days we came back to Town, and his
Excellency, confidering the bad Character he had in
the Academy, would not go with me himſelf, but re-
commended me to a Friend of his to bear me Compa-
ny thither. My Lord was pleafed to reprefent me as
a great Admirer of Projects, and a Perfon of much Cu-
riofity, and eafy Belief; which, indeed, was not with-
out
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AVOYAGE
out Truth; for I had myſelf been a Sort of Projector in
my younger Days.
CHAP.
V.
The Author permitted to fee the grand Academy of
Lagado. The Academy largely defcribed. The
Arts wherein the Profeffors employ themſelves.
T
HIS Academy is not an intire fingle Building,
but a Continuation of ſeveral Houfes on both
Sides of a Street, which, growing wafte, was purchaſed,
and applied to that Uſe.
I was received very kindly by the Warden, and
went for many Days to the Academy. Every Room
hath in it one or more Projectors; and, I believe, I
could not be in fewer than five-hundred Rooms.
The firft Man I faw was of a meagre Afpect, with
footy Hands and Face, his Hair and Beard long, rag-
ged and finged in feveral Places. His Clothes, Shirt,
and Skin, were all of the fame Colour. He had been
eight Years upon a Project for extrading Sun-beams
out of Cucumbers, which were to be put into Vials
hermetically fealed, and let out to warm the Air in raw
inclement Summers. He told me, he did not doubt,
in eight Years more, he fhould be able to fupply the
Governor's Gardens with Sun-fhine at a reaſonable
Rate; but he complained that his Stock was low, and
entreated me to give him fomething as an Encourage-
ment to Ingenuity, efpecially fince this had been a ve-
ry dear Seafon for Cucumbers. I made him a ſmall
Prefent, for my Lord had furnished me with Money
on Purpofe, becauſe he knew their Practice of begging
from all who go to ſee them.
I went into another Chamber, but was ready to haſ-
ten back, being almost overcome with a horrible Stink.
My Conductor preffed me forward, conjuring me, in
a Whif
to LAPUT A, &c.
173
a Whiſper, to give no Offence, which would be high.
ly refented, and therefore I durft not fo much as ftop
my Nofe. The Projector of this Cell was the molt
antient Student of the Academy; his Face and Beard
were of a pale Yellow; his Hands and Clothes dawb-
ed over with Filth. When I was prefented to him,
he gave me a clofe Embrace (a Compliment I could
well have excufed). His Employment, from his firſt
Coming into the Academy, was an Operation to re-
duce human Excrement to its original Food, by fepa-
rating the feveral Parts, removing the Tincture which
it receives from the Gall, making the Ordure exhale,
and fcumming off the Saliva. He had a weekly Al-
lowance from the Society, of a Veffel filled with hu-
man Ordure, about the Bignefs of a Briftol Barrel.
I ſaw another at Work, to calcine Ice into Gun-
powder, who likewife fhewed me a Treatife he had
written concerning the Malleability of Fire, which he
intended to publiſh.
There was a moft ingenious Architect, who had com-
trived a new Method for building Houfes, by begin-
ning at the Roof, and working downwards to the Foun-
dation, which he justified to me, by the like Practice
of thoſe two prudent Infects, the Bee and the Spider.
There was a Man born blind, who had feveral Ap-
prentices in his own Condition: Their Employment
was to mix Colours for Painters, which their Mafter
taught them to diftinguiſh by Feeling and Smelling. It
was, indeed, my Misfortune, to find them, at that
Time, not very perfect in their Leffons, and the Pro-
feffor himſelf happened to be generally mistaken: This
Artist is much encouraged and efteemed by the whole
Fraternity.
In another Apartment, I was highly pleaſed with a
Projector, who had found a Device of Plowing the
Ground with Hogs, to fave the Charges of Ploughs,
Cattle, and Labour. The Method is this: In an Acre
of Ground, you bury, at fix Inches Diſtance, and eight
deep, a Quantity of Acorns, Dates, Chefnuts, and o-
ther
174
AVOYAGE
ther Maſte, or Vegetables, whereof theſe Animals are
fondeft: Then you drive fix-hundred, or more of
them, into the Field, where, in few Days, they will
root up the whole Ground in Search of their Food,
and make it fit for Sowing; at the fame Time manur-
ing it with their Dung; it is true, upon Experiment,
they found the Charge and Trouble very great, and
they had little or no Crop. However, it is not doubt-
ed, that this Invention may be capable of great Im-
provement.
At
I went into another Room, where the Walls and
Ceiling were all hung round with Cobwebs, except a
narrow Paflage for the Artiſt to go in and out.
my Entrance, he called aloud to me not to diſturb his
Webs. He lamented the fatal Miftake the World had
been fo long in ufing Silk-worms, while we had ſuch
Plenty of domestic Infects, who infinitely excelled the
former, becauſe they underſtood how to weave, as well
as fpin. And he propofed farther, that, by employing
Spiders, the Charge of dying Silks would be wholly
faved; whereof I was fully convinced, when he ſhew-
ed me a vaſt Number of Flies moſt beautifully colour-
ed, wherewith he fed his Spiders, affuring us, that the
Webs would take a Tincture from them; and, as he
had them of all Hues, he hoped to fit every Body's
Fancy, as foon as he could find proper Food for the
Flies, of certain Gums, Oils, and other glutinous Mat-
ter, to give a Strength and Confiſtence to the Threads.
There was an Aftronomer, who had undertaken to
place a Sun-dial upon the great Weather-cock on the
Town-houſe, by adjuſting the annual and diurnal Mo-
tions of the Earth and Sun, fo as to anſwer and coin-
cide with all accidental Turnings of the Wind.
I was complaining of a ſmall Fit of the Cholic, upon
which my Conductor led me into a Room, where a
great Phyfician refided, who was famous for curing that
Difeafe by contrary Operations from the fame Inftru-
ment. He had a large Pair of Bellows, with a long
lender Muzzle of Ivory. This he conveyed eight
Inches
to LAPUTA, &c.
175
Inches up the Anus, and, drawing in the Wind, he affirm-
ed he could make the Guts as lank as a dried Bladder.
But, when the Diſeaſe was more ftubborn and violent,
he let in the Muzzle while the Bellows were full of
Wind, which he diſcharged into the Body of the Pa-
tient; then withdrew the Inftrument to repleniſh it,
clapping his Thumb ftrongly againſt the Orifice of the
Fundament; and, this being repeated three or four
Times, the adventitious Wind would ruſh out, bring-
ing the noxious along with it (like Water put into a
Pump) and the Patient recover. I faw him try both
Experiments upon a Dog, but could not difcern any
Effect from the former. After the latter, the Animal
was ready to burſt, and made ſo violent a Diſcharge,
as was very offenfive to me and my Companions. The
Dog died on the Spot, and we left the Doctor endea-
vouring to recover him by the fame Operation.
I vifited many other Apartments, but ſhall not trou-
ble
my Reader with all the Curiofities I obferved, be-
ing ftudious of Brevity.
I had hitherto feen only one Side of the Academy,
the other being appropriated to the Advancers of fpe-
culative Learning, of whom I fhall fay fomething,
when I have mentioned one illuftrious Perfon more,
who is called, among them, the univerfal Artist. He
told us, he had been thirty Years employing his
Thoughts for the Improvement of human Life. He
had two large Rooms full of wonderful Curiofities, and
fifty Men at Work. Some were condenſing Air into
a dry tangible Substance, by extracting the Nitre, and
letting the aqueous or fluid Particles percolate; others
foftening Marble for Pillows and Pincushions; others
petrifying the Hoofs of a living Horfe, to preferve
them from foundering. The Artiſt himſelf was at that
Time buſy upon two great Defigns; the firſt to ſow
Land with Chaff, wherein he affirmed the true feminal
Virtue to be contained, as he demonſtrated by feveral
Experiments, which I was not ſkilful enough to com-
prehend. The other was, by a certain Compofition of
Gums,
176
A VOYAGE
Gums, Minerals, and Vegetables, outwardly applied,
to prevent the Growth of Wool upon two young
Lambs; and he hoped, in a reaſonable Time, to pro-
pagate the Breed of naked Sheep all over the King-
dom.
We croffed a Walk to the other Part of the Acade-
my, where, as I have already faid, the Projectors in
Speculative Learning refided.
t
The firſt Profeffor I faw, was in a very large Room,
with forty Pupils about him. After Salutation, obfer-
ving me to look earneſtly upon a Frame, which took up
the greateſt Part of both the Length and Breadth of the
Room, he faid, perhaps I might wonder to ſee him
employed in a Project for improving Speculative Know-
ledge by practical and mechanical Operations. But
the World would foon be fenfible of its Ufefulness; and
he flattered himſelf, that a more noble exalted Thought
never fprang in any other Man's Head. Every one
knew how laborious the ufual Method is of attaining
to Arts and Sciences; whereas, by his Contrivance,
the moſt ignorant Perſon, at a reaſonable Charge,
and with a little bodily Labour, may write Books in
Philofophy, Poetry, Politics, Law, Mathematics, and
Theology, without the leaft Affillance from Genius or
Study. He then led me to the Frame, about the Sides
whereof, all his Pupils food in Ranks. It was twenty
Feet fquare, placed in the Middle of the Room. The
Superficies was compofed of feveral Bits of Wood, about
the Bignefs of a Dye, but fome larger than others.
They were all linked together by flender Wires. Theſe
Bits of Wood were covered on every Square with Pa-
per pafted on them; and on theſe Papers were written
all the Words of their Language in their feveral Moods,
Tenfes, and Declenfions; but without any Order.
The Profeffor then defired me to obſerve, for he was
going to fet his Engine at Work. The Pupils, at his
Command, took each of them hold of an iron Han-
dle, whereof there were forty fixed round the Edges
of the Frame; and, giving them a fudden Turn, the
whole
Plate V. Part III.
Page 176
从
​55555
15
•
•
ぶぶた
​0人
​ふ
​دازد
to LAPUTA, &c.
177
whole Difpofition of the Words was intirely changed.
He then commanded fix and thirty of the Lads to read
the feveral Lines foftly, as they appeared upon the
Frame; and, where they found three or four Words
together that might make Part of a Sentence, they
dictated to the four remaining Boys who were Scribes.
This Work was repeated three or four Times, and at
every Turn, the Engine was fo contrived, that the
Words fhifted into new Places, as the fquare Bits of
Wood moved upfide down.
Six Hours a Day the young Students were employed
in this Labour, and the Profeffor fhewed me feveral
Volumes in large Folio already collected, of broken
Sentences, which he intended to piece together; and,
out of thofe rich Materials, to give the World a com-
pleat Body of all Arts and Sciences; which, however,
might be ftill improved, and much expedited, if the
Public would raiſe a Fund for making and employing
five hundred fuch Frames in Lagado, and oblige the
Managers to contribute in common their ſeveral Col-
lections.
He affured me, that this Invention had employed all
his Thoughts from his Youth; that he had emptied
the whole Vocabulary into his Frame, and made the
ftricteft Computation of the general Proportion there is
in Books between the Numbers of Particles, Nouns,
and Verbs, and other Parts of Speech.
I made my humbleit Acknowledgment to this il-
luftrious Perfon for his great Communicativeness; and
promiſed, if ever I had the good Fortune to return to
my native Country, that I would do him Juftice, as
the fole Inventor of this wonderful Machine; the Form
and Contrivance of which I defired Leave to delineate
upon Paper, as in the Figure here annexed. I told
him, although it were the Cuſtom of our Learned in
Europe to fteal Inventions from each other, who had
thereby, at leaſt, this Advantage, that it became a
Controverfy which was the right Owner, yet I would
N
take
178
AVOYAGE
take ſuch Caution, that he ſhould have the Honour in-
tire, without a Rival.
We next went to the School of Languages, where
three Profeffors fat in Conſultation upon improving that
of their own Country.
The firſt Project was to fhorten Difcourfe, by cutting
Polyfyllables into one, and leaving out Verbs and Par-
ticiples; becauſe, in Reality, all Things imaginable are
but Nouns.
The other Project was a Scheme for intirely abo-
liſhing all Words whatſoever; and this was urged as a
great Advantage in Point of Health, as well as Brevity.
For it is plain, that every Word we fpeak is, in fome
Degree, a Diminution of our Lungs by Corrofion; and
confequently contributes to the Shortening of our ! ives.
An Expedient was therefore offered, that fince Words
are only Names for Things, it would be more conve-
nient for all Men to carry about them fuch Things as
were neceffary to exprefs the particular Buſineſs they
are to diſcourſe on. And this Invention would cer-
tainly have taken Place, to the great Eafe, as well as
Health of the Subject, if the Women, in Conjunction
with the Vulgar and Illiterate, had not threatened to
raiſe a Rebellion, unleſs they might be allowed the Li-
berty to speak with their Tongues, after the Manner
of their Fore-fathers; fuch conftant irreconcileable Ene-
mies to Science are the common People. However,
many of the most learned and wife adhere to the new
Scheme of expreffing themſelves by Things; which hath
only this Inconvenience attending it, that if a Man's
Buſineſs be very great, and of various Kinds, he muſt
be obliged, in Proportion, to carry a greater Bundle of
Things upon his Back, unleſs he can afford one or two
ſtrong Servants to attend him. I have often beheld two
of thofe Sages almoſt finking under the Weight of their
Packs, like Pedlars among us; who, when they met in
the Streets, would lay down their Loads, open their
Sacks, and hold Converfation for an Hour together;
then
to LA PUTA, &c.
179
८
then put up their Implements, help each other to re-
fume their Burthens, and take their Leave.
But, for fhort Converfations, a Man may carry Im-
plements in his Pockets, and under his Arms, enough
to fupply him; and in his Houſe he cannot be at a
Lofs. Therefore the Room where Company meet,
who practiſe this Art, is full of all Things ready at Hand,
requifite to furniſh Matter for this Kind of artificial
Converſe.
Another great Advantage, propofed by this Inven-
tion, was, that it would ferve as an univerſal Language,
to be underſtood in all civilized Nations, whofe Goods
and Utenfils are generally of the fame Kind, or near-
ly reſembling, fo that their Ufes might eafily be com-
prehended. And thus Ambaffadors would be qualified
to treat with foreign Princes, or Minifters of State, to
whofe Tongues they were utter Strangers.
I was at the Mathematical School, where the Mafter
taught his Pupils after a Method ſcarce imaginable to
us in Europe. The Propofition and Demonſtration
were fairly written on a thin Wafer, with Ink com-
pofed of a cephalic Tincture. This the Student was
to ſwallow upon a fafting Stomach, and for three Days
following eat nothing but Bread and Water. As the
Wafer digefted, the Tincture mounted to his Brain,
bearing the Propofition along with it. But the Succefs
hath not hitherto been anſwerable, partly by ſome Er-
ror in the Quantum or Compofition, and partly by the
Perverſeneſs of Lads; to whom this Bolus is fo naufe-
ous, that they generally ſteal afide, and diſcharge it
upwards, before it can operate; neither have they been
yet perfuaded to uſe ſo long an Abftinence as the Pre-
fcription requires.
N 2
CHAP.
180
A VOYAGE
CHA P. IV.
A further Account of the Academy. The Author pro-
pofes fome Improvements, which are honourably re-
ceived.
I
N the School of Political Projectors, I was but ill
entertained; the Profeffors appearing, in my Judg-
ment, wholly out of their Senſes; which is a Scene that
never fails to make me melancholy. Theſe unhappy
People were propofing Schemes for perfuading Mo-
narchs to chufe Favourites upon the Score of their Wif
dom, Capacity, and Virtue; of teaching Minifters to
confult the Public Good; of rewarding Merit, great
Abilities, and eminent Services; of instructing Princes
to know their true Intereft, by placing it on the fame
Foundation with that of their People: Of chufing for Em-
ployments Perfons qualified to exerciſe them; with ma-
ny other wild impoffible Chimæras, that never enter-
ed before into the Heart of Man to conceive; and con-
firmed in me the old Obfervation, that there is nothing
fo extravagant and irrational which fome Philofophers
have not maintained for Truth.
But, however, I fhall fo far do Juftice to this Part
of the Academy, as to acknowledge that all of them
were not fo vifionary. There was a moft ingenious
Doctor, who ſeemed to be perfectly verſed in the whole
Nature and Syftem of Government. This illuftrious
Perfon had very uſefully employed his Studies in find-
ing out effectual Remedies for all Difeafes and Cor-
ruptions, to which the feveral Kinds of public Admi-
niſtration are fubject, by the Vices or Infirmities of
thoſe who govern, as well as by the Licentiouſneſs of
thoſe who are to obey. For Inftance; whereas all
Writers and Reafoners have agreed, that there is a
ftrict univerfal Refemblance between the Natural and
the Political Body; can there be any Thing more evi-
dent, than that the Health of both muſt be preſerved,
and
to LAPUTA, &c.
181
and the Diſeaſes cured by the fame Prefcriptions; It is
allowed, that Senates and great Councils are often trou-
bled with redundant, ebullient, and other peccant Hu-
mours; with many Diſeaſes of the Head, and more of
the Heart; with ftrong Convulfions, with grievous
Contractions of the Nerves and Sinews in both Hands,
but eſpecially the Right: With Spleen, Flatus, Verti-
gos and Deliriums; with Scrophulous Tumours full of
fætid purulent Matter; with four frothy Ruâlations,
with canine Appetites and Crudeneſs of Digeſtion, be-
fides many others needleſs to mention. This Doctor,
therefore, propofed, that, upon the Meeting of a Se-
nate, certain Phyficians thould attend at the three firſt
Days of their Sitting, and, at the Clofe of each
Day's Debate, feel the Pulfes of every Senator; after
which, having maturely confidered, and confulted up-
on the Nature of the feveral Maladies, and the Methods
of Cure, they should on the fourth Day return to the
Senate-houſe, attended by their Apothecaries ftored with
proper Medicines; and, before the Members fat, ad-
miniſter to each of them Lenitives, Aperitives, Abſter-
fives, Corrofives, Reftringents, Palliatives, Laxatives,
Cephalalgics, aterics, Apophlegmatics, Acoustics, as
their ſeveral Cafes required; and, according as theſe
Medicines ſhould operate, repeat, alter, or omit then at
the next Meeting.
This Project could not be of any great Expence to
the Public; and would, in my poor Opinion, be of
much Uſe for the Diſpatch of Bufinefs in thofe Coun-
tries, where Senates have any Share in the Legiſlative
Power; beget Unanimity, fhorten Debates, open a
few Mouths which are now cloſed, and cloſe many
more which are now open; curb the Petulancy of the
Young, and correct the Pofitiveneſs of the Old, rouze
the Stupid, and damp the Pert.
Again; becauſe it is a general Complaint, that the
Favourites of Princes are troubled with thort and weak
Memories; the fame Doctor propofed, that whoever
attended a firſt Minifter, after having told his Buſineſs
N 3
with
182
AVOYAGE
with the utmoſt Brevity, and in the plaineft Words,
ſhould, at his Departure, give the faid Miniſter a Tweak
by the Noſe, or a Kick in the Belly, or tread on his
Corns, or lug him thrice by both Ears, or run a Pin in-
to his Breech, or pinch his Arm black and blue, to pre-
vent Forgetfulness: And, at every Levee Day, repeat
the fame Operation, till the Bufinefs were done, or ab-
folutely refuſed.
He likewife directed, that every Senator in the great
Council of a Nation, after he had delivered his Opi-
nion, and argued in the Defence of it, fhould be ob-
liged to give his Vote directly contrary; becauſe, if
that were done, the Refult would infallibly terminate
in the Good of the Public.
When Parties in a State are violent, he offered a
wonderful Contrivance to reconcile them. The Me-
thod is this: You take an hundred Leaders of each
Party; you diſpoſe them into Couples of fuch whoſe
Heads are neareſt of a Size; then let two nice Opera
tors faw off the Occiput of each Couple at the fame
Time, in fuch a Manner that the Brain may be equal-
ly divided. Let the Occiputs thus cut off be interchang-
ed, applying each to the Head of his oppofite Party-
man. It ſeems, indeed, to be a Work that requireth
fome Exactneſs, but the Profeffor affured us, that, if it
were dexterously performed, the Cure would be infalli
ble. For he argued thus; that the two half Brains be-
ing left to debate the Matter between themſelves, with-
in the Space of one Scull, would foon come to a good
Underſtanding, and produce that Moderation, as well
as Regularity of Thinking, fo much to be wished for
in the Heads of thofe, who imagine they come into
the World only to watch and govern its Motion: And
as to the Difference of Brains in Quantity or Quality,
among thoſe who are Directors in Faction; the Doctor
affured us, from his own Knowledge, that it was a
perfect Trifle.
I heard a very warm Debate between two Profeffors,
about the most commodious and effectual Ways and
Means
to LAPUTA, &c.
183
Means of raifing Money without grieving the Subject.
The firſt affirmed the juftest Method would be to lay a
certain Tax upon Vices and Folly; and the Sum fixed
upon every Man, to be rated after the fairest Manner
by a Jury of his Neighbours. The fecond was of an
Opinion directly contrary; to tax thofe Qualities of
Body and Mind for which Men chiefly value them-
felves; the Rate to be more or lefs according to the
Degrees of excelling; the Decifion whereof fhould be
left intirely to their own Breaft. The higheſt Tax was
upon Men, who are the greateſt Favourites of the o-
ther Sex, and the Affeffments according to the Num-
ber and Natures of the Favours they have received;
for which they are allowed to be their own Vouchers.
Wit, Valour, and Politenefs were likewife propoſed to
be largely taxed, and collected in the fame Manner, by
every Perſon giving his own Word for the Quantum of
what he poffeffed. But as to Honour, Juftice, Wiſdom,
and Learning, they ſhould not be taxed at all; becauſe
they are Qualifications of fo fingular a Kind, that no
Man will either allow them in his Neighbour, or value
them in himſelf.
The Women were propoſed to be taxed according to
their Beauty, and Skill in Dreffing; wherein they had
the fame Privilege with the Men, to be determined by
their own Judgment. But Conftancy, Chaftity, good
Senfe, and good Nature were not rated, becauſe they
would not bear the Charge of Collecting.
To keep Senators in the Interest of the Crown, it
was propofed that the Members ſhould raffle for Em-
ployments; every Man first taking an Oath, and giving
Security that he would vote for the Court, whether he
won or no; after which the Lofers had, in their Turn,
the Liberty of Raffling upon the next Vacancy. Thus
Hope and Expectation would be kept alive; none
would complain of broken Promiſes, but impute their
Difappointments wholly to Fortune, whofe Shoulders
are broader and ftronger than thoſe of a Miniſtry.
N 4
Another
184
AVOYAGE
Another Profeffor fhewed me a large Paper for In-
ftructions for diſcovering Plots and Confpiracies againſt
the Government. He adviſed great Stateſmen to exa-
mine into the Dyet of all fufpected Perfons; their Times
of Eating; upon which Side they lay in Bed; with
which Hand they wiped their Pofteriors; to take a
ſtrict View of their Excrements, and from the Colour,
the Ordure, the Taſte, the Confiſtence, the Crudeneſs,
or Maturity of Digeſtion, from 'a Judgment of their
Thoughts and Defigns. Becauſe Men are never ſo ſe-
rious, thoughtful, and intent, as when they are at
Stool, which he found by frequent Experiment: For
in ſuch Conjunctures, when he uſed meerly as a Trial
to confider which was the best Way of murdering the
King, his Ordure would have a Tincture of Green;
but quite different when he thought only of raifing an
Infurrection, or burning the Metropolis.
The whole Difcourfe was written with great Acute-
nefs, containing many Obſervations, both curious and
ufeful for Politicians; but, as I conceived, not altoge-
ther compleat. This I ventured to tell the Author, and
offered, if he pleaſed, to fupply him with fome Addi
tions. He received my Propofition with more Com-
pliance than is ufual among Writers, eſpecially thoſe of
the Projecting Species; profeffing, he would be glad to
receive farther Information.
I told him, that in the Kingdom of Tribnia, by the
Natives called Langdon, where I had fojourned fome
Time in my Travels, the bulk of the People confiit, in
a Manner, wholly of Difcoverers, Witneffes, Infor-
mers, Accufers, Profecutors, Evidences, Swearers, to-
gether with their feveral fubfervient and fubaltern In-
ftruments, all under the Colours, the Conduct, and
Pay of Ministers of State, and their Deputies. The
Plots in that Kingdom, are ufually the Workmanſhip.
of thofe Perfons, who defire to raiſe their own Charac-
ters of profound Politicians; to reſtore new Vigour to
a crazy Administration; to flifle or divert general Dif-
contents; to fill their Coffers with Forfeitures; and
raife
to LAPUTA, &c.
185
raife or fink the Opinion of the Public Credit, as either
ſhall beft anſwer their private Advantage. It is first
agreed, and fettled among them, what fufpected Per-
fons fhall be accuſed of a Plot: Then, effectual Care
is taken to ſecure all their Letters and Papers, and put
the Owners in Chains. Theſe Papers are delivered to
a Set of Artiſts, very dexterous in finding out the myf-
terious Meanings of Words, Syllables, and Letters: For
Initance, they can diſcover a Clofe ftool to fignify a
Privy-Council; a Flock of Geefe, a Senate; a lame
Dog, an Invader; the Plague, a Standing Army; a
Buzzard, a Prime Miniſter; the Gout, a High Prieſt
a Gibbet, a Secretary of State; a Chamber-pot, a Com-
mittee of Grandees; a Sieve, a Court Lady; a Broom,
a Revolution; a Mouſe-trap, an Employment; a bot-
tomleſs Pit, a Treaſury; a Sink, a Court; a Cap and
Bells, a Favourite; a broken Reed, a Court of Juice;
an empty Tun, a General; a running Sore, the Admi-
niſtration.
;
Where this Method fails, they have two others more
effectual, which the Learned among them call Acroftics
and Anagrams. First, they can decypher all initial
Letters into political Meanings. Thus, N fhall fignify
a Plot, B a Regiment of Horſe, L a Fleet at Sea: Or,
Secondly, by tranfpofing the Letters of the Alphabet in
any fufpected Paper, they can lay open the deepeſt De-
figns of a difcontented Party. So, for Example, if I
fhould fay in a Letter to a Friend, Our Brother Tom
has just got the Piles, a ſkilful Decypherer would difco-
ver, that the fame Letters, which compoſe that Sen-
tence, may be analyſed in the following Words: Re-
fift,a Plot is brought Home The Tour. And
this is the anagrammatic Method.
The Profeffor made me great Acknowledgments for
communicating thefe Obfervations, and promifed to
make honourable Mention of me in his Treatife.
I faw nothing in this Country that could invite me
to a longer Continuance, and began to think of return-
ing Home to England.
CHAP
186
AVOYAGE
CHA P. VII.
The Author leaves Lagado, arrives at Maldonada.
No Ship ready. He takes a fhort Voyage to Glubb-
dubdrib. His Reception by the Governor.
TH
HE Continent, of which this Kingdom is a Part,
extends itſelf, as I have Reaſon to believe, Eaſt-
ward to that unknown Tract of America, Weftward of
California, and North to the Pacific Ocean, which is
not above a hundred and fifty Miles from Lagado;
where there is a good Port, and much Commerce with
the great Iſland of Luggnagg, fituated to the North-
weft about 29 Degrees North Latitude, and 140 Lon-
gitude. This Iſland of Luggnagg ſtands South-eastwards
of Japan, about an hundred Leagues diftant. There
is a ftrict Alliance between the Japaneſe Emperor and
the King of Luggnagg, which affords frequent Oppor-
tunities of failing from one Ifland to the other. Ide-
termined therefore to direct my Courſe this Way, in
Order to my Return to Europe. I hired two Mules,
with a Guide, to fhew me the Way, and carry my
fmall Baggage. I took Leave of my noble Protector,
who had fhewn me fo much Favour, and made me a
generous Prefent at my Departure.
My Journey was without any Accident, or Adven-
ture, worth relating. When I arrived at the Port of
Maldonada (for ſo it is called) there was no Ship in the
Harbour bound for Luggnagg, nor like to be in ſome
Time. The Town is about as large as Portſmouth. I
foon fell into fome Acquaintance, and was very hof-
pitably received. A Gentleman of Distinction faid to
me, that fince the Ships, bound for Luggnagg could not
be ready in less than a Month, it might be no difagree-
able Amuſement for me to take a Trip to the little If-
land of Glubbdubdrib, about five Leagues off to the
South-weft. He offered himſelf and a Friend to ac-
company
to LAPUTA, &c.
187
company me, and that I fhould be provided with a
fmall convenient Barque for the Voyage.
Glubbdubdrib, as nearly as I can interpret the Word,
fignifies the Iſland of Sorcerers or Magicians. It is a-
bout one Third as large as the Iſle of Wight, and ex-
tremely fruitful: It is governed by the Head of a cer-
tain Tribe, who are all Magicians. This Tribe mar-
ries only among each other, and the eldeft, in Succef-
fion, is Prince or Governor. He hath a noble Palace,
and a Park of about three-thouſand Acres, furrounded
by a Wall of hewn Stone, twenty Feet high. In this
Park are ſeveral ſmall Inclofures for Cattle, Corn, and
Gardening.
The Governor and his Family are ſerved and attend-
ed by Domeſtics of a Kind fomewhat unufual. By
his Skill in Necromancy, he hath a Power of calling
whom he pleaſeth from the Dead; and commanding
their Service for twenty-four Hours, but no longer;
nor can he call the fame Perfons up again in less than
three Months, except upon very extraordinary Occa-
fions.
When we arrived at the Ifland, which was about E.
leven in the Morning, one of the Gentlemen, who ac-
companied me, went to the Governor, and defired Ad-
mittance for a Stranger, who came on Purpoſe to have
the Honour of attending on his Highness. This was
immediately granted, and we all three entered the
Gate of the Palace, between two Rows of Guards,
armed and dreffed after a very antic Manner, and ſome-
thing in their Countenances that made my Flesh creep
with a Horror I cannot exprefs. We paffed through
ſeveral Apartments, between Servants of the fame Sort,
ranked on each Side, as before, till we came to the
Chamber of Prefence, where, after three profound O-
beyfances, and a few general Queftions, we were per-
mitted to fit on three Stools, near the lowest Step of
his Highness's Throne. He understood the Language
of Balnibarbi, although it were different from that of
this land. He defired me to give him fome Account
of
188
AVOYAGE
of my Travels; and, to let me fee that I fhould be
treated without Ceremony, he difmiffed all his Atten-
dants with a Turn of his Finger, at which, to my great
Aftoniſhment, they vanished in an Inftant, like Viſions
in a Dream, when we awake on a fudden. I could
not recover myſelf in fome Time, till the Governor aſ-
fured me, that I fhould receive no Hurt; and obferving
my two Companions to be under no Concern, who
had been often entertained in the faine Manner, I be-
gan to take Courage, and related to his Highneſs a
fhort History of my ſeveral Adventures; yet not with-
out fome Hefitation, and frequently looking behind me,
to the Place where I had feen thoſe domeſtic Spectres.
I had the Honour to dine with the Governor, where a
a new Set of Ghofts ferved up the Meat, and waited at
Table. I now obſerved myſelf to be leſs terrified than
I had been in the Morning I ftayed till Sun-fet, but
humbly defired his Highneſs to excufe me for not ac-
cepting his Invitation of Lodging in the Palace. My
two Friends and I lay at a private Houfe in the Town
adjoining, which is the Capital of this little Iſland
and the next Morning we returned to pay our Duty to
the Governor, as he was pleaſed to command us.
;
After this Manner, we continued in the Inland for
ten Days, moft Part of every Day with the Governor,
and at Night in our Lodging. I foon grew fo familia-
rized to the Sight of Spirits, that, after the third or
fourth Time, they gave me no Emotion at all; or, if
I had any Apprehenfions left, my Curiofity prevailed.
over them. For his Highness the Governor ordered
me to call up whatever Perfons I would chufe to name,
and in whatever Numbers, among all the Dead, from
the Beginning of the World, to this prefent Time, and
command them to answer any Questions I fhould
think fit to afk; with this Condition, that my Quefti-
ons must be confined within the Compafs of the Times
they lived in. And one thing I might depend upon,
that they would certainly tell me Truth, for Lying was
a Talent of no Ufe in the lower World.
I made
to LAPUTA, &c.
189
I made my humble Acknowledgments to his High-
nefs for fo great a Favour. We were in a Chamber,
from whence there was a fair Profpect into the Park.
And, becauſe my first Inclination was to be entertained
with Scenes of Pomp and Magnificence, I defired to
fee Alexander the Great, at the Head of his Army, juſt
after the Battle of Arbela, which, upon a Motion of
the Governor's Finger, immediately appeared in a
large Field under the Window, where we ftood. Alex-
ander was called up into the Room: It was with great
Difficulty that I understood his Greek, and had but lit-
tle of my own. He affured me, upon his Honour, that
he was not poifoned, but died of a Fever by exceffive
Drinking.
Next Ï faw Hannibal paffing the Alps, who told me,
he had not a Drop of Vinegar in his Camp.
I faw Cefar and Pompey, at the Head of their
Troops, just ready to engage. I faw the former in his
laft great Triumph. I defired that the Senate of Rome
might appear before me in one large Chamber, and a
modern Reprefentative in Counterview, in another.
The firft ſeemed to be an Affembly of Heroes and De-
my Gods, the other a Knot of Pedlars, Pick-pockets,
Highway-men, and Bullies.
The Governor, at my Requeſt, gave the Sign for
Cæfar and Brutus to advance towards us.
I was
ftruck with a profound Veneration at the Sight of Bru-
tus, and could eaſily diſcover the moſt confummate
Virtue, the greatest Intrepidity, and Firmnefs of Mind,
the trueft Love of his Country, and general Berevo-
lence for Mankind, in every Lineament of his Coun-
tenance. I obſerved, with much Pleaſure, that theſe
two Perſons were in good Intelligence with each other;
and Cæfar freely confeffed to me, that the greateſt
Actions of his own Life were not equal, by many De-
grees, to the Glory of taking it away. I had the Ho-
nour to have much Converfation with Brutus ; and
was told, that his Ancestors Junius, Socrates, Epami-
nondas, Cato the younger, Sir Thomas More, and him-
felf,
igo
A VOYAGE
felf, were perpetually together: A Sextumvirate, to
which all the Ages of the World cannot add a ſeventh.
It would be tedious to trouble the Reader with re-
lating what vaft Numbers of illuftrious Perfons were
called up, to gratify that infatiable Defire I had to fee
the World in every Period of Antiquity placed before
me. I chiefly fed mine Eyes with beholding the De-
ftroyers of Tyrants and Ufurpers, and the Reftorers of
Liberty to oppreffed and injured Nations. But it is
impoffible to expreſs the Satisfaction I received in my
own Mind, after fuch a Manner, as to make it a fuit-
able Entertainment to the Reader.
CHAP. VIII.
A further Account of Glubbdubdrib. Ancient and
Modern Hiftory corrected.
H
Aving a Defire to ſee thoſe Ancients, who were
moſt renowned for Wit and Learning, I fet a-
part one Day on Purpoſe. I propoſed that Homer and
Ariftotle might appear at the Head of all their Com-
mentators; but theſe were fo numerous, that ſome
Hundreds were forced to attend in the Court and out-
ward Rooms of the Palace. I knew, and could diſtin-
guiſh thoſe two Heroes at first Sight, not only from
the Croud, but from each other. Homer was the taller
and comlier Perfon of the two, walked very erect for
one of his Age, and his Eyes were the moft quick and
piercing I ever beheld. Ariftotle ftooped much, and
made Uſe of a Staff. His Vilage was meager, his
Hair lank and thin, and his Voice hollow. I foon
diſcovered that both of them were perfect Strangers to
the rest of the Company, and had never feen or heard
of them before. And I had a Whiſper from a Ghoſt,
who ſhall be nameless, that theſe Commentators al-
ways kept in the inoft diftant Quarters from their Prin-
cipals in the lower World, through a Conſciouſneſs of
Shame
to LAPUTA, &c.
191
Shame and Guilt, becauſe they had ſo horribly mif-
repreſented the Meaning of thofe Authors to Pofterity.
I introduced Didymus and Euftathius to Homer, and
prevailed on him to treat them better than perhaps they
deferved, for he foon found they wanted a Genius to
enter into the Spirit of a Poet. But Ariftotle was out
of all Patience with the Account I gave him of Scotus
and Ramus, as I prefented them to him, and he aſked
them whether the reft of the Tribe were as great Dunces
as themſelves.
I then defired the Governor to call up Descartes
and Gaffendi, with whom I prevailed to explain their
Sytems to Ariftotle. This great Philofopher freely
acknowledged his own Miftakes in Natural Philofophy,
becauſe he proceeded in many Things upon Conjecture,
as all Men muft do; and he found, that Gaffendi, who
had made the Doctrine of Epicurus as palatable as he
could, and the Vortices of Defcartes were equally explod-
ed. He predicted the fame Fate to Attraction, where-
of the preſent Learned are fuch zealous Afferters. He
faid, that new Syſtems of Nature were but new Fafhi-
ons, which would vary in every Age; and even thoſe,
who pretend to demonftrate them from Mathematical
Principles, would flouriſh but a fhort Period of Time,
and be out of Vogue when that was determined.
I ſpent five Days in converfing with many others of
the ancient Learned. I faw moft of the first Roman
Emperors. I prevailed on the Governor to call up
Eliogabalus's Cooks to drefs us a Dinner, but they could
not fhew us much of their Skill, for Want of Materials.
A Helot of Agefilaus made us a Difh of Spartan Broth,
but I was not able to get down a fecond Spoonful.
The two Gentlemen who conducted me to the I-
fland, were preffed by their private Affairs to return in
three Days, which I employed in ſeeing ſome of the
modern Dead, who had made the greatet Figure for
two or three hundred Years paft, in our own and other
Countries of Europe; and having been always a great
Admirer of old illuftrious Families, I defired the Go-
vernor
192
AVOYAGE
i
vernor would call up a Dozen or two of Kings, with
their Ancestors, in Order, for eight or nine Generati-
ons. But my Diſappointment was grievous and un-
expected: For, intead of a long Train with Royal
Diadems, I ſaw in one Family two Fidlers, three fpruce
Courtiers, and an Italian Prelate. In another, a Bar-
ber, an Abbot, and two Cardinals. I have too great
a Veneration for crowned Heads, to dwell any longer
on fo nice a Subject. But as to Counts, Marqueffes,
Dukes, Earls, and the like, I was not fo fcrupulous.
And, I confefs, it was not without fome Pleaſure, that
I found myſelf able to trace the particular Features,
by which certain Families are diftinguiſhed up to their
Originals. I could plainly diſcover from whence one
Family derives a long Chin, why a fecond hath a-
bounded with Knaves for two Generations, and Fools
for two more; why a third happened to be crack-
brained, and a fourth to be Sharpers. Whence it came,
what Polydore Virgil fays of a certain great Houſe, Nec
Vir fortis, nec Fœmina cafta. How Cruelty, Falfhood,
and Cowardice, grew to be Characteristics, by which
certain Families are diftinguifhed, as much as by their
Coat of Arms Who firit brought the Pox into a no-
ble Houſe, which hath lineally defcended in fcrophu-
lous Tumours to their Poterity. Neither could I
wonder at all this, when I faw fuch an Interruption of
Lineages by Pages, Lacqueys, Valets, Coachmen,
Gameters, Fidlers, Players, Captains, and Pick pockets.
I was chiefly difgutted with modern Hiftory. For,
hav ng ftrictly examined all the Perfons of greateſt
Naine in the Courts of Princes for an hundred Years
paſt, I found how the World had been mifled by pro-
ititute Writers, to afcribe the greateſt Exploits in War
to Cowards, the wifeft Counſel to Fools, Sincerity to
Flatterers, Roman Virtue to Betrayers of their Coun-
try, Piety to Atheiſts, Chastity to Sodomites, 1 ruth to
Informers. How many innocent and excellent Per-
fons had been condemned to Death or Baniſhment, by
the praifing of great Minifters upon the Corruption
of
to LAPUTA, c.
193
How mȧ-
of judges, and the Malice of Factions.
ny Villains had been exalted to the higheft Places
of Truft, Power, Dignity, and Profit: How great a
Share in the Motions and Events of Courts, Councils,
and Senates, might be challenged by Bawds, Whores,
Pimps, Parafites, and Buffoons: How low an Opinion
I had of human Wiſdom and Integrity, when I was
truly informed of the Springs and Motives of great En-
terprizes and Revolutions in the World, and of the
contemptible Accidents to which they owed their Suc-
cefs.
Here 1 difcovered the Roguery and Ignorance of
thoſe who pretend to write Anecdotes, or fecret Hiſtory;
who fend fo many Kings to their Graves with a Cup
of Poiſon; will repeat the Difcourfe between a Prince
and chief Minister, where no Witneſs was by; unlock
the Thoughts and Cabinets of Ambaffadors and Secreta-
ries of State; and have the perpetual Misfortune to be
miſtaken. Here I difcovered the true Caufes of many
great Events that have ſurpriſed the World; how a
Whore can govern the Back ftairs, the Back-tairs a
Council, and the Council a Senate. A General con-
feffed in my Prefence, that he got a Victory, purely
by the Force of Cowardice and ill Conduct: And an
Admiral, that, for Want of proper Intelligence, he
beat the Enemy to whom he intended to betray the
Fleet. Three Kings protefted to me, that, in their
whole Reigns, they did never once prefer any Perſon
of Merit, unleſs by Mitake, or Treachery of fome
Miniſter in whom they confided: Neither would they
do it, if they were to live again; and they fhewed
with great Strength of Reaſon, that the Royal Throne
could not be ſupported without Corruption, becauſe
that pofitive, confident, reftive Temper, which Virtue
infufed into Man, was a perpetual Clog to Public Bu-
finefs.
I had the Curiofity to enquire, in a particular Man-
ner, by what Method great Numbers had procured to
themſelves high Titles of Honour, and prodigious E-
O
Rates
194
AVOYAGE
ſtates; and I confined my Enquiry to a very modern
Period: However, without grating upon prefent Times,
becauſe I would be fure to give no Offence even to
Foreigners (for, I hope, the Reader need not be told,
that I do not in the leaſt intend my own Country in
what I fay upon this Occafion) a great Number of
Perfons concerned were called up, and, upon a very
flight Examination, diſcovered fuch a Scene of Infamy,
that I cannot reflect upon it without fome Seriouſneſs.
Perjury, Oppreffion, Subornation, Fraud, Pandariſm,
and the like Infirmities were amongſt the most excufa-
ble Arts they had to mention, and for thefe I gave,
as it was reaſonable, due Allowance. But when fome
confeffed they owed their Greatnefs and Wealth to So-
domy, or Incet, others to the proftituting of their
own Wives and Daughters; others to the betraying
their Country or their Prince; fome to poiſoning, more
to the perverting of Juftice, in order to deflroy the In-
nocent: I hope I may be pardoned, if theſe Diſcove-
ries inclined me a little to abate of that profound Ve-
neration which I am naturally apt to pay to Perſons of
high Rank, who ought to be treated with the utmoſt
Refpect due to their fublime Dignity by us, their In
feriors.
I had often read of fome great Services done to
Princes and States, and defired to fee the Perfons by
whom thoſe Services were performed. Upon Enquiry,
I was told, that their Names were to be found on no
Record, except a few of them, whom Hiftory hath
reprefented as the vileft Rogues and Traitors. As to
the reſt, I had never once heard of them. They all
appeared with dejected Looks, and in the meaneft Ha-
bit, most of them telling me, they died in Poverty and
Difgrace, and the reft on a Scaffold or a Gibbet.
Among others, there was one Perfon, whofe Cafe
appeared a little fingular. He had a Youth about
eighteen Years old ftanding by his Side. He told me,
he had for many Years been Commander of a Ship;
and, in the Sea Fight at Actium, had the good Fortune
to
to LAPUTA, &c.
195
to break through the Enemies great Line of Battle, fink
three of their capital Ships, and take a fourth, which
was the fole Caule of Anthony's Flight, and of the Vic-
tory that enſued; that the Youth ſtanding by him, his
only Son, was killed in the Action. He added, that
upon the Confidence of ſome Merit, the War being at
an End, he went to Rome, and folicited at the Court
of Auguftus, to be preferred to a greater Ship, whoſe
Commander had been killed; but, without any Re-
gard to his Pretenfions, it was given to a Youth who
had never feen the Sea, the Son of Libertina, who
waited on one of the Emperor's Miftreffes. Return-
ing back to his own Veffel, he was charged with Neg-
lect of Duty, and the Ship given to a favourite Page
of Publicola, the Vice-Admiral; whereupon he re-
tired to a poor Farm, at a great Distance from Rome,
and there ended his Life. I was fo curious to know the
Truth of this Story, that I defired Agrippa might be
called, who was Admiral in that Fight. He appeared,
and confirmed the whole Account; but with much
more Advantage to the Captain, whofe Modefty had
extenuated or concealed a great Part of his Merit.
I was furpriſed to find Corruption grown fo high and
fo quick in that Empire, by the Force of Luxury fo
lately introduced, which made me lefs wonder at many
parallel Cafes in other Countries, where Vices of all
Kinds have reigned fo much longer, and where the
whole Praife, as well as Pillage, hath been engroffed
by the chief Commander, who, perhaps, had the leaſt
Title to either.
As every Perfon called up made exactly the fame
Appearance he had done in the World, it gave me
melancholy Reflections, to obferve how much the Race
of human Kind was degenerate among us, within theſe
hundred Years paſt. How the Pox, under all its Con-
fequences and Denominations, had altered every Line-
ament of an English Countenance; fhortened the Size
of Bodies, unbraced the Nerves, relaxed the Sinews
0 24
and
196
A VOYAGE
and Muſcles, introduced a fallow Complexion, and ren-
dered the Fleſh looſe and rancid.
I defcended fo low, as to defire that fome Engliſh
Yeomen, of the old Stamp, might be fummoned to ap-
pear; once fo famous for the Simplicity of their Man-
ners, Diet, and Drefs; for Juftice in their Dealings;
for their true Spirit of Liberty; for their Valour and
Love of their Country. Neither could I be wholly
unmoved, after comparing the Living with the Dead,
when I confidered how all theſe pure native Virtues
were proſtituted for a Piece of Money by their Grand-
children, who, in felling their Votes, and managing
at Elections, have acquired every Vice and Corruption
that can poffibly be learned in a Court.
CHAP. IX.
Sails to the
The Author's Return to Maldonada.
Kingdom of Luggnagg. The Author confined. He
is fent for to Court. The Manner of his Admit-
tance. The King's great Lenity to his Subjects.
HE Day of our Departure being come, I took
T Leave of his Highness, the Governor of Glubb-
dubdribb, and returned with my two Companions to
Maldonada, where, after a Fortnight's Waiting, a
Ship was ready to fail for Luggnagg. The two Gen-
tlemen, and ſome others, were fo generous and kind,
as to furniſh me with Provifions, and fee me on Board.
I was a Month in this Voyage. We had one violent
Storm, and were under a Neceffity of fteering Welt-
ward, to get into the Trade-wind, which holds for a-
bove fixty Leagues. On the 21st of April, 1708, we
failed in the River Clumegnig, which is a Sea port
Town, at the South-eaft Point of Luggnagg. We caft
Anchor within a League of the Town, and made a
Signal for a Pilot. Two of them came on Board in
lefs
to LAPUTA, &c.
197
leſs than half an Hour, by whom we were guided be-
tween certain Shoals and Rocks, which are very dan-
gerous in the Paffage, to a large Bafin, where a Fleet
may ride in Safety, within a Cable's Length of the
Town Wall.
Some of our Sailors, whether out of Treachery or
Inadvertence, had informed the Pilots that I was a
Stranger and a great Traveller; whereof theſe gave
Notice to a Cuftom-houſe Officer, by whom I was exa-
mined very ſtrictly upon my Landing. This Officer
fpoke to me in the Language of Balnibarbi, which,
by the Force of much Commerce, is generally under-
flood in that Town, efpecially by Sea-men, and thoſe
employed in the Culloms. I gave him a fhort Account
of fome Particulars, and made my Story as plaufible
and confiftent as I could; but I thought it neceffary to
diſguiſe my Country, and call myſelf an Hollander, be-
cauſe my Intentions were for Japan, and I knew the
Dutch were the only Europeans permitted to enter into
that Kingdom. I therefore told the Officer, that ha-
ving been fhipwrecked on the Coaft of Balnibarbi, and
catt on a Rock, I was received up into Laputa, or the
flying Iſland (of which he had often heard) and was
now endeavouring to get to Japan, from whence I
might find a Convenience of returning to my own
Country. The Officer faid, I muſt be confined till he
could receive Orders from Court, for which he would
write immediately, and hoped to receive an Anſwer in
a Fortnight. I was carried to a convenient Lodging,
with a Centry placed at the Door; however, I had
the Liberty of a large Garden, and was treated with
Humanity enough, being maintained all the Time at
the King's Charge. I was invited by ſeveral Perſons,
chiefly out of Curiofity, becauſe it was reported that I
came from Countries very remote, of which they had
never heard.
I hired a young Man who came in the fame Ship to
be an Interpreter; he was a Native of Luggnagg, but
had lived fome Years at Maldonada, and was a perfect
0 3
Mafter
198
AVOYAGE
Mafter of both Languages. By his Affiftance, I was
able to hold a Converſation with thoſe who came to
vifit me; but this confifted only of their Queſtions, and
my Anſwers.
The Difpatch came from Court about the Time we
expected. It contained a Warrant for conducting me
and my Retinue to Traldragdubb, or Trildrogdrib, for
it is pronouned both Ways, as near as I can remember,
by a Party of ten Horfe. All my Retinue was that
poor Lad for an Interpreter, whom I perfuaded into
my Service, and, at my humble Requeft, we had each
of us a Mule to ride on. A Meffenger was difpatched
half a Day's Journey before us, to give the King No-
tice of my Approach, and to defire that his Majefty
would pleafe to appoint a Day and Hour, when it would
be his gracious Fleafure, that I might have the Honour
to lick the Duft before his Foot-flool. This is the Court
Style, and I found it to be more than Matter of Form.
For, upon my Admittance two Days after my Arrival,
I was commanded to crawl on my Belly, and lick the
Floor as I advanced; but, on Account of my being a
Stranger, Care was taken to have it made ſo clean that
the Duft was not offenfive. However, this was a pe-
culiar Grace, not allowed to any but Perſons of the
higheſt Rank, when they defire an Admittance. Nay,
fometimes the Floor is ftrewed with Duſt on Furpoſe,
when the Perfon to be admitted happens to have power-
ful Enemies at Court. And I have feen a great Lord
with his Mouth fo crammed, that, when he had crept
to the proper Distance from the Throne, he was not
able to ſpeak a Word. Neither is there any Remedy;
becauſe it is Capital for thoſe who receive an Audience,
to fpit or wipe their Mouths in his Majesty's Prefence.
There is, indeed, another Cuſtom, which I cannot al-
together approve of: When the King hath a Mind to
put any of his Nobles to Death, in a gentle, indulgent
Manner, he commands to have the Floor firewed with
a certain brown Powder, of a deadly Compofition,
which, being licked up, infallibly kills him in twenty-
four
to LAPUTA, &c.
199
four Hours. But in Juftice to this Prince's great Cle-
mency, and the Care he hath of his Subjects Lives
(wherein it were much to be wished, that the Monarchs
of Europe would imitate him) it must be mentioned for
his Honour, that ftrict Orders are given to have the in-
fected Parts of the Floor well washed, after every fuch
Execution; which if his Domeſtics neglect, they are in
Danger of incurring his Royal Diſpleaſure. I myſelf
heard him give Directions, that one of his Pages fhould
be whipt, whofe Turn it was to give Notice about
Waſhing the Floor after an Execution, but malicioufly
had omitted it, by which Neglect, a young Lord of
great Hopes, coming to an Audience, was unfortunate-
ly poisoned, although the King, at that Time, had no
Deſign against his Life. But this good Prince was fo
gracious, as to forgive the poor Page his Whipping,
upon Promiſe that he would do fo no more, without fpe-
cial Orders.
To return from this Digreffion; when I had crept
within four Yards of the Throne, I raiſed myſelf gent-
ly upon my Knees, and then, ftriking my Forehead
feven Times on the Ground, I pronounced the follow-
ing Words, as they had been taught me the Night be-
fore, Ickpling Gloffthrobb Squut ferumm blbiop Mlaſh-
nalt Zwin thodbalkuffh Slhiophad Gurdiubh Afht. This
is the Compliment etabliſhed by the Laws of the Land,
for all Perfons admitted to the King's Prefence. It
may be rendered into Engliſh thus: May your cæleftial
Majesty out live the Sun, eleven Moons and a Half.” To
this the King returned fome Anſwer, which although
I could not understand, yet I replied as I had been di-
reced: Fluft drin Yalerick Dwuldom proftrad mirpuſh,
which properly fignifies, My Tongue is in the Mouth of
my Friend; and by this Expreffion was meant, that I
defired Leave to bring my Interpreter; whereupon the
young Man, already mentioned, was accordingly in-
troduced, by whofe Intervention, I answered as many
Queſtions as his Majefty could put in above an Hour.
04
I spoke
200
A VOYAGE
I spoke in the Balnibarnian Tongue, and my Inter
preter delivered my Meaning in that of Luggnagg.
The King was much delighted with my Company,
and ordered his Bliffmarklub, or high Chamberlain, to
appoint a Lodging in the Court for me and my Inter-
preter, with a daily Allowance for my Table, and a
large Purfe of Gold for my common Expences.
I ſtayed three Months in this Country, out of perfect
Obedience to his Majefly, who was pleafed highly to
favour me, and made me very honourable Offers. But
I thought it more confiftent with Prudence and Juftice,
to paſs the Remainder of my Days with my Wife and
Family.
CHAP.
X.
The Luggnuggians commended. A particular De
fcription of the Struldbrugs, with many Conver-
Jations between the Author and fome eminent Per-
fons, upon that Subject.
I
HE Luggnuggians are a polite and generous Peo-
ple, and although they are not without fome
Share of that Pride which is peculiar to all Eastern
Countries, yet they fhew themfelves courteous to Stran-
gers, efpecially fuch who are countenanced by the Court.
I had many Acquaintance among Perfons of the beft
Faſhion, and being always attended by my Interpreter,
the Converſation we had was not difagreeable.
One Day, in much good Company, I was afked by
a Perſon of Quality, whether I had feen any of their
Struldbrugs or Immortals. I faid I had not; and de-
fired he would explain to me what he meant by ſuch an
Appellation, applied to a mortal Creature. He told
me, that fometimes, though very rarely, a Chik hap,
pened to be born in a Family with a red circular Spot
in the Forehead, directly over the left Eye-brow, which
was
to LAPUTA, &c.
201
was an infallible Mark, that it fhould never die. The
Spot, as he described it, was about the Compafs of a
filver Three-pence, but in the Courfe of Time grew
larger, and changed its Colour; for at twelve Years
old it became green, fo continued till five and twenty,
then turned to a deep Blue; at five and forty it grew
coal Black, and as large as an English Shilling; but ne-
ver admitted any farther Alteration. He faid thefe
Births were fo rare, that he did not believe there could
be above eleven-hundred Struldbrugs of both Sexes in
the whole Kingdom, of which he computed about fifty
in the Metropolis, and, among the reft, a young Girl
born about three Years ago: That thefe Productions
were not peculiar to any Family, but a meer Effect of
Chance; and the Children of the Struldbrugs themfelves
were equally mortal with the reft of the People.
I freely own myſelf to have been ftruck with inex-
preffible Delight upon Hearing this Account: And the
Perfon who gave it me happening to underſtand the
Balnibarbian Language, which I fpoke very well, I
could not forbear breaking out into Expreffions, per-
haps, a little to extravagant. I cried out, as in a Rap.
ture: Happy Nation, where every Child hath at leaſt
a Chance for being immortal! Happy People, who en-
joy fo many living Examples of ancient Virtue, and
have Matters ready to inftruct them in the Wiſdom of
all former Ages! But, happieft beyond all Compariſon
are thofe excellent Struldbrugs, who, born exempt from
that univerfal Calamity of human Nature, have their
Minds free and difingaged, without the Weight and
Depreffion of Spirits caufed by the continual Appre-
henfion of Death. I diſcovered my Admiration, that
I had not obferved any of theſe illuſtrious Perſons at
Court; the black Spot on the Fore-head being fo re-
markable a Diſtinction, that I could not have eafily
overlooked it: And it was impoffible that his Majefty,
a moft judicious Prince, fhould not provide himfelf
with a good Number of fuch wife and able Counſellors.
Yet perhaps the Virtue of thofe reverend Sages was
too
202
AVOYAGE
too ftrict for the corrupt and libertine Manners of a
Court. And we often find by Experience, that young
Men are too opinionative and volatile, to be guided by
the fober Dictates of their Seniors. However, fince
the King was pleafed to allow me Acceſs to his Royal
Perfon, I was refolved, upon the very first Occafion,
to deliver my Opinion to him on this Matter freely, and
at large, by the Help of my Interpreter; and whether
he would pleaſe to take my Advice or no, yet in one
Thing I was determined, that, his Majefty having fre-
quently offered me an Ellablishment in this Country, I
would with great Thankfulnefs accept the Favour, and
pafs my Life here in the Converfation of thofe fupe-
rior Beings, the Struldbrugs, if they would pleaſe to ad-
mit me.
The Gentleman to whom I addreffed my Difcourfe,
becaufe (as I have already obferved) he spoke the Lan-
guage of Balnibarbi, faid to me with a Sort of a Smile,
which ufually arifeth from Pity to the Ignorant, that
he was glad of any Occafion to keep me among them,
and defired my Permiffion to explain to the Company
what I had spoke. He did fo, and they talked toge-
ther for fome Time in their own Language, whereof I
underfood not a Syllable, neither could I obferve by
their Countenances, what Impreffion my Difcourſe had
made on them. After a thort Silence, the fame Perfon
told me, that his Friends and mine (fo he thought fit
to exprefs himself) were very much pleafed with the
judicious Remarks I had made on the great Happineſs
and Advantages of immortal Life, and they were defi-
rous to know in a particular Manner, what Scheme of
Living I fhould have formed to myfelf, if it had fallen
to my Lot to have been born a Struldbrug.
I answered, it was eafy to be cloquent on fo copious.
and delightful a Subje&, eſpecially to me, who have
been often apt to amufe myſelf with Vifions of what I
fhould do, if I were a King, a General, or a great Lord :
And, upon this very Cafe, I had frequently run over
the
to LAPUTA, &c.
203
the whole Syſtem how I fhould employ myfelf, and
pafs the Time, if I were fure to live for ever.
That, if it had been my good Fortune to come in-
to the World a Struldbrug, as ſoon as I could diſcover
my own Happinefs, by underſtanding the Difference
between Life and Death, I would first refolve, by all
Arts and Methods what foever, to procure myſelf
Riches. In the Purſuit of which, by Thrift and Ma-
nagement, I might reaſonably expect, in about two-
hundred Years, to be the wealthieſt Man in the King-
dom. In the fecond Place, I would from my ear-
lieft Youth, apply myfelf to the Study of Arts and
Sciences, by which I fhould arrive in Time to exc 1
all others in Learning. Lastly, I would care fully re-
cord every Action and Event of Confequence that
happened in the Public, impartially draw the Cha-
racters of the feveral Succeffions of Princes, and great
Minifters of State, with my own Obfervations on eve-
ry Point. I would exactly fet down the feveral
Changes in Cuftoms, Language, Fafhions of Drefs,
Diet and Diverfions. By all which Acquirements, I
fhould be a living Treafury of Knowledge and Wif-
dom, and certainly become the Oracle of the Na-
tion.
I would never marry after threefcore, but live in
an hofpitable Manner, yet ftill on the faving Side. I
would entertain myfelf in forming and directing the
Minds of hopeful young Men, by convincing them.
from my own Remembrance, Experience, and Ob-
fervation, fortified by numerous Examples, of the Ufe-
fulness of Virtue in public and private Life. But my
choice and conflant Companions fhould be a Set of my
own immortal Brotherhood, among whom I would
elect a Dozen from the moft Ancient, down to my
own Contemporaries. Where any of thefe wanted
Fortunes, I would provide them with convenient
Lodges round my own Eftate, and have fome of them
always at my Table, only mingling a few of the moſt
valuable among you Mortals, whom Length of Time
would
204
AVOYAGE
would harden me to lofe, with little or no Reluctance,
and treat your Pofterity after the fame Manner; juſt
as a Man diverts himſelf with the annual Succeffion of
Pinks and Tulips in his Garden, without regretting
the Lofs of thofe which withered the preceding Year.
Thefe Struldbrugs and I would mutually commu-
nicate our Obſervations, and Memorials through the
Courſe of Time; remark the feveral Gradations by
which Corruption fteals into the World, and oppofe it
in every Step, by giving perpetual Warning and In-
ftruction to Mankind; which, added to the Itrong In-
fluence of our own Example, would probably prevent
that continual Degeneracy of human Nature, ſo juſt-
ly complained of in all Ages,
Add to all this, the Pleaſure of feeing the various
Revolutions of States and Empires; the Changes in
the lower and upper World; ancient Cities in Ruins,
and obfcure Villages become the Seats of Kings; fa-
mous Rivers leffening into fhallow Brooks; the Ocean
leaving one Coaſt dry, and overwhelming another;
the Discovery of many Countries yet unknown. Bar-.
barity over-running the politeft Nations, and the most
barbarous become civilized. I fhould then fee the
Diſcovery of the Longitude, the perpetual Motion, the
univerfal Medicine, and many other great Inventions,
brought to the utmoſt Perfection.
What wonderful Difcoveries fhould we make in A-
ftronomy, by out-living and confirming our own Pre-
dictions, by obferving the Progrefs and Returns of
Comets, with the Changes of Motion in the Sun,
Moon, and Stars.
I enlarged upon many other Topics, which the
natural Defire of endleſs Life, and fublunary Happi-
nefs, could eafily furnish me with. When I had
ended, and the Sum of my Difcourfe had been in-
terpreted, as before, to the reft of the Company,
there was a good Deal of Talk among them in the
Language of the Country, not without fome Laughter
at my Expence. At laft, the fame Gentleman, who
had
to LAPUTA, &c.
105
had been my Interpreter, faid, he was defired, by the
reft, to fet me right in a few Miſtakes, which I had
fallen into, through the common Imbecillity of hu-
man Nature, and, upon that Allowance, was lefs an-
fwerable for them. That this Breed of Struldbrugs was
peculiar to their Country, for there were no fuch Peo-
ple, either in Balnibarbi or Japan, where he had the
Honour to be Ambaffador from his Majefty, and
found the Natives in both thefe Kingdoms very hard
to believe, that the Fact was poffible; and it appeared
from my Astonishment, when he first mentioned the
Matter to me, that I received it as a Thing wholly
new, and ſcarcely to be credited. That in the two
Kingdoms above mentioned, where, during his Refi-
dence, he had converfed very much, he obferved long
Life to be the univerfal Defire and Wiſh of Mankind.
That whoever had one Foot in the Grave, was fure to
hold back the other as strongly as he could. That the
Oldeft had ftill Hopes of living one Day longer, and
looked on Death as the greatest Evil, from which Na-
ture always prompted him to retreat; only in this
Ifland of Luggnagg, the Appetite for Living was not
fo eager, from the continual Example of the Struld-
brugs before their Eyes.
That the Syftem of Living, contrived by me, was
unreaſonable and unjust, becauſe it fuppofed a Perpe-
tuity of Youth, Health, and Vigour, which no Man
could be fo foolish to hope, however extravagant he
may be in his Wifhes. That the Queftion therefore
was not whether a Man would chufe to be always in
the Prime of Youth, attended with Profperity and
Health; but how he would pafs a perpetual Life un-
der all the ufual Difadvantages which old Age brings
along with it. For although few Men will avow their
Defires of being immortal upon fuch hard Conditions,
yet in the two Kingdoms before mentioned, of Balni-
barbi and Japan, he obſerved, that every Man defired
to put off Death, for fometime longer, let it approach
ever fo late; and he rarely heard of any Man who di-
ed
206
A VOYAGE
ed willingly, except he were incited by the Extremi-
ty of Grief or Torture. And he appealed to me, whe-
ther in thoſe Countries I had travelled, as well as my
own, I had not obſerved the fame general Difpofition.
After this Preface, he gave me a particular Account
of the Struldbrugs among them. He faid they com-
monly acted like Mortals, till about thirty Years old,
after which, by Degrees, they grew melancholy and
dejected, encreafing in both till they came to Four-
fcore. This he learned from their own Confeffion;
for otherwiſe, there not being above two or three of
that Species born in an Age, they were too few to
form a general Obfervation by. When they came
to fourſcore Years, which is reckoned the Extremity
of living in this Country, they had not only all the
Follies and Infirmities of other old Men, but many
more, which arofe from the dreadful Profpects of
never dying. They were not only opinionative, pee-
vish, covetous, morofe, vain, talkative; but incapa-
ble of Friendship, and dead to all natural Affection,
which never defcended below their Grand-children.
Envy and impotent Defires are their prevailing Paf-
fions. But thofe Objects, againſt which their Envy
feems principally directed, are the Vices of the younger
Sort, and the Deaths of the old. By reflecting on
the former, they find themfelves cut off from all Pof-
fibility of Pleafure; and whenever they ſee a Funeral,
they lament and repine that others are gone to an Har-
bour of Reft, to which they themselves never can
hope to arrive. They have no Remembrance of any
Thing but what they learned and obferved in their
Youth, and middle Age, and even that is very im-
perfect. And, for the Truth or Particulars of any
Fact, it is fafer to depend on common Traditions, than
upon their beſt Recollections. The leaſt miferable
among them appear to be thofe who turn to Dotage,
and intirely loſe their Memories; thefe meet with
more Pity and Affittance, becauſe they want many
bad Qualities, which abound in others.
If
to LAPUTA, &c.
207
If a Struldbrug happen to marry one of his own
Kind, the Marriage is diffolved of Courſe, by the
Courtesy of the Kingdom, as foon as the younger of
the two comes to be fourfcore. For the Law thinks it
reaſonable Indulgence, that thoſe who are condemn-
.ed, without any Fault of their own, to a perpetual
Continuance in the World, fhould not have their Mi-
fery doubled by the Load of a Wife.
As foon as they have compleated the Term of eigh-
ty Years, they are looked on as dead in Law; their
Heirs immediately fucceed to their Eftates, only a
ſmall Pittance is reſerved for their Support; and the
poor ones are maintained at the Public Charge. Af-
ter that Period, they are held incapable of any Em-
ployment of Truft or Profit, they cannot purchaſe
Lands, or take Leafes, neither are they allowed to be
Witneffes in any Caufe, either Civil or Criminal,
not even for the Decifion of Meers and Bounds.
At Ninety they lofe their Teeth and Hair; they have
at that Age no Diſtinction of Tafte, but eat and drink
whatever they can get, without Relish or Appetite.
'The Diſeaſes they were fubject to ftill continue, with-
out Encreafing or Diminishing. In Talking, they for-
get the common Appellation of Things, and the Names
of Perfons, even of thoſe who are their neareſt Friends
and Relations. For the fame Reaſon they never can
amufe themſelves with Reading, becauſe their Me-
mory will not ferve to carry them from the Begin-
ning of a Sentence to the End; and, by this Detect,
they are deprived of the only Entertainment, whereof
they might otherwife be capable.
The Language of this Country being always upon
the Flux, the Struldbrugs of one Age do not under-
ftand thofe of another; neither are they able, after
two-hundred Years, to hold any Converfation (farther
than by a few general Words) with their Neighbours,
the Mortals; and thus they lie under the Diſadvan-
tage of living like Foreigners in their own Country.
This
208
AVOYAGE
This was the Account given me of the Struldbrugss
as near as I can remember. I afterwards faw five or
fix of different Ages, the youngest not above two-
hundred Years old, who were brought to me at fe-
veral Times by fome of my Friends; but although
they were told that I was a great Traveller, and had
feen all the World, they had not the leaft Curiofity to
afk me a Queftion; only defired I would give them
Slumfkudafk, or a Token of Remembrance; which is a
modell Way of Begging, to avoid the Law that ftric-
ly forbids it, becauſe they are provided for by the Pub-
lic, although, indeed, with a very fcanty Allowance.
They are defpifed and hated by all Sorts of Peo-
ple; when one of them is born, it is reckoned omi-
nous, and their Birth is recorded very particular; ſo
that you may know their Age, by confulting the Re-
gifter; which, however, hath not been kept above a
thousand Years paft, or, at leaft, hath been destroyed
by Time, or public Diſturbances. But the ufual Way of
computing, how old they are, is, by afkirg them what
Kings or great Perfons they can remember, and then
confulting Hiftory; for, infallibly, the laft Prince in
their Mind did not begin his Reign after they were
fourfcore Years old.
They were the most mortifying Sight I ever beheld;
and the Women more horrible than the Men. Be-
fides the ufual Deformities in extreme old Age, they
acquired an additional Ghaftlinefs, in Proportion to
their Number of Years, which is not to be defcribed;
and, among half a Dozen, I foon diſtinguiſhed which
was the eldeft, although there was not above a Cen-
tury or two between them.
The Reader will eafily believe, that, from what I
had heard and feen, my keen Appetite for Perpetuity
of Life was much abated. I grew heartily aſhamed
of the pleafing Viſions I had formed; and thought no
Tyrant could invent a Death into which I would not
run with Pleaſure from fuch a Life. The King heard
of all that had paffed between me and my Friends up-
on.
to LAPUTA, &c.
209
on this Occafion, and rallied me very pleafantly;
wishing I would fend a Couple of Struldbrugs to my
own Country, to arm our People against the Fear of
Death; but this, it feems is forbidden, by the funda-
mental Laws of the Kingdom, or elſe I ſhould have
been well content with the Trouble and Expence of
tranſporting them.
I could not but agree that the Laws of this King-
dom, relating to the Struldbrugs, were founded upon
the ſtrongeſt Reafons, and fuch as any other Country
would be under the Neceffity of enacting in the like
Circumstances. Otherwife, as Avarice is the neceffa-
ry Confequent of old Age, thofe Immortals would in
Time become Proprietors of the whole Nation, and
engrofs the Civil Power; which, for Want of Abili-
ties to manage, muſt end in the Ruin of the Public.
CHA P. XI.
The Author leaves Luggnagg, and fails to Japan.
From thence he returns in a Dutch Ship to Am-
fterdam, and from Amfterdam to England.
I
Thought this Account of the Struldbrugs might be
fome Entertainment to the Reader, becauſe it ſeems
to be a little out of the common Way; at leaſt, I do
not remember to have met the like in any Book of
Travels that hath come to my Hands: And, if I am
deceived, my Excufe must be, that it is neceffary for
Travellers, who defcribe the fame Country, very of
ten to agree in dwelling on the fame Particulars, with-
out deferving the Cenfure of having borrowed or
tranſcribed from thoſe who wrote before them.
There is, indeed, a perpetual Commerce between
this Kingdom and the great Empire of Japan; and
it is very probable, that the Japanese Authors may
have given fome Account of the Struldbrugs; but my
Stay in Japan was fo fhort, and I was fo intirely a
Stranger to that Language, that I was not qualified
to make any Enquiries. But I hope the Dutch, upon
P
this
210
AVOYAGE
this Notice, will be curious and able enough to fup-
ply my Defects.
His Majefty having often preffed me to accept fome
Employment in his Court, and finding me abfolutely
determined to return to my Native Country, was
pleaſed to give me his Licence to depart, and honour-
ed me with a Letter of Recommendation, under his
own Hand, to the Emperor of Japan. He likewiſe
prefented me with Four-hundred Forty-four large.
Pieces of Gold (this Nation delighting in even Num-
bers) and a red Diamond, which I fold in England for
eleven-hundred Pounds.
On the 6th Day of May, 1709, I took a folemn
Leave of his Majefty, and all my Friends. This
Prince was fo gracious, as to order a Guard to con-
duct me to Glanguenftald, which is a Royal Port to
the South-west Part of the Ifland. In fix Days I found
a Veffel ready to carry me to Japan, and ſpent fifteen
Days in the Voyage. We landed at a fmall Port-
Town called Xamofchi, fituated on the South-eaft Part of
Japan; the Town lies on the Weſtern Point, where there
is a narrow Streight, leading Northward into a long Arm
of the Sea, upon the North-weſt Part of which, Yedo, the
Metropolis, ftands. At Landing I fhewed the Custom-
house Officers my Letter from the King of Luggnagg
to his Imperial Majefty. They knew the Seal perfectly
well, it was as broad as the Palm of my Hand. The
Impreffion was, A King lifting up a lame Beggar from
the Earth. The Magiftrates of the Town, hearing of
my Letter, received me as a Public Miniſter; they pro-
vided me with Carriages and Servants, and bore my
Charges to redo, where I was admitted to an Audi-
ence, and delivered my Letter, which was opened with
great Ceremony, and explained to the Emperor by an
Interpreter, who gave me Notice, by his Majefty's Or-
der, that I fhould fignify my Request, and, whatever
it were, it fhould be granted, for the Sake of his Royal
Brother of Luggnagg. This Interpreter was a Perfon
employed to tranfact Affairs with the Hollanders; he
foon conjectured by my Countenance, that I was an
Eu-
to LAPUTA, &c.
211
European, and therefore repeated his Majefty's Com-
mands in Low Dutch, which he spoke perfectly well.
I anſwered (as I had before determined) that I was a
Dutch Merchant, fhipwrecked in a very remote Coun-
try, from whence I had travelled by Sea and Land to
Luggnagg, and then took Shipping for Japan, where I
knew my Countrymen often traded, and with fome of
theſe I hoped to get an Opportunity of returning into
Europe: I therefore most humbly entreated his Royal
Favour to give Order, that I ſhould be conducted in
Safety to Nangafac: To this I added another Petition,
that, for the Sake of my Patron, the King of Luggnagg,
his Majesty would condefcend to excufe my perform-
ing the Ceremony impofed on my Countrymen, of
Trampling upon the Crucifix; becauſe I had been thrown
into his Kingdom by my Misfortunes, without any In-
tention of Trading. When this latter Petition was in-
terpreted to the Emperor, he ſeemed a little furpriſed;
and faid, he believed I was the first of my Countrymen,
who ever made any Scruple in this Point; and that he
began to doubt whether I was a real Hollander, or no;
but rather fufpected I must be a Chriftian. However,
for the Reaſons, I had offered, but chiefly to gratify
the King of Luggnagg, by an uncommon Mark of his
Favour, he would comply with the Singularity of my
Humour; but the Affair muſt be managed with Dex-
terity, and his Officers fhould be commanded to let me
pafs, as it were, by Forgetfulneſs. For he affured me,
that if the Secret ſhould be diſcovered by my Country-
men, the Dutch, they would cut my Throat in the
Voyage. I returned my Thanks, by the Interpreter,
for fo unufual a Favour; and, fome Troops being at
that Time on their March to Nangafac, the command-
ing Officer had Orders to convey me fafe thither, with
particular Inftructions about the Bufinefs of the Crucifix.]
On the 9th Day of June, 1709, I arrived at Nan-
gafac, after a very long and troubleſome Journey. I
foon fell into Company of fome Dutch Sailors belong-
ing to the Amboyna of Amfterdam, a ftout Ship of 450
P 2
Tons;
212
AVOYAGE, &c.
Tons. I had lived long in Holland, purfuing my
Studies at Leyden, and I ſpoke Dutch well. The Sea-
men foon knew from whence I came laft; they were
curious to enquire into my Voyages, and Courſe of
Life. I made up a Story as fhort and probable as I
could, but concealed the greateſt Part. I knew many
Perfons in Holland; I was able to invent Names for
my Parents, whom I pretended to be obfcure People in
the Province of Gelderland. I would have given the
Captain (one Theodorus Vangrult) what he pleaſed to
afk for my Voyage to Holland; but, underſtanding I
was a Surgeon, he was contented to take half the ufual
Rate, on Condition that I would ferve him in the Way
of my Calling. Before we took Shipping, I was often
afked by fome of the Crew, whether I had performed
the Ceremony above-mentioned? I evaded the Quef-
tion by general Anſwers, that I had fatisfied the Em-
peror, and Court, in all Particulars. However, a ma-
licious Rogue of a Skipper went to an Officer, and,
pointing to me, told him, I had not yet trampled on
the Crucifix: But the other, who had received Inftruc-
tions to let me paſs, gave the Rafcal twenty Strokes on
the Shoulders with a Bamboo; after which, I was no
more troubled with ſuch Queſtions.
Nothing happened worth mentioning in this Voyage.
We failed with a fair Wind to the Cape of Good Hope,
where we ftaid only to take in freſh Water. On the
16th of April, we arrived ſafe at Amfterdam, having
loft only three Men by Sickneſs in the Voyage, and a
fourth who fell from the Fore maft into the Sea, not
far from the Coalt of Guinea. From Amfterdam, [
foon after fet Sail for England, in a ſmall Veffel belong-
ing to that City.
On the 10th of April, 1710, we put in at the Downs.
I landed next Morning, and faw once more my na-
tive Country, after an Abſence of five Years and fix
Months compleat. I went ftrait to Redriff, where I
arrived the fame Day at Two in the Afternoon, and
found my Wife and Family in good Health.
The End of the Third Part.
Plate VI. Part IV. Page 213.
Nuyts Land
1.St Pieter.
Edels Land.
Lewins Land,
1. S.Francoi.
HOUYHNHNMS
LAND.
Diſcovered AD.171.
Swecs].
1.Madjuyker.
DeWits T
[ 213 ]
TRAVEL S.
PART.
IV.
A VOYAGE to the Country of the
HoUY HN HN M S.
CHAP. I.
The Author fets out as Captain of a Ship. His
Men confpire against him, confine him a long
Time to his Cabbin. Set him on Shore in an un-
known Land. He travels up into the Country.
The Yahoos, a Strange Sort of Animal, de-
fcribed. The Author meets two Houyhnhnms.
I
Continued at Home with my Wife and Children
about five Months, in a very happy Condition, if
I could have learned the Leffon of knowing when
I was well. I left my poor Wife big with Child, and
accepted an advantageous Offer made me, to be Cap-
tain of the Adventure, a ftout Merchant-man, of 350
Tuns: For I underſtood Navigation well, and being
grown weary of a Surgeon's Employment at Sea,
which, however, I could exercife upon Occafion, I
took a ſkilful young Man of that Calling, one Robert
Purefoy, into my Ship. We fet Sail from Portsmouth
upon the 2d Day of August, 1710; on the 14th, we
met with Captain Pocock, of Bristol, at Tenariff, who
was going to the Bay of Campechy, to cut Logwood.
On the 16th, he was parted from us by a Storm; I
heard, fince my Return, that his Ship foundered, and
P 3
nong
214
AVOYAGE
none eſcaped, but one Cabbin-boy. He was an ho-
neſt Man, and a good Sailor, but a little too pofitive
in his own Opinions, which was the Cauſe of his De-
ſtruction, as it hath been of ſeveral others. For, if he
had followed my Advice, he might have been fafe at
Home with his Family at this Time, as well as my-
felf.
I had ſeveral Men died in my Ship of Calentures, fo
that I was forced to get Recruits out of Barbadoes, and
the Leeward Iſlands, where I touched, by the Direction
of the Merchants who employed me; which I had
foon too much Caufe to repent; for I found afterwards,
that moſt of them had been Bucaneers. I had fifty
Hands on Board, and my Orders were, that I fhould
trade with the Indians, in the South-Sca, and make
what Diſcoveries I could. Thefe Rogues, whom I
had picked up, debauched my other Men, and they
all formed a Confpiracy to feize the Ship, and fecure
me; whch they did one Morning, rufhing into my
Cabbin, and binding me Hand and Foot, threatening
to throw me over-board, if I offered to flir. I told
them, I was their Priſoner, and would fubmit. This
they made me fwear to do, and then they unbound me,
only faſtening one of my Legs with a Chain near my
Bed, and placed a Centry at my Door with his Piece
charged, who was commanded to fhoot me dead, if I
attempted my Liberty. They fent me down Victuals
and Drink, and took the Government of the Ship to
themſelves. Their Defign was to turn Pyrates, and
plunder the Spaniards, which they could not do, till
they got more Men. But first they reſolved to fell the
Goods in the Ship, and then go to Madagaſcar for
Recruits, feveral among them having died fince my
Confinement. They failed many Weeks, and traded
with the Indians; but I knew not what Courſe they
took, being kept a clofe Prifoner in my Cabbin, and
expecting nothing lefs than to be murdered, as they
often threatened me.
Upon
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
215
Upon the 9th Day of May, 1711, one James Welch
came down to my Cabbin, and faid he had Orders
from the Captain, to fet me a-fhore. I expoftulated
with him, but in vain; neither would he ſo much as
tell me who their new Captain was. They forced me
into the Long boat, letting me put on my beft Suit of
Cloaths, which were as good as new, and a ſmall
Bundle of Linnen, but no Arms, except my Hanger;
and they were ſo civil as not to fearch my Pockets, in-
to which I conveyed what Money I had, with fome
other little Neceffaries. They rowed about a League;
and then fet me down on a Strand. I defired them to
tell me, what Country it was. They all fwore, they
knew no more than myſelf, but faid, that the Captain
(as they called him) was refolved, after they had fold
the Lading, to get rid of me in the firſt Place, where
they could difcover Land. They puſhed off immedi-
ately, advifing me to make Hafte, for fear of being
overtaken by the Tide, and fo bad me Farewel.
In this defolate Condition I advanced forward, and
foon got upon firm Ground, where I fat down on a
Bank to reſt myſelf, and confider what I had beſt to do.
When I was a little refreshed, I went up into the Coun-
try, refolving to deliver myſelf to the firft Savages I
fhould meet, and purchafe my Life from them, by
fome Bracelets, glafs Rings, and other Toys, which
Sailors ufually provide themſelves with in thofe Voy-
ages, and whereof I had fome about me: The Land
was divided by long Rows of Trees, not regularly
planted, but naturally growing; there was great Plen-
ty of Graſs, and ſeveral Fields of Oats. I walked ve-
ry circumfpecly, for fear of being ſurpriſed, or fud-
denly fhot with an Arrow from behind, or on either
Side. I fell into a beaten Road, where I faw many
Tracts of human Feet, and fome of Cows, but moſt
of Horfes. At laft I beheld feveral Animals in a Field,
and one or two of the fame Kind fitting in Trees.
Their Shape was very fingular, and deformed, which a
little difcompofed me, fo that I lay down behind a
PA
Thicket
216
AVOYAGE
Thicket to obferve them better. Some of them, com-
ing forward near the Place where I lay, gave me an
Opportunity of diftinctly marking their Form. Their
Heads and Breafts were covered with a thick Hair,
fome frizled, and others lank; they had Beards like
Goats, and a long Ridge of Hair down their Backs,
and the Fore-parts of their Legs and Feet; but the
reft of their Bodies were bare, fo that I might fee
their Skins, which were of a brown buff Colour.
They had no Tails, nor any Hair at all on their
Buttocks, except about the Anus; which, I prefume,
Nature had placed there, to defend them as they fat on
the Ground; for this Pofture they ufed, as well as
Lying down, and often ſtood on their hind Feet. They
climbed high Trees, as nimbly as a Squirrel, for they
had ftrong extended Claws before and behind, termi-
nating in ſharp Points, and hooked. They would of-
ten ſpring, and bound, and leap with prodigious Agi-
lity. The Females were not fo large as the Males;
they had long lank Hair on their Heads, but none on
their Faces, nor any Thing more than a Sort of Down
on the rest of their Bodies, except about the Anus, and
Pudenda. Their Dugs hung between their Fore-feet,
and often reached almoft to the Ground as they walk-
ed. The Hair of both Sexes was of feveral Colours,
brown, red, black, and yellow. Upon the Whole, I
never beheld, in all my Travels, fo difagreeable an A-
nimal, nor one againſt which I naturally conceived ſo
ftrong an Antipathy. So that thinking I had feen e-
nough, full of Contempt and Averfion, I got up, and
purſued the beaten Road, hoping it might direct me to
the Cabbin of fome Indian. I had not got far, when
I met one of theſe Creatures full in my Way, and
coming up directly to me. The ugly Monfter, when
he faw me, distorted feveral Ways every Feature of
his Vifage, and ftared as at an Object he had never
feen before; then, approaching nearer, lifted up his
Fore-paw, whether out of Curiofity or Miſchief, I
could not tell. But I drew my Hanger, and gave him
a good
to the HOUYHNHNM S.
ziz
a good Blow with the flat Side of it, for I durft not
ftrike with the Edge, fearing the Inhabitants might be
provoked against me, if they fhould come to know,
that I had killed or maimed any of their Cattle. When
the Beaſt felt the Smart, he drew back, and roared fo
loud, that a Herd, of at leaſt forty, came flocking a-
bout me from the next Field, houling and making o-
dious Faces; but I ran to the Body of a Tree, and,
leaning my Back against it, kept them off, by waving
my Hanger. Several of this curfed Brood getting hold
of the Branches behind, leapt up into the Tree, from.
whence they began to diſcharge their Excrements on
my Head: However, I eſcaped pretty well, by fticking
cloſe to the Stem of the Tree, but was almoft ftifled
with the Filth, which fell about me on every Side.
In the Midst of this Diftrefs, I obferved them all to
run away on a fudden as faſt as they could, at which
I ventured to leave the Tree, and purſue the Road,
wondering what it was that could put them into this
Fright. But, looking on my left Hand, I faw a Horfe
walking foftly in the Field; which my Perfecutors ha-
ving fooner difcovered, was the Cauſe of their Flight.
The Horfe ftarted a little when he came near me, but,
foon recovering himſelf, looked full in my Face, with
manifeſt Tokens of Wonder: He viewed my Hands
and Feet, walking round me feveral Times. I would
have purfued my Journey, but he placed himſelf direct-
ly in the Way, yet looking with a very mild Afpe&t,
never offering the leaft Violence. We ftood gazing at
each other for fome Time; at laft I took the Boldneſs
to reach my Hand towards his Neck, with a Defign to
ftroak it, using the common Style and Whiſtle of Joc-
kies, when they are going to handle a ſtrange Horſe.
But this Animal feemned to receive my Civilities with
Difdain, fhook his Head, and bent his Brows, foftly
raifing up his right Fore foot to remove my Hand.
Then he neighed three or four Times, but in fo different
a Cadence, that I almoft began to think he was ſpeak-
ing to himſelf in fome Language of his own.
While
218
AVOYAGE
While he and I were thus employed, another Horfe
came up; who, applying himſelf to the firft in a very
formal Manner, they gently ftruck each other's right
Hoof before, Neighing feveral Times by Turns, and
varying the Sound, which feemed to be almoſt articulate,
They went fome Paces off, as if it were to confer toge-
ther, walking Side by Side, backward and forward,
like Perfons deliberating upon fome Affair of Weight,
but often turning their Eyes towards me, as it were to
watch that I might not efcape. I was amazed to ſee
fuch Actions and Behaviour in Brute Beafts; and con-
cluded with myſelf, that if the Inhabitants of this Coun-
try were indued with a proportionable Degree of Rea-
fon, they muſt needs be the wife People upon Earth.
This Thought gave me fo much Comfort, that I re-
folved to go forward, until I could diſcover fome Houſe
or Village, or meet with any of the Natives; leaving
the two Horfes to difcourfe together as they pleafed.
But the first, who was a Dapple-grey, obferving me to
fteal off, neighed after me in fo expreffive a Tone,
that I fancied myſelf to underſtand what he meant ;
whereupon I turned back, and came near him, to ex-
pect his farther Commands; but concealing my Fear
as much as I could; for I began to be in fome Pain,
how this Adventure might terminate; and the Reader
will eaſily believe I did not much like my preſent Situ-
ation.
The two Horſes came up cloſe to me, looking with
great Earnestnefs upon my Face and Hands. The
grey Steed rubbed my Hat all round with his right
Fore-hoof, and difcompofed it fo much, that I was
forced to adjust it better, by taking it off, and fettling
it again; whereat both he and his Companion (who
was a brown Bay) appeared to be much furpriſed; the
latter felt the Lappet of my Coat, and, finding it to
hang loofe about me, they both looked with Signs of
Wonder. He flroaked my right Hand, feeming to ad-
mire the Softnefs, and Colour; but he ſqueezed it ſo
hard between his Hoof and his Paftern, that I was
forced
to the HOUYHNHNM S.
219
forced to roar; after which, they both touched me
with all poffible Tenderneſs. They were under great
Perplexity about my Shoes and Stockings, which they
felt very often, neighing to each other, and ufing va-
rious Geſtures, not unlike thofe of a Philofopher, when
he would attempt to folve fome new and difficult Phæ-
nomenon.
Upon the Whole, the Behaviour of theſe Animals
was ſo orderly and rational, ſo acute and judicious, that
I at laſt concluded, they must needs be Magicians,
who had thus metamorphofed themſelves upon fome
Defign, and, feeing a Stranger in the Way, was refolved
to divert themſelves with him; or, perhaps, were
really amazed at the Sight of a Man fo very different
in Habit, Feature, and Complexion, from thofe who
might probably live in fo remote a Climate. Upon
the Strength of this Reafoning, I ventured to addrefs
them in the following Manner: Gentlemen, if you be
Conjurers, as I have good Cauſe to believe, you can
underſtand any Language; therefore, I make bold to
let your Worſhips know, that I am a poor diſtreſſed
Englishman, driven by his Misfortunes upon your Coaft,
and I entreat one of you, to let me ride upon his Back,
as if he were a real Horſe, to fome Houfe or Village,
where I can be relieved. In Return of which Favour,
I will make you a Preſent of this Knife and Bracelet
(taking them out of my Pocket). The two Creatures
food filent while I fpoke, feeming to liften with great
Attention; and, when I had ended, they neighed fre-
quently towards each other, as if they were engaged in
ferious Converfation. I plainly obferved, that their
Language expreffed the Paffions very well, and the
Words might with little Pains be refolved into an Al-
phabet, more eaſily than the Chineſe.
I could frequently distinguish the Word Yahoo, which
was repeated by each of them feveral Times; and, al-
though it was impoffible for me to conjecture what it
meant, yet, while the two Horfes were bufy in Con-
verfation, I endeavoured to practife this Word upon
my
220
AVOYAGE
my Tongue; and, as foon as they were filent, I bold-
ly pronounced Yahoo, in a loud Voice, imitating, at
the fame Time, as near as I could, the Neighing of a
Horfe; at which they were both vifibly furprifed, and
the Grey repeated the fame Word twice, as if he
meant to teach me the right Accent, wherein I fpoke
after him as well as I could, and found myſelf percei-
vably to improve every Time, though very far from.
any Degree of Perfection. Then the Bay tried me
with a fecond Word, much harder to be pronounced;
but, reducing it to the English Orthography, may be
fpelt thus, Houyhnhnm. I did not fucceed in this, fo
well as the former; but, after two or three farther
Trials, I had better Fortune; and they both appeared
amazed at my Capacity.
After fome farther Difcourfe, which I then conjec-
tured might relate to me, the two Friends took their
Leaves, with the fame Compliment of ftriking each
other's Hoof; and the Grey made me Signs that I
fhould walk before him; wherein I thought it prudent
to comply, till I could find a better Director. When
I offered to flacken my Pace, he would cry Hhuun,
Hhuun; I gueffed his Meaning, and gave him to un-
derſtand, as well as I could, that I was weary, and not
able to walk fafter; upon which, he would ſtand a
while to let me reſt.
CHA P. II.
The Author conducted by a Houyhnhnm to his Houſe.
The Houfe defcribed. The Author's Reception.
The Food of the Houyhnhnms.
The Author in
Diftrefs for Want of Meat, is at laſt relieved.
His Manner of Feeding in this Country.
HA
Aving travelled about three Miles, we came to a
long Kind of Building, made of Timber, ſtuck
to the Ground, and wattled a-crofs; the Roof was low,
and
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
228
and covered with Straw. I now began to be a little
comforted; and took out fome Toys, which Travellers
ufually carry for Prefents to the favage Indians of Ame-
rica, and other Parts, in Hopes the People of the Houfe
would be thereby encouraged to receive me kindly.
The Horfe made me a Sign to go in first; it was a large
Room with a ſmooth clay Flocr, and a Rack and Man-
ger, extending the whole Length on one Side. There
were three Nags, and two Mares not eating, but fome
of them fitting down upon their Hams, which I ve y
much wondered at; but wondered more to ſee the reft
employed in domeftic Buſineſs: Theſe feemed but ordi-
nary Cattle; however, this confirmed my firft Opinion,
that a People, who could fo far civilize brute Animals,
muft needs excel in Wifdom all the Nations of the
World. The Grey came in juft after, and thereby
prevented any ill Treatment, which the others might
have given me. He neighed to them feveral Times in
a Style of Authority, and received Anſwers.
Beyond this Room there were three others, reaching
the Length of the Houfe, to which you paffed through
three Doors, oppoſite to each other, in the Manner of
a Vifta; we went through the fecond Room towards
the third; here the Grey walked in first, beckoning me
to attend; I waited in the fecond Room, and got ready
my Prefents for the Maſter and Miſtreſs of the Houſe:
They were two Knives, three Bracelets of falfe Pearl,
a fmall Looking-glafs, and a Bead Necklace. The
Horfe neighed three or four Times, and I waited to
hear fome Anſwers in a human Voice, but I obferred
no other Returns, than in the fame Dialect, only one
or two a little thriller than his. I began to think that
this Houſe muſt belong to fome Perſon of great Note a-
mong them, becauſe there appeared fo much Ceremony,
before I could gain Admittance. But, that a Man of
Quality fhould be ferved all by Horfes, was beyond my
Comprehenfion. I feared my Brain was difturbed by
my Sufferings and Misfortunes: I roufed myfelf, and
looked about me in the Room where I was left alone;
this
222
AVOYAGE
this was furniſhed like the firft, only after a more ele-
gant Manner. I rubbed my Eyes often, but the fame
Objects ftill occurred. I pinched my Arms and Sides,
to awake myſelf, hoping I might be in a Dream. I
then abfolutely concluded, that all thefe Appearances
could be nothing elfe but Necromancy and Magic. But
I had no Time to purſue theſe Reflections; for the
Grey Horſe came to the Door, and made me a Sign to
follow him into the third Room; where I faw a very
comely Mare, together with a Colt and Fole, fitting on
their Haunches, upon Matts of Straw, not unartfully
made, and perfectly neat and clean.
The Mare, foon after my Entrance, rofe from her
Matt, and coming up cloſe, after having nicely obſerved
my Hands and Face, gave me a molt contemptuous
Look; then, turning to the Horſe, I heard the Word
Yahoo often repeated betwixt them; the Meaning of
which Word I could not then comprehend, although it
were the firſt I had learned to pronounce; but I was
foon better informed, to my everlaſting Mortification:
For the Horfe beckoning to me with his Head, and re-
peating the Word Hhuun, Hhuun, as he did upon the
Road, which I underſtood was to attend him, led me
out into a Kind of Court, where was another Building
at fome Diſtance from the Houfe. Here we entered,
and I faw three of thoſe deteftable Creatures, whom I
first met after my Landing, feeding upon Roots, and
the Flesh of fome Animals, which I afterwards found to
be that of Affes and Dogs, and now and then a Cow
dead by Accident or Difeafe. They were all tied by
the Neck with ſtrong Wyths, faſtened to a Beam; they
held their Food between the Claws of their Fore-feet,
and tore it with their Teeth.
The Mafter Horfe ordered a Sorrel Nag, one of his
Servants, to untie the largeft of thefe Animals, and take
him into the Yard. The Beaft and I were brought
clofe together; and our Countenances diligently com-
pared, both by Mafter and Servant, who thereupon re-
peated feveral Times the Word Yahoo. My Horror
and
to the HOUYHNÍN MS. 223
and Aftoniſhment are not to be defcribed, when I ob-
ſerved, in this abominable Animal, a perfect human
Figure; the Face of it, indeed, was flat and broad, the
Noſe depreffed, the Lips large, and the Mouth wide:
But theſe Differences are common to all favage Nations,
where the Lineaments of the Countenance are diftorted,
by the Natives fuffering their Infants to lie groveling
on the Earth, or by carrying them on their Backs,
nuzzling with their Face againſt the Mother's Shoul-
ders. The Fore-feet of the Yahoo differed from my
Hands in nothing elfe, but the Length of the Nails,
the Coarfenefs and Brownnefs of the Palms, and the
Hairinefs on the Backs. There was the fame Refem-
blance between our Feet, with the fame Differences,
which I knew very well, though the Horfes did not,
becauſe of my Shoes and Stockings; the fame in every
Part of our Bodies, except as to Hairinefs and Colour,
which I have already defcribed.
The great Difficulty, that feemed to flick with the
two Horſes, was, to fee the reft of my Body ſo very
different from that of a raboo, for which I was obliged
to my Cloaths, whereof they had no Conception: The
Sorrel Nag offered me a Root, which he held (after
their Manner, as we ſhall defcribe in its proper Place}
between his Hoof and Paftern; I took it in my Hand,
and, having fmelt it, returned it to him again as civil-
ly as I could. He brought out of the Yahoo's Kennet
a Piece of Afs's Fleſh, but it fmelt fo offenfively, that
I turned from it with Loathing; he then threw it to
the Yahoo, by whom it was greedily devoured. He af-
terwards fhewed me a Whip of Hay, and a Fetlock
full of Oats; but I fhook my Head, to fignify, that
neither of theſe were Food for me. And, indeed, I
now apprehended that I muft abfolutely ftarve, if I did
not get to fome of my own Species: For as to thoſe
filthy Faboos, although there were few greater Lovers:
of Mankind, at that Time, than myfelf; yet, I con-
fefs, I never faw any fenfitive Being fo deteftable on
all Accounts; and the more I came near them, the
more
224.
A VOYAGE
more hateful they grew, while I ſtayed in that Country,
This the Maſter Horfe obferved by my Behaviour, and
therefore fent the Yahoo back to his Kennel. He then
put his Fore-hoof to his Mouth, at which I was much
furpriſed, although he did it with Eafe, and with a
Motion that appeared perfectly natural; and made o-
ther Signs to know what I would eat; but I could not
return him fuch an Anfwer as he was able to appre-
hend; and, if he had underſtood me, I did not fee how
it was poffible to contrive any Way for finding myſelf
Nourishment. While we were thus engaged, I ob-
ferved a Cow paffing by, whereupon I pointed to her,
and expreffed a Defire to let me go and milk her. This
had its Effect; for he led me back into the Houſe,
and ordered a Mare-fervant to open a Room, where
a good Store of Milk lay in earthen and wooden Vef-
fels, after a very orderly and cleanly Manner. She
gave me a large Bowl full, of which I drank very hear-
tily, and found myſelf well refreſhed.
About Noon, I faw coming towards the Houſe a
Kind of Vehicle, drawn like a Sledge, by four Yahoos.
There was in it an old Steed, who ſeemed to be of Qua-
lity; he alighted with his Hind-feet forward, having,
by Accident, got a Hurt in his Fore-foot. He came
to dine with our Horfe, who received him with great
Civility. They dined in the beſt Room, and had Oats
boiled in Milk for the fecond Courſe, which the old
Horſe eat warm, but the reft cold. Their Mangers
were placed circular in the Middle of the Room, and
divided into feveral Partitions, round which they fat
on their Haunches upon Boffes of Straw. In the Mid-
dle was a large Rack, with Angles anfwering to every
Partition of the Manger. So that each Horſe and
Mare eat their own Hay, and their own Mafh of Oats
and Milk, with much Decency and Regularity. The
Behaviour of the young Colt and Fole appeared very
modeft; and that of the Mafter and Miſtreſs, extreme-
ly chearful and complaifant to their Gueft. The Grey
ordered me to ftand by him; and much Difcourfe
paffed
to the HOUYHN HNM S.
225
paffed between him and his Friend concerning me, as
I found by the Stranger's often Looking on me, and
the frequent Repetition of the Word Yahoo.
I happened to wear my Gloves, which the Maf-
ter Grey obſerving, feemed perplexed, diſcovering Signs
of Wonder what I had done to my Fore feet; he put
his Hoof three or four Times to them, as if he would
fignify, that I ſhould reduce them to their former Shape,
which I prefently did, pulling off both my Gloves, and
putting them into my Pocket. This occafioned far-
ther Talk, and I faw the Company was pleaſed with
my Behaviour, whereof I foon found the good Effects.
I was ordered to ſpeak the few Words I underſtood;
and while they were at Dinner, the Mafter taught me
the Names for Oats, Milk, Fire, Water, and fome
others; which I could readily pronounce after him,
having from my Youth a great Facility in learning
Languages.
When Dinner was done, the Maſter Horſe took me
afide, and by Signs and Words, made me underftand
the Concern that he was in, that I had nothing to eat.
Oats, in their Tongue, are called Hluunh. This Word
I pronounced two or three Times; for although I had
refuſed them at first, yet, upon fecond Thoughts, I
confidered that I could contrive to make of them a
Kind of Bread, which might be fufficient, with Milk,
to keep me alive, till I could make my Efcape to ſome
other Country, and to Creatures of my own Species.
The Horſe immediately ordered a white Mare fervant,
of his Family, to bring me a good Quantity of Oats,
in a Sort of wooden Tray. Theſe I heated before the
Fire, as well as I could, and rubbed them till the Hufks
came off, which I made a Shift to winnow from the
Grain; 1 ground and beat them between two Stones,
then took Water, and made them into a Patte or Cake,
which I toaſted at the Fire, and eat warm with Milk.
It was at firſt a very infipid Diet, though common
enough in many Parts of Europe, but grew tolerable
by Time; and, having been often reduced to hard
Q
Fare
226
AVOYAGE
Fare in my Life, this was not the firft Experiment I
had made, how eafily Nature is fatisfied. And I can-
not but obſerve, that I never had one Hour's Sick-
nefs, while I ftaid in this Ifland. It is true, I fome-
times made a Shift to catch a Rabbit, or Bird, by
Springs made of Yahoo's Hairs; and I often gathered
wholeſome Herbs, which I boiled, or eat as Salades
with my Bread; and now and then for a Rariety, I
made a little Butter, and drank the Whey. I was at
first at a great Lofs for Salt; but Cuſtom foon recon-
ciled the Want of it; and I am confident, that the
frequent Ufe of Salt, among us, is an Effect of Luxury,
and was first introduced, only as a Provocative to
drink; except where it is neceffary for preferving of
Fleſh in long Voyages, or in Places remote from great
Markets. For we obferve no Animal to be fond of it
but Man And as to myſelf, when I left this Country,
it was a great while before I could endure the Tafte of
it in any Thing that I eat.
This is enough to fay upon the Subject of my Diet,
wherewith other Travellers fill their Books, as if the
Readers were perfonally concerned, whether we fared
well or ill. However, it was neceſſary to mention this
Matter, left the World ſhould think it impoffible that I
could find Suftenance for three Years in fuch a Coun-
try, and among ſuch Inhabitants.
When it grew towards Evening, the Mafter Horſe
ordered a Place for me to lodge in; it was but fix
Yards from the Houſe, and feparated from the Stable
of the Yaboos. Here I got fome Straw, and, covering
myſelf with my own Cloaths, flept very found. But
I was in a fhort Time better accommodated, as the
Reader fhall know hereafter, when I come to treat
more particularly about my Way of Living.
CHAP.
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
CHA P. III.
བ།
7
The Author ftudious to learn the Language; the
Houyhnhnm, his Master, affifts in teaching him.
The Language defcribed. Several Houyhnhnms
of Quality came out of Curiofity to fee the Author.
He gives his Mafter a fhort Account of his Voyage.
M
Y principal Endeavour was to learn the Lan-
guage, which my Mafter (for fo I fhall hence-
forth call him) and his Children, and every Servant of
his Houſe were defirous to teach me. For they looked
upon it as a Prodigy, that a brute Animal ſhould difco-
ver fuch Marks of a rational Creature. I pointed to
every Thing, and enquired the Name of it, which I
wrote down in my Journal-Book when I was alone,
and corrected my bad Accent, by defiring thoſe of the
Family to pronounce it often. In this Employment a
Sorrel Nag, one of the under Servants, was ready to
affit me.
In ſpeaking, they pronounce through the Noſe and
Throat, and their Language approaches nearest to the
High Dutch, or German, of any I know in Europe;
but is much more graceful and fignificant. The Em-
peror Charles V. made almoft the fame Obfervation,
when he ſaid, That, if he were to fpeak to his Horſe,
it ſhould be in High-Dutch.
The Curiofity and Impatience of my Mafter were fo
great, that he ſpent many Hours of his Leiſure to in-
ftru&t me.
He was convinced (as he afterwards told
me) that I muſt be a Yahoo ; but my Teachableneſs,
Civility, and Cleanlineſs aftonished him; which were
Qualities altogether fo oppofite to thofe Animals. He
was moſt perplexed about my Cloaths, reafoning fome-
times with himſelf, whether they were a Part of my
Body; for I never pulled them off till the Family were
afleep, and got them on before they waked in the
Morning. My Mafter was eager to learn from whence
Q2
I came ;
A VOYAGE
I came; how I acquired thofe Appearances of Reaſon,
which I diſcovered in all my Actions; and to know
my Story from my own Mouth, which he hoped he
fhould foon do, by the great Proficiency I made in learn-
ing and pronouncing their Words and Sentences. To
help my Memory, I formed all I learned into the English
Alphabet, and writ the Words down, with the Tranfla-
tions. This laft, after fome Time, I ventured to do
in my Maſter's Prefence. It coft me much Trouble to
explain to him what I was doing; for the Inhabitants
have not the leaft Idea of Books or Literature.
In about ten Weeks Time, I was able to under-
ſtand moſt of his Queſtions; and in three Months could
give him fome tolerable Anſwers. He was extremely
curious to know from what Part of the Country I came,
and how I was taught to imitate a rational Creature;
becauſe the Yahoos (whom he faw I exactly refembled
in my Head, Hands, and Face, that were only vifi-
ble) with fome Appearance of Cunning, and the ftrong-
eft Difpofition to Mifchief, were obferved to be the
moft unteachable of all Brutes. I answered, That I
came over the Sea, from a far Place, with many others.
of my own Kind, in a great hollow Veffel made of
the Bodies of Trees; that my Companions forced me
to land on this Coaft, and then left me to fhift for my-
felf. It was with fome Difficulty, and by the Help
of many Signs, that I brought him to underſtand me.
He replied, That I muſt needs be mistaken, or that I
faid the Thing which was not (for they have no Word
in their Language to exprefs Lying or Falfehood). He
knew it was impoffible that there could be a Country
beyond the Sea, or that a Parcel of Brutes could move
a wooden Veffel whither they pleafed upon Water.
He was fure no Houyhnhnm alive could make fuch a
Veffel, nor would truſt Yahoos to manage it.
The Word Houyhnhnm, in their Tongue, fignifies a
Horfe, and in its Etymology, the Perfection of Nature.
I told my Maſter, that I was at a Lofs for Expreffion,
but would improve as fast as I could; and hoped in a
fhort
to the HOUYHNHN MS.
229
fhort Time I fhould be able to tell him Wonders: He
was pleaſed to direct his own Mare, his Colt and Fole,
and the Servants of the Family, to take all Opportu-
nities of inftructing me; and every Day, for two or
three Hours, he was at the fame Pains himself: Seve-
ral Horfes and Mares of Quality, in the Neighbour-
hood, came often to our Houſe, upon the Report ſpread
of a wonderful Yahoo, that could ſpeak like a Houyhnhnm,
and ſeemed, in his Words and Actions, to diſcover
fome Glimmerings of Reaſon. Theſe delighted to con-
verfe with me; they put many Queſtions, and received
fuch Anſwers as I was able to return. By all theſe
Advantages, I made fo great a Progrefs, that, in five
Months from my Arrival, I underſtood whatever was
ſpoke, and could expreſs myſelf tolerably well.
The Houyhnhnms who came to vifit my Mafter, out
of a Defign of feeking and talking with me, could hard-
ly believe me to be a right Yahoo, becauſe my Body
had a different Covering from others of my Kind.
They were aftoniſhed to obferve me without the ufual
Hair, or Skin, except on my Head, Face and Hands;
but I difcovered that Secret to my Mafter, upon an
Accident, which happened about a Fortnight before.
I have already told the Reader, that every Night
when the Family were gone to Bed, it was my Custom
to ſtrip, and cover myſelf with my Cloaths: It hap-
pened one Morning early, that my Mafter fent for me,
by the Sorrel Nag, who was his Valet; when he came,
I was faſt aſleep, my Cloaths fallen off on one Side, and
my Shirt above my Wafte. I awaked at the Noiſe he
made, and obſerved him to deliver his Meffage in fome
Diſorder; after which he went to my Mafter, and in
a great Fright gave him a very confuſed Account of
what he had feen: This I prefently difcovered; for
going as foon as I was dreffed, to pay my Attendance
upon his Honour, he asked me the Meaning of what
his Servant had reported; that I was not the fame
Thing when I flept, as I appeared to be at other Times ;
23
that
230
AVOYAGE
that his Valet affured him fome Part of me was white,
fome yellow, at least not fo white, and fome brown.
I had hitherto concealed the Secret of my Dreſs, in
order to distinguish myſelf, as much as poffible, from
that curfed Race of Taboos; but now I found it in vain
to do fo any longer. Befides, I confidered that my
Cloaths and Shoes would foon wear out, which alrea-
dy were in a declining Condition, and muſt be fupplied
by fome Contrivance from the Hides of Yahoos, or o-
ther Brutes; whereby the whole Secret would be
known I therefore told my Mafter, That, in the
Country from whence I came, thofe of my Kind al-
ways covered their Bodies with the Hairs of certain
Animals prepared by Art, as well for Decency, as to
avoid the Inclemencies of Air both hot and cold; of
which, as to my own Perfon, I would give him im-
mediate Conviction, if he pleaſed to command me;
only defiring his Excufe, if I did not expofe thofe Parts,
that Nature taught us to conceal. He faid
I my Dif
courfe was all very ſtrange, but eſpecially the laft Part;
for he could not underſtand why Nature fhould teach
us to conceal what Nature had given. That neither
himſelf nor Family were afhamed of any Parts of their
Bodies; but, however, I might do as I pleafed.
Whereupon, I firft unbuttoned my Coat, and pulled it
off. I did the fame with my Waiſtcoat; I drew off
my Shoes, Stockings, and Breeches. I let my Shirt
down to my Waift, and drew up the Bottom, faften-
ing it like a Girdle about my Middle to hide my Na-
kedness.
My Mafter obferved the whole Performance with
great Signs of Curiofity and Admiration. He took up
all my Cloaths in his Pallern, one Piece after another,
and examined them diligently; he ftroaked my Body
very gently, and looked round me feveral Times, after
which he faid, it was plain I muſt be a perfect Yaboo;
but that I differed very much from the rest of my Spe-
cies, in the Softneſs, and Whiteneſs, and Smoothness of
my Skin, my Want of Hair in feveral Parts of my Bo-
dy2
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
231
dy, the Shape and Shortness of my Claws behind and
before, and my Affectation of Walking continually on
my two hinder Feet. He defired to fee no more;
and gave me Leave to put on my Cloaths again, for I
was ſhuddering with Cold.
I expreffed my Uneafinefs at his giving me fo often
the Appellation of Yahoo, an odious Animal, for which
I had fo utter an Hatred and Contempt: I begged he
would forbear applying that Word to me, and take
the fame Order in his Family, and among his Friends,
whom he fuffered to fee me. I requeſted likewife,
that the Secret of my having a falfe Covering to my
Body might be known to none but himſelf, at least,
as long as my prefent Cloathing fhould laft; for, as to
what the Sorrel Nag, his Valet, had obferved, his Ho-
nour might command him to conceal it.
All this my Mafter very gracioufly confented to, and
thus the Secret was kept till my Cloaths began to wear
out, which I was forced to fupply by feveral Contri-
vances, that ſhall hereafter be mentioned. In the mean
Time, he defired I would go on with my utmoſt Di-
ligence to learn their Language, becauſe he was more
aftoniſhed at my Capacity for Speech and Reaſon, than
at the Figure of my Body, whether it were covered or
no; adding, that he waited with fome Impatience to
hear the Wonders which I promiſed to tell him.
From thenceforward he doubled the Pains he had
been at to inſtruct me; he brought me into all Com-
pany, and made them treat me with Civility, becauſe,
as he told them privately, this would put me into good
Humour, and make me more diverting.
Every Day, when I waited on him, befide the Trou-
ble he was at in Teaching, he would aſk me ſeveral
Queſtions concerning myfelf, which I answered as well
as I could; and by thefe Means, he had already re-
ceived fome general Ideas, though very imperfect. It
would be tedious to relate the feveral Steps, by which
I advanced to a more regular Converfation: But the
first
Q4
232
A VOYAGE
firſt Account I gave of myſelf, in any Order and Length,
was to this Purpoſe:
That I came from a very far Country, as I already
had attempted to tell him, with about fifty more of my
own Species; that we travelled upon the Seas, in a
great hollow Veffel made of Wood, and larger than
his Honour's Houfe. I defcribed the Ship to him in
the beſt Terms I could, and explained, by the Help of
my Handkerchief difplayed, how it was driven for-
ward by the Wind. That, upon a Quarrel among us,
I was fet on Shore on this Coaſt, where I walked for-
ward, without knowing whither, till he delivered me
from the Perfecution of thoſe execrable Yaboos. He
aſked me, who made the Ship, and how it was poffi-
ble that the Houyhnhnms of my Country would leave it
to the Management of Brutes? My Anfwer was, That
I durft proceed no farther in my Relation, unlefs he
would give me his Word and Honour that he would
not be offended, and then I would tell him the Won-
ders I had fo often promiſed. He agreed, and I went
on, by affuring him, that the Ship was made by Crea-
tures like myfelf, who in all the Countries I had tra-
velled, as well as in my own, were the only govern-
ing, rational Animals; and that, upon my Arrival
hither, I was as much aſtoniſhed to ſee the Houyhnhnms
act like rational Beings, as he or his Friends, could be
in finding ſome Marks of Reaſon in a Creature he was
pleafed to call a raboo; to which I owned my Re-
femblance in every Part, but could not account for their
degenerate and brutal Nature. I faid farther, that if
good Fortune ever reftored me to my Native Country,
to relate my Travels hither, as I refolved to do, eve-
ry Body would believe that I ſaid the Thing which was
not; that I invented the Story out of my own Head;
and, with all poffible Refpect to himfelf, his Family,
and Friends, and under his Promiſe of not being of-
fended, our Countrymen would hardly think it proba-
ble, that a Houyhnhnm fhould be the prefiding Creature
of a Nation, and a Yahoo the Brute.
CHAP.
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
233
CHA P. IV.
The Houyhnhnms Notion of Truth and Falfhood.
The Author's Difcourſe diſapproved by his Maſter.
The Author gives a more particular Account of
himſelf, and the Accidents of his Voyage.
M
Y Mafter heard me with great Appearances of
Uneafinefs in his Countenance; becauſe Doubt-
ing, or not Believing, are fo little known in this Coun-
try, that the Inhabitants cannot tell how to behave
themfclves under fuch Circumſtances. And I remem-
ber, in frequent Difcourfes with my Mafter, concern-
ing the Nature of Manhood, in other Parts of the
World, having Occafion to talk of Lying, and falfe
Reprefentation, it was with much Difficulty that he
comprehended what I meant; although he had other-
wife a moſt acute Judgment. For he argued thus:
That the Ufe of Speech was to mal:e us underſtand
one another, and to receive Information of Facts;
now, if any one faid the Thing that was not, theſe
Ends were defeated; becauſe I cannot properly be ſaid
to underſtand him; and I am fo far from receiving In-
formation, that he leaves me worſe than in Ignorance,
for I am led to believe a Thing Black when it is
White, and Short when it is Long. And thefe were
all the Notions he had concerning that Faculty of Ly-
ing, fo perfectly well understood, and fo univerfally
practiſed, among human Creatures.
To return from this Digreffion; when I afferted that
the faboos were the only governing Animals in my
Country, which, my Mafter faid, was altogether paſt
his Conception, he defired to know, whether we had
Houyhnhnms among us, and what was their Employ-
ment: I told him, we had great Numbers; that in
Summer they grazed in the Fields, and in Winter
were kept in Houſes, with Hay and Oats, were Yahoo-
Servants were employed to rub their Skins fmooth,
comb
234
AVOYAGE
comb their Manes, pick their Feet, ferve them with
Food, and make their Beds. I underſtand you well,
faid my Maſter ; it is now very plain, from all you
have ſpoken, that, whatever Share of Reafon the Ya-
boos pretend to, the Houyhnhnms are your Mafters; I
heartily with our Yahoos would be fo tractable. I beg·
ged his Honour would pleaſe to excufe me from pro-
ceeding any farther, becauſe I was very certain, that
the Account he expected from me would be highly
difpleafing. But he infifted in commanding me to let
him know the beft and the worft: I told him, he ſhould
be obeyed. I owned, that the Houyhnhnms among us,
whom we called Horfes, were the molt generous and
comely Animal we had; that they excelled in Strength
and Swiftnefs; and when they belonged to Perfons of
Quality, employed in Travelling, Racing, or drawing
Chariots, they were treated with much Kindness and
Care, till they fell into Diſeaſes, or became foundered
in the Feet; but then they were fold, and uſed to all
Kind of Drudgery, till they died; after which their
Skins were ftripped, and fold for what they were
worth, and their Bodies left to be devoured by Dogs
and Birds of Prey. But the common Race of Horfes
had not fo good Fortune, being kept by Farmers and
Carriers, and other mean People, who put them to
greater Labour, and fed them worfe. I defcribed, as
well as I could, our Way of Riding; the Shape and
Ufe of a Bridle, a Saddle, a Spur, and a Whip; of
Harneſs and Wheels. I added, that we faflened Plates
of a certain hard Subftance, called Iron, at the Bot-
tom of their Feet, to preferve their Hoofs from be-
ing broken by the ftony Ways on which we often tra-
velled.
My Mafter, after fome Expreflions of great Indig-
nation, wondered how we dared to venture upon a
Houyhnhnm's Back; for he was fure, that the weakest
Servant in his Houfe would be able to fhake off the
frongest Yahoo; or by lying down, and rolling on his
Back, fqueefe the Brute to Death. I anfwered, That
our
to the HOUYHNHN M S. 235
our Horſes were trained up, from three or four Years
old, to the feveral Ufes we intended them for; That,
if any of them proved intolerably vicious, they were
employed for Carriages; that they were feverely beaten,
while they were young, for any mischievous Tricks:
That the Males, defigned for common Ufe of Riding or
Draught, were generally caftrated about two Years after
their Birth, to take down their Spirits, and make them
more tame and gentle; that they were, indeed, fenfible
of Rewards and Puniſhments; but his Honour would
pleaſe to confider, that they had not the leaft Tinc-
ture of Reaſon, any more than the Yahoos in this Coun-
try.
us.
It put me to the Pains of many Circumlocutions to
give my Maſter a right Idea of what I ſpoke; for their
Language doth not abound in Variety of Words, be-
cauſe their Wants and Paffions are fewer than among
But it is impoffible to reprefent his noble Refent-
ment at our favage Treatment of the Houyhnhnm Race;
particularly after I had explained the Manner and Ufe
of caftrating Horfes among us, to hinder them from
propagating their Kind, and to render them more fer-
vile. He faid, if it were poffible there could be any
Country where Yahoos alone were endued with Rea-
fon, they certainly must be the governing Animal; be.
cauſe Reaſon will in Time always prevail againſt brutal
Strength. But, confidering the Frame of our Bodies,
and eſpecially of mine, he thought no Creature of
equal Bulk was fo ill contrived, for employing that
Reaſon in the common Offices of Life; whereupon, he
defired to know, whether thoſe, among whom I lived,
reſembled me, or the Yahoos of his Country. I affured
him, that I was as well fhaped as most of my Age:
But the Younger, and the Females, were much more
foft and tender, and the Skins of the latter, generally
as white as Milk. He faid I differed, indeed, from
other Taboos, being much more cleanly, and not alto-
gether fo deformed; but in Point of real Advantage,
he
236
A VOYAGE
he thought I differed for the worſe. That my Nails
were of no Uſe, either to my Fore or Hinder-feet; as
to my Fore-feet, he could not properly call them by
that Name, for he never obferved me to walk upon
them; that they were too foft to bear the Ground;
that I generally went with them uncovered, neither
was the Covering I fometimes wore on them, of the
fame Shape, or fo flrong as that on my Feet behind.
'That I could not walk with any Security, for, if ei-
ther of my Hinder feet flipped, I mult inevitably fall.
He then began to find Fault with other Parts of my
Body; the Flatness of my Face, the Prominence of my
Nofe, mine Eyes placed directly in Front, fo that I
could not look on either Side, without turning my
Head: That I was not able to feed myſelf, without
lifting one of my Fore-feet to my Mouth: And there-
fore Nature had placed thofe Joints to anſwer that Ne-
ceffity. He knew not what could be the Ufe of thoſe
feveral Clefts and Divifions in my Feet behind, that
theſe were too ſoft to bear the Hardneſs and Sharpneſs
of Stones, without a Covering made from the Skin of
fome other Brute; that my whole Body wanted a Fence
against Heat and Cold, which I was forced to put on
and off every Day with Tedioufnefs and Trouble.
And lastly, that he obſerved every Animal in this
Country naturally to abhor the Yahoos, whom the
Weaker avoided, and the Stronger drove from them.
So that fuppofing us to have the Gift of Reaſon, he
could not fee how it were poffible to cure that natural
Antipathy which every Creature difcovered against us;
nor confequently, how we could tame and render them
ferviceable. However, he would (as he faid) debate
the Matter no farther, becauſe he was more defirous
to know my own Story, the Country where I was born,
and the ſeveral Actions and Events of my Life before
I came hither.
I affured him, how extremely defirous I was, that
he fhould be fatisfied in every Point; but I doubted
much,
to the HOUYHNHNM S.
237
much, whether it would be poffible for me to explain
myſelf on ſeveral Subjects, whereof his Honour could
have no Conception, becaufe I faw nothing in his
Country, to which I could reſemble them. That,
however, I would do my beft, and ftrive to exprefs
myfelf by Similitudes, humbly defiring his Affiftance,
when I wanted proper Words; which he was pleaſed
to promiſe me.
I faid, my Birth was of honeft Parents, in an Iſland
called England, which was remote from this Country,
as many Days Journey as the ftrongeſt of his Honour's
Servants could travel in the annual Courfe of the Sun.
That I was bred a Surgeon, whofe Trade it is to cure
Wounds and Hurts in the Body, got by Accident or
Violence; that my Country was governed by a Fe-
male Man, called a Queen. That I left it to get
Riches, whereby I might maintain myfelf and Family
when I ſhould return. That, in my laſt Voyage, I
was Commander of the Ship, and had about fifty Ya-
hoos under me, many of which died at Sea, and I was
forced to fupply them by others, picked out from fe-
veral Nations. That our Ship was twice in Danger
of being funk; the firit Time by a great Storm, and
the fecond, by ftriking against a Rock. Here my
Mafter interpofed, by afking me, How I could per-
fuade Strangers out of different Countries to venture
with me, after the Loffes I had fuftained, and the Ha-
zards I had run. I faid, they were Fellows of deſpe-
rate Fortunes, forced to fly from the Places of their
Birth, on Account of their Poverty or their Crimes.
Some were undone by Law fuits; others fpent all they
had in Drinking, Whoring, and Gaming; others fled
for Treafon; many for Murder, Theft, Poyfoning,
Robbery, Perjury, Forgery, coining falfe Money, for
committing Rapes or Sodomy; for flying from their
Colours, or deferting to the Enemy, and moft of them
had broken Prifon; none of theſe durft return to their
native Countries for fear of being hanged, or of far-
ving
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ving in a Jail; and, therefore, were under a Neceffity
of feeking a Livelihood in other Places.
During this Difcourſe, my Mafter was pleaſed to
interrupt me ſeveral Times; I had made Ufe of many
Circumlocutions, in defcribing to him the Nature of
feveral Crimes, for which molt of our Crew had been
forced to fly their Country. This Labour took up fe-
veral Days Converſation, before he was able to com-
prehend me. He was wholly at a Lofs to know what
could be the Uſe or Neceffity of practiſing thoſe Vices.
To clear up which, I endeavoured to give him fome
Ideas of the Defire of Power and Riches; of the ter-
rible Effects of Luft, Intemperance, Malice and Envy.
All this I was forced to define and deſcribe, by putting
Cafes, and making Suppofitions. After which, like
one whoſe Imagination was ftruck with fomething ne-
ver feen or heard of before, he would lift up his Eyes with
Amazement and Indignation. Power, Government,
War, Law, Puniſhment, and a thouſand other Things
had no Terms, wherein that Language could expreſs
them; which made the Difficulty almoſt infuperable to
give my Mafter any Conception of what I meant.
But being of an excellent Underſtanding, much im-
proved by Contemplation and Converſe, he at laft ar-
rived at a competent Knowledge of what Human Na-
ture, in our Parts of the World, is capable to perform,
and defired I would give him fome particular Account
of that Land, which we call Europe, but eſpecially of
my own Country.
CHAP;
to the HOUYHNHNM S. 239
CHAP. V.
The Author, at his Mafter's Commands, informs him
of the State of England. The Caufes of War a-
mong the Princes of Europe. The Author begins
to explain the English Conftitution.
TH
HE Reader may pleaſe to obferve, that the fol-
lowing Extract of many Converſations I had
with my Maſter, contains a Summary of the moſt ma-
terial Points, which were difcourfed at feveral Times,
for above two Years; his Honour often defiring fuller
Satisfaction, as I farther improved in the Houyhnhnm
Tongue. I laid before him, as well as I could the
whole State of Europe; I difcourfed of Trade and Ma-
nufactures, of Arts and Sciences; and the Anfwers I
gave to all the Questions he made, as they arofe upon
feveral Subjects, were a Fund of Converfation, not to
be exhausted. But I fhall here only fet down the Sub-
ſtance of what paffed between us concerning my own
Country, reducing it into Order as well as I can,
without any Regard to Time, or other Circumftances,
while I ftrictly adhere to Truth. My only Concern is,
that I fhall hardly be able to do Juftice to my Mafter's
Arguments and Expreffions, which muft needs fuffer,
by my Want of Capacity, as well as by a Tranſlation
into our barbarous English.
In Obedience, therefore, to his Honour's Commands,
I related to him the Revolution under the Prince of
Orange; the long War with France entered into by
the faid Prince, and renewed by his Succeffor the pre-
fent Queen, wherein the greateſt Powers of Chriften-
dom were engaged, and which fill continued: I com-
puted, at his Requeſt, that about a Million of Fabcos
might have been killed in the whole Progrefs of it;
and, perhaps, a hundred or more Cities taken, and
Ave Times as many Ships burnt or funk.
He
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He asked me what were the uſual Cauſes or Motives
that made one Country go to War with another. I
anſwered they were innumerable; but I ſhould only
mention a few of the chief. Sometimes the Ambition
of Princes, who never think they have Land or Peo-
ple enough to govern; Sometimes the Corruption of
Miniſters, who engage their Mafter in a War, in or-
der to ftifle or divert the Clamour of the Subjects a-
gainſt their evil Adminiftration. Difference in Opi-
nions hath coſt many Millions of Lives: For Inftance,
whether Flesh be Bread, or Bread be Flish; whether
the Juice of a certain Berry be Blood or Iine; whether
Whiffling be a Vice or Virtue; whether it be better
to kiss a Poft, or throw it into the Fire; what is the
beſt Colour for a Coat, whether Black, White, Red, or
Grey; and whether it fhould be long or short, narrow
or wide, dirty or clean, with many more.
Neither are
any Wars fo furious and bloody, or of fo long Conti-
nuance, as thofe occafioned by Difference in Opinion,
eſpecially if it be in Things indifferent.
Sometimes the Quarrel between two Princes is to
decide, which of them fhall difpoffefs a third of his Do-
minions, where neither of them pretend to any Right.
Sometimes one Prince quarrelleth with another, for
fear the other ſhould quarrel with him. Sometimes a
War is entered upon, becauſe the Enemy is too ftrong ;
and fometimes, becauſe he is too weak. Sometimes
our Neighbours want the Things which we have, or
have the Things which we avant; and we both fight,
till they take ours, or give us theirs. It is a very juftifia-
ble Cauſe of a War, to invade a Country, after the
People have been walled by Famine, deſtroyed by Pef-
tilence, or embroiled by Factions among themſelves.
It is juftifiable to enter into War against our neareſt Al-
ly, when one of his Towns lies convenient for us, or a
Territory of Land, that would render our Dominions
round and compleat. If a Prince fends Forces into a
Nation, where the People are poor and ignorant, he
may lawfully put half of them to Death, and make
Slaves
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
241
Slaves of the reft, in order to civilize and reduce them
from their barbarous Way of Living. It is a very
kingly, honourable, and frequent Practice, when
one Prince defires the Affiſtance of another to fecure
him against an Invafion, that the Affiftant, when he
hath driven out the Invader, fhould feize on the Do-
minions himſelf, and kill, impriſon, or banish the
Prince he came to relieve. Alliance by Blood, or
Marriage, is a frequent Cauſe of War between Princes;
and the nearer the Kindred is, the greater is their
Difpofition to quarrel: Poor Nations are hungry, and
rich Nations are proud; and Pride and Hunger will
ever be at Variance. For thefe Reafons, the Trade
of a Soldier is held the moſt honourable of all others:
Becauſe a Soldier is a Yahoo hired to kill in cold Blood
as many of his own Species, who had never offended
him, as poffibly he can.
There is, likewiſe, a Kind of beggarly Princes in
Europe, not able to make War by themſelves, who
hire out their Troops to richer Nations, for fo much
a Day to each Man; of which they keep Three-
fourths to themfelves, and it is the beſt Part of their
Maintenance; fuch are thoſe in many Northern Parts
of Europe.
What you have told me (faid my Maſter) upon the
Subject of War, does, indeed, difcover most admira-
bly the Effects of that Reaſon you pretend to: How-
ever, it is happy that the Shame is greater than the
Danger; and that Nature hath left you utterly inca».
pable of doing much Miſchief.
For, your Mouths lying flat with your Faces, you
can hardly bite each other to any Purpoſe, unleſs by
Confent. Then as to the Claws upon your Feet be.
fore and behind, they are fo fhort and tender, that
one of our Fahoos would drive a Dozen of yours be.
fore him. And, therefore, in recounting the Num-
bers of thoſe who have been killed in Battle, I can-
not but think that you have faid the Thing which is
I could
not.
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242
AVOYAGE
I could not forbear fhaking my Head, and fmiling
a little at his Ignorance. And, being no Stranger to
the Art of War, I gave him a Defcription of Cannons,
Culverins, Muſkets, Carabines, Piſtols, Bullets, Pow-
der, Swords, Bayonets, Battles, Sieges, Retreats, At-
tacks, Undermines, Countermines, Bombardments,
Sea-fights; Ships funk with a thouſand Men; twen-
ty-thouſand killed on each Side; dying Groans,
Limbs flying in the Air; Smoke, Noife, Confufion,
Trampling to Death under Horfes Feet; Flight, Pur-
fuit. Victory; Fields ftrewed with Carcafes, left for
Food to Dogs and Wolves, and Birds of Prey; Plun-
dering, Stripping, Raviſhing, Burning and Deſtroying.
And, to fet forth the Valour of my own dear Coun-
trymen, I affured him, that I had ſeen them blow up a
hundred Enemies at once in a Siege, and as many in
a Ship; and beheld the dead Bodies come down in
Pieces from the Clouds, to the great Diverſion of the
Spectators,
I was going on to more Particulars when my Maf-
ter commanded me Silence. He faid, Whoever un-
derſtood the Nature of Yahoos, might eafily believe it
poffible for fo vile an Animal, to be capable of every
Action I had named, if their Strength and Cunning
equalled their Malice. But as my Difcourfe had in-
creafed his Abhorrence of the whole Species, fo he
found it gave him a Diſturbance in his Mind, to which
he was wholly a Stranger before. He thought his
Ears, being uſed to ſuch abominable Words, might,
by Degrees, admit them with lefs Deteftation. That
although he hated the Yahoos of this Country, yet he
no more blamed them for their odious Qualities, than
he did a Gunayh (a Bird of Prey) for its Cruelty, or a
fharp Stone for cutting his Hoof. But when a Crea-
ture, pretending to Reaſon, could be capable of fuch
Enormities, he dreaded, left the Corruption of that
Faculty might be worſe than Brutality itſelf. He
feemed therefore confident, that, inftead of Reaſon,
we were only poffeffed of fome Quality fitted to in-
creaſe
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
243
creaſe our natural Vices; as the Reflection from a
troubled Stream returns the Image of an ill-fhapen
Body, not only larger, but more diftorted.
He added, that he had heard too much upon the
Subject of War, both in this, and fome former Diſ-
Courſes. There was another Point which a little per-
plexed him at prefent. I had informed him, that
fome of our Crew left their Country on Account of
being ruined by Law; that I had already explained
the Meaning of the Word; but he was at a Lofs how
it fhould come to paſs, that the Law, which was in-
tended for every Man's Prefervation, fhould be any
Man's Ruin. Therefore he defired to be farther fa-
tisfied what I meant by Law, and the Diſpenſers there-
of, according to the preſent Practice in my own Coun-
try; because he thought Nature and Reafon were fuf-
ficent Guides for a reaſonable Animal, as we pretend-
ed to be, in fhewing us what we ought to do, and what
to avoid.
I affured his Honour, that Law was a Science in
which I had not much converfed, further than by
employing Advocates in vain, upon fome Injuftices
that had been done me; however, I would give him
all the Satisfaction I was able.
For
I faid, there was a Society of Men among us, bred
up from their Youth in the Art of proving by Words
multiplied for the Purpoſe, that White is Black, and
Black is White, according as they are paid. To this
Society all the reft of the People are Slaves.
Example, if my Neighbour hath a Mind to my Cow,
he hires a Lawyer to prove that he ought to have my
Cory from me. I must then hire another to defend
my Right, it being against all Rules of Law, that any
Man fhould be allowed to ſpeak for himſelf. Now,
in this Cafe, I, who am the right Owner, lie under
two Difadvantages; Firft, my Lawyer, being practifed
almoſt from his Cradle in defending Falfhood, is quite
out of his Element, when he would be an Advocate
for Juſtice, which is an Office unnatural, he always
attempts
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attempts with great Awkwardness, if not with ill
Will. The Second Difadvantage is, that my Lawyer
muft proceed with great Caution, or elfe he will be
reprimanded by the Fudges, and abhorred by his Bre-
thren, as one that would leffen the Practice of the
Law. And therefore I have but two Methods to pre-
ferve my Cor. The first is to gain over my Adver-
fary's Lawyer with a double Fee; who will then be-
tray his Client, by infinuating, that he hath Justice on
his Side. The fecond Way is for my Lawyer to
make my Cauſe appear as unjust as he can, by allow-
ing the Cow to belong to my Adverſary; and this, if
it be ſkilfully done, will certainly befpeak the Favour
of the Bench. Now, your Honour is to know that
thefe Judges are Perfons appointed to decide all Con-
troverfies of Property, as well as for the Trial of Cri-
minals, and picked out from the moſt dexterous Law-
yers, who are grown old or lazy, and having been
byaffed all their Lives against Truth and Equity, are
under fuch a fatal Neceffity of favouring Fraud, Per-
jury, and Oppreffion, that I have known feveral of
them refufe a large Bribe from the Side where Juftice
lay, rather than injure the Faculty by doing any
Thing unbecoming their Nature or their Office.
It is a Maxim among thefe Lawyers, that what-
ever hath been done before, may legally be done a-
gain; And therefore they take ſpecial Care to record
all the Decifions formerly made against common Juf-
tice, and the general Reafon of Mankind. Thefe,
under the Name of Precedents, they produce as Au-
thorities, to juftify the most iniquitous Opinions, and
the Judges never fail of directing accordingly.
In Pleading, they ftudioufly avoid entering into the
Merits of the Caufe; but are loud, violent, and te-
dious, in dwelling upon all Circumftances which are
not to the Purpoſe. For Inftance, in the Cafe alrea-
dy mentioned: They never defire to know what
Claim or Title my Adverfary hath to my Cow; but
whether the faid Cou were red or black; her Horns
Iong
to the HOUYHN HNM S.
245
long or ſhort; whether the Field I graze her in be
round or fquare; whether ſhe was milked at Home or
Abroad; what Diſeaſes ſhe is ſubject to, and the like;
after which they confult Precedents, adjourn the Cauſe,
from Time to Time, and in ten, twenty, or thirty
Years, come to an Iſſue.
It is likewife to be obſerved, that this Society hath
a peculiar Cant and Jargon of their own, that no o-
ther Mortal can underſtand, and wherein all their Laws
are written, which they take fpecial Care to multi-
ply; whereby they have wholly confounded the very
Effence of Truth and Falfhood, of Right and Wrong;
fo that it will take thirty Years to decide whether the
Field, left me by my Anceſtors for fix Generations,
belongs to me, or to a Stranger three-hundred Miles
off.
In the Trial of Perfons accufed for Crimes againſt
the State, the Method is much more ſhort and com-
mendable: The Judge firft fends to found the Diſpoſi-
tion of thoſe in Power, after which he can eaſily hang
or fave a Criminal, ftrictly preferving all due Forms of
Lar.
Here my Maſter interpofing, faid it was a Pity, that
Creatures endowed with fuch prodigious Abilities of
Mind, as thefe Lawyers, by the Defcription I gave of
them, muſt certainly be, where not rather encouraged
to be Instructors of others in Wiſdom and Knowledge.
In Anſwer to which, I affured his Honour, that, in all
Points out of their own Trade, they were ufually the
moſt ignorant and ftupid Generation among us, the
moſt deſpicable in common Converfation, avowed E-
nemies to all Knowledge and Learning, and equally
diſpoſed to pervert the general Reaſon of Mankind in
every other Subject of Difcourfe, as in that of their
own Profeffion.
R 3
CHAP;
246
AVOYAGE
'CH A P. VI.
A Continuation of the State of England. The Cha-
racter of a First or Chief Minister of State in
European Courts.
M
Y Mafter was yet wholly at a Lofs to underſtand
what Motives could incite this Race of Lawyers
to perplex, difquiet, and weary themſelves, and en-
gage in a Confederacy of Injuftice, meerly for the Sake
of injuring their Fellow-animals; neither could he
comprehend what I meant in faying, they did it for
Hire. Whereupon I was at much Pains to defcribe to
him the Ufe of Money, the Materials it was made of,
and the Value of the Metals; that, when a Yahoo had
got a great Store of this precious Subſtance, he was able
to purchaſe whatever he had a Mind to, the fineſt
Cloathing, the nobleft Houfes, great Tracts of Land,
the most coftly Meats and Drinks; and have his
Choice of the most beautiful Females. Therefore,
fince Money alone was able to perform all theſe Feats,
our Yaboos thought, they could never have enough of
it to ſpend, or to fave, as they found themfelves in-
clined, from their natural Bent either to Profufion or
Avarice. That the rich Man enjoyed the Fruit of
the poor Man's Labour, and the latter were a thou-
fand to one in Proportion to the former. That the
Bulk of our People were forced to live miferably, by
labouring every Day for finall Wages, to make a few
live plentifully. I enlarged myſelf much on theſe, and
many other Particulars, to the fame Purpoſe: But his
Honour was ftill to feek: For he went upon a Suppo-
fition, that all Animals had a Title to their Share in
the Productions of the Earth; and eſpecially thoſe who
prefided over the reft. Therefore he defired I would
let him know, what thefe coftly Meats were, and how
any of us happened to want them. Whereupon I
enumerated as many Sorts as came into my Head, with
the
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
247
the various Methods of Dreffing them, which could not
be done, without fending Veffels by Sea to every Part
of the World, as well for Liquors to drink, as for
Sauces, and innumerable other Conveniences. I af-
fured him, that this whole Globe of Earth muſt be at
leaft three Times gone round, before one of our better
Female Taboos could get her Breakfaft, or a Cup to
put it in. He faid, that muſt needs be a miſerable
Country, which cannot furnish Food for its own In-
habitants. But what he chiefly wondered at, was how
fuch vaft Tracts of Ground, as I defcribed, fhould be
wholly without fresh Water, and the People put to the
Neceffity of fending over the Sea for Drink. I re-
plied, that England (the dear Place of my Nativity)
was computed to produce three Times the Quantity
of Food, more than its Inhabitants are able to con-
fume, as well as Liquors extracted from Grain, or
preffed out of the Fruit of certain Trees, which made
excellent Drink; and the fame Proportion in every
other Convenience of Life. But in order to feed the
Luxury and Intemperance of the Males, and the Va-
nity of the Females, we fent away the greateſt Part
of our neceffary Things to other Countries, from
whence, in Return, we brought the Materials of Dif-
eafes, Folly, and Vice, to ſpend among ourſelves.
Hence it follows of Neceflity, that vaft Numbers of
our People are compelled to feek their Livelihood by
Begging, Robbing, Stealing, Cheating, Pimping, For-
fwearing, Flattering, Suborning, Forging, Gaming,
Lying, Fawning, Hectoring, Voting, Scribling, Star-
gazing, Poiſoning, Whoring, Canting, Libelling, Free-
thinking, and the like Occupations: Every one of which
Terms I was at much Pains to make him underſtand.
That Wine was not imported among us from foreign
Countries, to fupply the Want of Water, or other
Drinks, but becauſe it was a Sort of Liquid which
made us merry, by putting us out of our Senfes; di-
verted all melancholy Thoughts, begat wild extrava-
gunt Imaginations in the Brain, raifed our Hopes, and
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248
A VOYAGE
banished our Fears; fufpended every Office of Reaſon
for a Time, and deprived us of the Uſe of our Limbs,
till we fell into a profound Sleep; although it muſt be
confeffed, that we always awaked fick and difpirited;
and that the Uſe of this Liquor filled us with Diſeaſes,
which made our Lives uncomfortable and ſhort.
But, befide all this, the Bulk of our People fupport-
ed themfelves by furnishing the Neceffities or Conve-
niencies of Life to the Rich, and to each other. For
Inſtance, when I am at Home, and dreffed, as I ought
to be, I carry on my Body the Workmanship of an
hundred Tradefmen; the Building and Furniture of
my Houſe employ as many more, and five Times the
Number to adorn my Wife.
I was going on to tell him of another Sort of People,
who get their Livelihood by attending the Sick, having,
upon ſome Occafions, informed his Honour, that ma-
ny of my Crew had died of Diſeaſes. But here it was
with the utmoſt Difficulty, that I brought him to ap-
prehend what I meant. He could eaſily conceive,
that a Houyhnhnm grew weak and heavy a few Days
before his Death; or, by fome Accident, might hurt a
Limb. But that Nature, who works all Things to
Perfection, ſhould fuffer any Pains to breed in our Bo-
dies, he thought impoffible, and defired to know the
Reaſon of fo unaccountable an Evil. I told him, we
fed on a thouſand Things, which operated contrary to
each other; that we eat when we were not hungry,
and drank without the Provocation of Thirst; that we
fat whole Nights drinking ftrong Liquors without eat-
ing a Eit, which difpofed us to Sloth, enflamed our
Bodies, and precipitated or prevented Digeſtion. That
proſtitute Female Yahoos acquired a certain Malady,
which bred Rottennefs in the Bones of thoſe who fell
into their Embraces; that this, and many other Dif-
eafes, were propagated from Father to Son; fo that
great Numbers come into the World with compli-
cated Maladies upon them; that it would be endleſs
to give him a Catalogue of all Diſeaſes incident to hu
man
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
249
man Bodies; for they could not be fewer than five or
fix-hundred ſpread over every Limb, and Joint; in
fhort, every Part, external and inteftine, having Dif
eaſes appropriated to each. To remedy which, there
was a Sort of People bred up among us, in the Pro-
feffion, or Pretence, of curing the Sick. And, becauſe
I had fome Skill in the Faculty, I would, in Grati-
tude to his Honour, let him know the whole Mystery
and Method by which they proceed.
Their Fundamental is, that all Diſeaſes ariſe from
Repletion; from whence they conclude, that a great
Evacuation of the Body is neceffary, either through
the natural Paffage, or upwards at the Mouth.
Their
next Buſineſs is, from Herbs, Minerals, Gums, Oils,
Shells, Salts, Juices, Sea weed, Excrements, Barks of
Trees, Serpents, Toads, Frogs, Spiders, dead Mens
Fleſh and Bones, Birds, Beaſts, and Fiſhes, to form a
Compofition for Smell and Tate the moſt abominable,
naufeous, and deteftable, they can poffibly contrive,
which the Stomach immediately rejects with Loathing;
and this they call a Vomit: Or elfe, from the fame
Store-houſe, with fome other poiſonous Additions, they
command us to take in at the Orifice above or belov
(juſt as the Phyfician then happens to be difpofed) a
Medicine equally annoying and difgufiful to the Bowels;
which relaxing the Pelly, drives down all before it;
and this they call a Furge, or a Clyfter. For Nature
(as the Phyficians alledge) having intended the fuperior
anterior Orifice only for the Intromiſſion of Solids and
Liquids, and the inferior pofterior for Ejection; thefe
Artifts ingeniouſly confidering that in all Difeafes Na-
ture is forced out of her Seat; therefore, to replace her
in it, the Body muſt be treated in a Manner directly
contrary, by interchanging the Ufe of each Orifice;
forcing Solids and Liquids in at the Anus, and making
Evacuations at the Mouth.
But, befides real Difeafes, we are fubject to many
that are only imaginary, for which the Phyficians have
invented imaginary Cures; thefe have their feveral
Names,
250
AVOYAGE
Names, and fo have the Drugs that are proper for
them; and with theſe our Female Yahoos are always
infefted.
One great Excellency, in this Tribe, is their Skill
at Prognofticks, wherein they feldom fail; their Predic-
tions in real Difeafes, when they rife to any Degree
of Malignity, generally portending Death, which is al-
ways in their Power, when Recovery is not: And
therefore, upon any unexpected Signs of Amendment,
after they have pronounced their Sentence, rather than
be accufed as falfe Prophets, they know how to ap-
prove their Sagacity to the World, by a feaſonable
Dofe.
They are likewife of fpecial Ufe to Hufbands and
Wives, who are grown weary of their Mates; to eld-
eft Sons, to great Minifters of State, and often to
Princes.
I had formerly, upon Occafion, difcourfed with my
Mafter upon the Nature of Government in general, and
particularly of our own excellent Conftitution, deferved -
ly the Wonder and Envy of the whole World. But
having here accidentally mentioned a Minister of State;
he commanded me, fome Time after, to inform him,
what Species of Yahoo I particularly meant by that Ap-
Fellation.
I told him, that a Firft or Chief Miniſter of State,
who was the Perfon I intended to defcribe, was a
Creature wholly exempt from Joy and Grief, Love and
Hatred, Pity and Anger; at leaft, makes Ufe of no
other Paffions, but a violent Defire of Wealth, Power,
and Titles; that he applies his Words to all Uſes, ex-
cept to the Indication of his Mind; that he never tells
a Truth, but with an Intent that you fhould take it
for a Lye; nor a Lye, but with a Defign that you
fhould take it for a Truth; that thofe he ſpeaks worſt
of, behind their Backs, are in the furcft Way of Pre-
ferment; and whenever he begins to praise you to
others, or to yourſelf, you are from that Day forlorn.
The wo:ft Mark you can receive is a Promife, efpeci-
ally
ot the HOUYHNHN MS.
251
ally when it is confirmed with an Oath; after which,
every wife Man retires, and gives over all Hopes.
There are three Methods by which a Man may rife
to be Chief Minifter: The first is, by knowing how
with Prudence to difpofe of a Wife, a Daughter, or a
Sifter: The fecond, by betraying or undermining his
Predeceffor: And the third is, by a furious Zeal in
Public Aſſemblies againſt the Corruptions of the Court.
But a wife Prince would rather chooſe to employ thofe
who practiſe the laft of thefe Methods; becaufe fuch
Zealots prove always the moſt obfequious and fubfer-
vient to the Will and Paffions of their Mafter.
That
theſe Minifters, having all Employments at their Dif-
poſal, preferve themſelves in Power by bribing the Ma-
jority of a Senate or great Council; and at laſt, by an
Expedient, called an Act of Indemnity (where of I de-
fcribed the Nature to him) they ſecure themſelves from
after Reckonings, and retire from the Public, laden
with the Spoils of the Nation.
The Palace of a Chief Minister is a Serainary to
breed up others in his own Trade: The Pa ges, Lac-
quies, and Porter, by imitating their Maſter, become
Minifters of State in their feveral Diſtricts, and learn
to excel in the three principal Ingredients, of Infolence,
Lying, and Bribery. Accordingly, they ha ve a Subal-
tern Court paid to them by Perfons of the best Rank;
and fometimes, by the Force of Dexterity and Impu-
dence, arrive, through feveral Gradations, to be Suc-
ceffors to their Lord.
He is uſually governed by a decayed Wench, or fa-
vourite Footman, who are the Tunnels t'hrough which
all Graces are conveyed, and may properly be called,
in the laft Refort, the Governors of the Kingdom.
One Day in Difcourfe, my Mafter, having heard
me mention the Nobility of my Country, was pleafed
to make me a Compliment, which I could not pretend
to deſerve: That he was fure, I muſt have been born
of fome noble Family, becauſe I far exceeded, in
Shape, Colour, and Cleanlinefs, all the Taboos of his
Na-
252
A VOYAGE
Nation, although I feemed to fail in Strength and A-
gility, which must be imputed to my different Way of
Living from thofe other Brutes; and befides, I was
not only endowed with the Faculty of Speech, but
likewife with fome Rudiments of Reafon, to a De-
gree, that, with all his Acquaintance, I paffed for a Pro-
digy.
He made me obferve, that, among the Houyhnhnms,
the White, the Sorrel, and the Iron grey, were not fo
exactly shaped as the Bay, the Dapple-grey, and the
Black, nor born wth equal Talents of the Mind, or a
Capacity to improve them; and therefore continued
always in the Condition of Servants, without ever af
piring to match out of their own Race, which, in that
Country, would be reckoned monftrous and unnatural.
I made his Honour, my moſt humble Acknowledg-
ments for the good Opinion he was pleaſed to conceive
of me; but affured him, at the fame Time, that my
Birth was of the lower Sort, having been born of plain
honest Parents, who were juft able to give me a tole-
rable Education: That Nobility, among us, was alto-
gether a different Thing from the Idea he had of it;
that our young Noblemen are bred from their Child-
hood in Idleness and Luxury; that, as foon as Years
will permit, they confume their Vigour, and contract
adious Difenfes among lewd Females; and when their
Fortunes are almost ruined, they marry fome Woman
of mean Birth, difagreeable Perfon, and unfound Con-
ftitution, merely for the Sake of Money, whom they
hate and defpife. That the Productions of fuch Mar-
riages are generally fcrophulous, ricketty, or deformed
Children; by which Means, the Family feldom conti-
nues above three Generations, unless the Wife takes
Care to provide a healthy Father among her Neigh-
bours or Domeſtics, in order to improve and continue
the Breed. That a weak difeafed Body, a meager
Countenance, and fallow Complexion are the true
Marks of Noble Blood; and a healthy robuft Appear-
ance is fo difgraceful in a Man of Quality, that the
World
to the HOUYHNHNM S.
253
World concludes his real Father to have been a Groom,
or a Coachman. The Imperfections of his Mind run
parallel with thofe of his Body, being a Compofition
of Spleen, Dulnefs, Ignorance, Caprice, Senfuality,
and Pride.
Without the Confent of this illuftrious Body, no Law
can be made, repealed, or altered; and theſe have the
Decifions of all our Poffeffions, without Appeal.
CHAP. VII.
The Author's great Love of his native Country. His
Mafter's Obfervations upon the Conflitution and
Adminiftration of England, as deſcribed by the
Author, with parallel Cafes and Comparisons. His
Master's Obfervations upon Human Nature.
TH
HE Reader may be difpofed to wonder how I
could prevail on myſelf to give fo free a Repre-
fentation of my own Species, among a Race of Mor-
tals, who are already too apt to conceive the vileft O-
pinion of Human Kind, from that intire Congruity be
twixt me and their Yahocs. But I must freely confefs,
that the many Virtues of thofe excellent Quadrupeds,
placed in oppofite View to Human Corruptions, had
fo far opened my Eyes, and enlarged my Underitand-
ing, that I began to view the Actions and Paffions of
Man in a very different Light; and to think the Ho-
nour of my own Kind not worth managing; which,
befides, it was impoffible for me to do, before a Perfon
of fo acute a Judgment as my Mafter, who daily con-
vinced me of a thoufand Faults in myfelf, whereof I
had not the leaft Perception before, and which, among
us, would never be numbered, even among human In-
firmities. I had likewife learned, from his Example,
an utter Detellation of all Falfhood or Difguife; and
Truth appeared fo amiable to ine, that I determined
upon facrificing every Thing to it.
Let
254
AVOYAGE
Let me deal fo candidly with the Reader, as to con-
fefs, that there was yet a much ſtronger Motive for the
Freedom I took in my Reprefentation of Things. I
had not been a Year in this Country, before I con-
tracted fuch a Love and Veneration for the Inhabi-
tants, that I entered on a firm Refolution, never to re-
turn to Human Kind, but to pafs the reft of my Life
among theſe admirable Houyhnhnms, in the Contem-
plation and Practice of every Virtue; where I could
have no Example or Incitement to Vice. But it was
decreed by Fortune, my perpetual Enemy, that fo great
a Felicity fhould not fall to my Share. However, it is
now fome Comfort to reflect, that, in what I faid of
my Countrymen, I extenuated their Faults, as much as
I durit, before fo ftrict an Examiner; and, upon every
Article, gave as favourable a Turn as the Matter
would bear. For, indeed, who is there alive, that
would not be fwayed by his Byafs and Partiality to the
Place of his Birth?
I have related the Subftance of feveral Converſations
I had with my Mafter, during the greateſt Part of the
Time I had the Honour to be in his Service; but have,
indeed, for Brevity Sake, omitted much more than is
here fet down.
When I had anſwered all his Queftions, and his
Curiofity feemed to be fully fatisfied; he fent for me
one Morning early, and commanding me to fit down
at fome Diflance (an Honour which he had never be-
fore conferred upon me) he faid, he had been very ſe-
riouſly confidering my whole Story, as far as it related
both to myſelf and my Country: That he looked up-
on us as a Sort of Animals, to whofe Share, by what
Accident he could not conjecture, fome fmall Pittance
of Reason had fallen, whereof we made no other Ufe,
than, by its Afilance, to aggravate our natural Cor-
ruptions, and to acquire new ones which Nature had
hot given us: That we difarmed ourſelves of the few
Abilities fhe had bestowed; had been very fucceſsful
in multiplying our original Wants, and feemed to ſpend
our
to the HOUYHNHN M S.
255
ས
our whole Lives in vain Endeavours, to fupply them by
our own Inventions. That as to myſelf, it was mani-
feft, I had neither the Strength or Agility of a common
Yahoo; that I walked infirmly on my hinder Feet; had
found out a Contrivance to make my Claws of no Ufe
or Defence, and to remove the Hair from my Chin,
which was intended as a Shelter from the Sun and the
Weather. Laftly, That I could neither run with Speed,
nor climb Trees like my Brethren (as he called them)
the Taboos in this Country.
?
That our Inftitutions of Government and Law were
plainly owing to our grofs Defects in Reaſon, and by
Confequence, in Virtue; becauſe Recfon alone is fuffi-
cient to govern a rational Creature; which was there-
fore a Character we had no Pretence to challenge,
even from the Account I had given of my cwn Peo-
ple; although he manifeftly perceived, that in order
to favour them, I had concealed many Particulars, and
often faid the Thing which was not.
He was the more confirmed in this Opinion, becauſe
he obferved, that as I agreed in every Feature of my
Body with other Yahoos, except were it was to my real
Difadvantage, in Point of Strength, Speed, and Acti-
vity, the Shortnefs of my Claws, and fome other Par-
ticulars, where Nature had no Part; fo, from the Re-
prefentation I had given him of our Lives, our Man-
ners, and our Actions, he found as near a Refemblance
in the Difpofition of our Minds. He faid,. the Yaboos
were known to hate one another, more than they did
any different Species of Animals; and the Reafon, ufa-
ally affigned, was, the Odioufnefs of their own Shapes,
which all could fee in the reft, but not in themfelves.
He had therefore begun to think it not unwife in us to
cover our Bodies, and, by that Invention, conceal ma-
ny of our own Deformities from each other, which
would elfe be hardly fupportable. But he now found
he had been mistaken, and that the Diffentions of thoſe
Brutes, in his Country, were owing to the fame Cauſe
with ours, as I had defcribed them. For, if (faid he})
you'
256
A VOYAGE
you throw among five Yahoos as much Food as would
be fufficient for Fifty, they will, inſtead of eating peace-
ably, fall together by the Ears, each fingle one im-
patient to have all to itself; and therefore a Servant
was ufually employed to ftand by, while they were
Feeding Abroad, and thofe, kept at Home, were tied
at a Diſtance from each other; that if a Cow died of
Age or Accident, before a Houyhnhnm could fecure it
for his own Yaboos, thofe in the Neighbourhood would
come in Herds to ſeize it, and then would enfue fuch a
Battle as I had deſcribed, with terrible Wounds made
by their Claws on both Sides, although they feldom
were able to kill one another, for Want of fuch con-
venient Inftruments of Death as we had invented. At
other Times, the like Battles have been fought between
the raboos of feveral Neighbourhoods, without any vi-
fible Cauſe: Thoſe of one Dißrict watching all Op-
portunities to furpriſe the next, before they are prepared.
But, if they find their Project hath mifcarried, they re-
turn Home, and, for Want of Enemics, engage in what
I call a Civil War among themſelves.
That, in fome Fields of his Country, there are cer-
tain Shining Stones of feveral Colours, whereof the Ya-
boos are violently fond; and when Part of theſe Stones
is fixed in the Earth, as it fometimes happeneth,
they will dig with their Claws for whole Days to
get them out, then carry them away, and hide them
by Heaps in their Kennels; but ftill looking round with.
great Caution, for fear their Comrades fhould find out
their Treaſure. My Mafter faid, he could never dif-
cover the Reaſon of this unnatural Appetite, or how
theſe Stones could be of any Uſe to a Yahoo ; but now
he believed it might proceed from the fame Principle
of Avarice, which I had afcribed to Mankind: That
he had once, by Way of Experiment, privately re-
moved a Heap of thefe Stones from the Place where
one of his Falcos had buried it: Whereupon, the for-
did Animal miffing his Treafure, by his loud Lament-
ing, brought the whole Herd to the Place, there mife-
rably
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
257
rably howled, then fell to biting and tearing the reft;
began to pine away, would neither eat, nor fleep, nor
work, till he ordered a Servant privately to convey
the Stones into the fame Hole, and hide them as before;
which when his Yahoo had found, he prefently reco-
vered his Spirits, and good Humour, but took Care to
remove them to a better Hiding-place, and hath ever
fince been a very ferviceable Brute.
My Maſter farther aſſured me, which I alſo obſerv-`
ed myſelf, that, in the Fields were the Shining Stones
abound, the fiercest and most frequent Battles are
fought, occafioned by perpetual Inroads of the neigh-
bouring Yahoos.
He faid, it was common, when two rahoos difco-
vered fuch a Stone in a Field, and were contending
which of them ſhould be the Proprietor, a third would
take the Advantage, and carry it away from them both;
which my Mafter would needs contend to have fome
Kind of Refemblance with our Suits at Law; wherein
I thought it for our Credit not to undeceive him; fince
the Decifion he mentioned was much more equitable
than many Decrees among us: Becauſe the Plaintiff and
Defendant there loft nothing befide the Stone they con-
tended for, whereas our Courts of Equity would never
have difmiffed the Caufe, while either of them had
Thing left.
any
My Matter, continuing his Difcourfe, faid, There
was nothing that rendered the Yahoos more odious,
than their undiftinguishing Appetite to devour every
Thing that came in their Way, whether Herbs, Roots,
Berries, the corrupted Fleſh of Animals, or all mingled
together And it was peculiar in their Temper, that
they were fonder of what they could get by Rapine or
Stealth, at a greater Diſtance, than much better Food
provided for them at Home. If their Prey held out,
they would eat till they were ready to burſt, after which,
Nature had pointed out to them a certain Root, that
gave them a general Evacuation.
S
There
258
A VOYAGE
There was also another Kind of Root very juicy, but
fomewhat rare and difficult to be found, which the
Yaboos fought for with much Eagernefs, and would fuck
it with great Delight; it produced in them the fame
Effects that Wine hath upon us. It would make them
fometimes hug, and fometimes tear one another; they
would howl and grin, and chatter, and reel, and tum-
ble, and then fall aſleep in the Mud.
I did, indeed, obferve, that the Yahoos were the only
Animals in this Country fubject to any Diſeaſes; which,
however, were much fewer than Horfes have among
us, and contracted not by any ill Treatment they meet
with, but by the Naftiness, and Greedinefs of that for-
did Brute. Neither has their Language any more than
a general Appellation for thofe Maladies, which is bor-
rowed from the Name of the Beaft, and called Hnea-
Yahoo or the Yahoos-Evil, and the Cure preſcribed is a
Mixture of their own Dung and Urine, forcibly put
down the Yahoo's Throat. This I have fince often
known to have been taken with Succeſs, and do freely
recommend it to my Countrymen, for the Public Good,
as an admirable Specific againft all Difeafes produced
by Repletion.
As to Learning, Government, Arts, Manufactures,
and the like, my Mafter confeffed, he could find little
or no Refemblance between the Yahoos of that Coun-
try and thoſe in ours. For he only meant to obferve
what Parity there was in our Natures. He had heard,
indeed, fome curious Houyhnhnms obſerve, that, in moſt
Herds, there was a Sort of ruling Yahoo (as, among us,
there is generally fome leading or principal Stag in a
Park) who was always more deformed in Body, and
mischievous in Difpofition, than any of the reft. That
this Leader had uſually a Favourite as like himſelf as he
could get, whofe Employment was to lick his Mafter's
Feet and Pofteriors, and drive the Female Yahoos to his
Kennel; for which he was now and then rewarded with
a Piece of Afs's Flesh. This Favourite is hated by the
whole Herd, and therefore, to protect himfelf, keeps
always
to the HOUYHN HNMS.
259
always near the Perfon of bis Leader. He ufually con-
tinues in Office till a worfe can be found; but, the
very Moment he is difcarded, his Succeffor at the Head
of all the Yahoos in that Diſtrict, Young and Old, Male
and Female, come in a Body, and diſcharge their Ex-
crements upon him from Head to Foot. But how far
this might be applicable to our Courts and Favourites,
and Minifters of State, my Maſter ſaid I could beit de-
termine.
I durft make no Return to this malicious Infinuation,
which debaſed human Underſtanding below the Saga-
city of a common Hound, who has Judgment enough
to diſtinguiſh and follow the Cry of the ablest Dog in
the Pack, without being ever miſtaken.
My Mafter told me, there were fome Qualities re-
markable in the Yahoos, which he had not obferved
me to mention, or at leaſt very ſlightly, in the Accounts
I had given him of Human Kind; he faid, thofe Ani-
mals, like other Brutes, had their Females in common ;
but in this they differed, that the She-Yahoo would ad-
mit the Male, while fhe was pregnant; and that the
Hees would quarrel and fight with the Females, as
fiercely as with each other. Both which Practices
were fuch Degrees of infamous Brutality, that no other
fenfitive Creature ever arrived at.
Another Thing he wondered at in the Yahoos, was
their ftrange Diſpoſition to Naftineſs and Dirt ; where-
as there appears to be a natural Love of Cleanlineſs in
all other Animals. As to the two former Accufations,
I was glad to let them pafs without any Reply, becauſe
I had not a Word to offer upon them in Defence of my
Species, which otherwife I certainly had done from
my own Inclinations. But I could have eaſily vindi-
cated Human Kind from the Imputation of Singularity
upon the laſt Article, if there had been any Savine in
that Country (as unluckily for me there were not) which,
although it may be a fweeter Quadruped than a Yahoo,
cannot, I humbly conceive in Juttice, pretend to more
Cleanlinefs; and fo his Honour himſelf must have own-
$ 2
ed,
260
AVOYAGE
ed, if he had ſeen their filthy Way of Feeding, and
their Cuftom of wallowing and fleeping in the Mud.
My Mafter likewife mentioned another Quality which
his Servants had diſcovered in ſeveral Yahoos, and to
him was wholly unaccountable. He faid, a Fancy
would fometimes take a Yahoo, to retire into a Corner,
to lie down, and howl and groan, and ſpurn away all
that came near him, although he were young and fat,
wanted neither Food nor Water: Nor did the Servants
imagine what could poffibly ail him. And the only
Remedy they found was, to fet him to hard Work, af-
ter which he would infallibly come to himſelf. To
this I was filent, out of Partiality to my own Kind; yet
here I could plainly diſcover the true Seeds of Spleen,
which only feizeth on the Lazy, the Luxurious, and the
Rich; who, if they were forced to undergo the ſame
Regimen, I would undertake for the Cure.
His Honour had farther obferved, that a Female
Yahoo would often ftand behind a Bank or a Bufh, to
gaze on the young Males paffing by, and then appear,
and hide, uſing many antic Geftures and Grimaces, at
which Time, it was obſerved, that ſhe had a moſt of-
fenfive Smell; and, when any of the Males advanced,
would flowly retire, looking often back, and, with a
counterfeit Shew of Fear, run off into fome convenient
Place, where ſhe knew the Male would follow her.
At other Times, if a Female Stranger came among
them, three or four of her own Sex would get about
her, and ftare, and chatter, and grin, and ſmell her all
over; and then turn off with Geftures, that ſeemed to
expreſs Contempt and Diſdain.
Perhaps my Mafter might refine a little in theſe Spe-
culations, which he had drawn from what he obſerved
himſelf, or had been told him by others: However, I
could not reflect, without fome Amazement, and much
Sorrow, that the Rudiments of Lewdness, Coquetry,
Cenfure, and Scandal, fhould have Place, by Inftinet,
in Womankind.
I ex-
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
261
I expected, every Moment, that my Mafter would
accuſe the Yahoos of thoſe unnatural Appetites in both
Sexes, fo common among us. But Nature, it ſeems,
hath not been fo expert a School miſtreſs; and theſe poli-
ter Pleaſures are intirely the Productions of Art and
Reaſon, on our Side of the Globe.
CHA P. VIII.
The Author relates feveral Particulars of the Ya-
hoos. The great Virtues of the Houyhnhnms.
The Education and Exerciſe of their Youth. Their
general Affembly.
A
S I ought to have underſtood human Nature much
better than I fuppofed it poffible for my Maſter
to do, ſo it was eafy to apply the Character he gave
of the Yahoos to myfelf, and my Countrymen; and, I
believed, I could yet make farther Difcoveries from
my own Obfervation. I therefore often begged his
Favour to let me go among the Herds of Yahoos in the
Neighbourhood, to which he always very graciouſly
confented, being perfectly convinced, that the Hatred
I bore thofe Brutes would never fuffer me to be cor-
rupted by them; and his Honour ordered one of his
Servants, a ſtrong Sorrel Nag, very honeft and good-
natured, to be my Guard, without whofe Protection,
I durft not undertake fuch Adventures. For I have al-
ready told the Reader, how much I was peſtered by
thoſe odious Animals upon my firſt Arrival. And I
afterwards failed very narrowly three or four Times of
falling into their Clutches, when I happened to ſtray
at any Diſtance without my Hanger. And I have Rea-
fon to believe they had fome Imagination that I was
of their own Species, which I often affifted myſelf, by
ftripping up my Sleeves, and fhewing my naked Arms
and Breast in their Sight, when my Protector was with
me. At which Times they would approach as near as
S 3
they
262
A VOYAGE
they durft, and imitate my Actions after the Manner
of Monkies, but ever with great Signs of Hatred; as
a tame Jack-Daw, with Cap and Stockings, is always
perfecuted by the wild ones, when he happens to be
got among them.
They are prodigiously nimble from their Infancy;
however, I once caught a young Male of three Years
old, and endeavoured, by all Marks of Tenderneſs, to
make it quiet; but the little Imp fell a Squalling, and
Scratching, and Biting, with fuch Violence, that I was
forced to let it go; and it was high Time, for a whole
Troop of old ones came about us at the Noife, but find-
ing the Cub was fafe (for away it ran) and my Sorrel
Nag being by, they durft not venture near us. I ob-
ferved the young Animal's Fleſh to fmell very rank,
and the Stink was fomewhat between a Weafel and a
Fox, but much more difagreeable. I forgot another
Circumftance (and perhaps I might have the Reader's
Pardon, if it were wholly omitted) that, while I held
the odious Vermin in my Hands, it voided its filthy
Excrements, of a yellow liquid Subftance, all over my
Cloaths; but, by good Fortune, there was a ſmall
Brook hard by, where I washed myſelf as clean as I
could; although I durft not come into my Maſter's Pre-
fence, until I were fufficiently aired.
By what I could difcover, the Yahoos appear to be
the moſt unteachable of all Animals; their Capacities
never reaching higher, than to draw or carry Burthens.
Yet, I am of Opinion, this Defect arifeth chiefly
from a perverſe, reftive Difpofition. For they are cun-
ning, malicious, treacherous, and revengeful. They
are ftrong and hardy, but of a cowardly Spirit, and by
Confequence, infolent, abject, and cruel. It is obferved,
that the Red-haired of both Sexes are more libidinous
and mifchievous than the reft, whom yet they much
exceed in Strength and Activity.
The Houyhnhnms keep the raboos for prefent Ufe, in
Huts not far from the Houfe; but the reft are fent A-
broad to certain Fields, where they dig up Roots, eat
feveral
to the HOUYHNHN MS.
263
feveral Kinds of Herbs, and fearch about for Carrion,
or ſometimes catch Weafels and Lubimuhs (a Sort of
wild Rat) which they greedily devour. Nature hath
taught them to dig Holes with their Nails on the Side
of a rifing Ground, wherein they lie by themfelves;
only the Kennels of the Females are larger, fufficient
to hold two or three Cubs.
They fwim from their Infancy like Frogs, and are
able to continue long under Water, where they often
take Fiſh, which the Females carry Home to their
Young. And, upon this Occafion, I hope the Rea-
der will pardon my relating an odd Adventure.
Being one Day abroad with my Protector the Sorrel
Nag, and the Weather exceeding hot, I entreated him
to let me bathe in a River that was near. He confent-
ed, and I immediately firipped myſelf ſtark naked, and
went down foftly into the Stream. It happened that a
young Female Yahoo, ftanding behind a Bank, faw the
whole Proceeding, and enflamed by Defire, as the
Nag and I conjectured, came running with all Speed,
and leaped into the Water within five Yards of the
Place where I bathed. I was never in my Life fo ter-.
ribly frighted; the Nag was grazing at fome Diſtance,
not fufpecting any Harm. She embraced me after a
moſt fulfome Manner; I roared as loud as I could, and
the Nag came galloping towards me, whereupon the
quitted her Grafp, with the utmost Reluctancy, and
leaped upon the oppofite Bank, where the flood gazing
and howling all the Time I was putting on my Cloaths.
This was a Matter of Diverfion to my Maſter and
his Family, as well as of Mortification to myſelf. For
now I could no longer deny, that I was a real raboo,
in every Limb and Feature, fince the Females had a
natural Propensity to me, as one of their own Species :
Neither was the Hair of this Brute of a red Colour
(which might have been fome Excufe for an Appetite
a little irregular) but black as a Sloe, and her Counte-
nance did not make an Appearance altogether fo hi-
$ 4
deous
264
AVOYAGE
deous as the reft of her Kind: For, I think, ſhe could
not be above eleven Years old.
Having lived three Years in this Country, the Rea-
der, I fuppofe, will expect, that I fhould, like other
Travellers, give him fome Account of the Manners and
Cuftoms of its Inhabitants, which it was, indeed, my
principal Study to learn.
As thefe Noble Houyhnhnms are endowed by Nature
with a general Difpofition to all Virtues, and have no
Conceptions or Ideas of what is Evil in a rational Crea-
ture; fo their grand Maxim is, to cultivate Reaſon, and
to be wholly governed by it. Neither is Reafon, a-
mong them, a Point Problematical, as with us, where
Men can argue with Plaufibility on both Sides of a
Queſtion; but ftrikes you with immediate Conviction ;
as it muſt needs do, where it is not mingled, obfcured,
or difcoloured by Paffion and Intereft. I remember it
was with extreme Difficulty, that I could bring my
Maſter to underſtand the Meaning of the Word Opi-
nion, or how a Point could be difputable; becauſe Rea-
fon taught us to affirm or deny only where we are cer-
tain; and, beyond our Knowledge, we cannot do ei-
ther. So that Controverfies, Wranglings, Difputes,
and Pofitiveneſs, in falſe or dubious Propofitions, are
Evils unknown among the Houyhnhnms. In the like
Manner, when I ufed to explain to him our feveral
Syftems of Natural Philofophy, he would laugh, that a
Creature, pretending to Reafon, fhould value itfelf up-
on the Knowledge of other People's Conjectures, and
in Things, where that Knowledge, if it were certain,
could be of no Ufe. Wherein he agreed intirely with
the Sentiments of Socrates, as Plato delivers them ;
which I mention as the higheft Honour I can do that
Prince of Philofophers. I have often fince reflected,
what Deftruction fuch a Doctrine would make in the
Libraries of Europe; and how many Paths to Fame
would be then fhut up in the Learned World.
Friendship and Benevolence are the two principal Vir-
ues among the Houyhnhnms; and theſe not confined to
par
to the HOUYHNHNM S. 265
particular Objects, but univerfal to the whole Race,
For a Stranger, from the remoteft Part, is equally treat-
ed with the neareſt Neighbour; and, where-ever he
goes, looks upon himſelf as at Home. They preferve
Decency and Civility in the higheft Degrees, but are al-
together ignorant of Ceremony. They have no Fond-
nefs for their Colts or Foles, but the Care they take, in
educating them, proceeds intirely from the Dictates of
Reafon. And I obſerved my Maſter to fhew the fame
Affection to his Neighbour's Iffue, that he had for his
own. They will. have it, that Nature teaches them
to love the whole Species, and it is Reafon only that
maketh a Diſtinction of Perfons, where there is a fu-
perior Degree of Virtue.
When the Matron Houyhnhnms have produced one of
each Sex, they no longer accompany with their Con-
forts, except they lofe one of their Iffue by fome Ca-
fualty, which very feldom happens: But in fuch a
Cafe they meet again; or when the like Accident be-
fals a Perfon, whofe Wife is paft bearing, fome other
Couple beſtow him one of their own Colts, and then go
together again until the Mother is pregnant. This
Caution is neceffary, to prevent the Country from be-
ing over-burthened with Numbers. But the Race of
inferior Houyhnhnms, bred up to be Servants, is not fo
ftrictly limited upon this Article; theſe are allowed to
produce three of each Sex, to be Domeſtics in the No-
ble Families.
In their Marriages, they are exactly careful to choofe
fuch Colours as will not make any difagreeable Mix-
ture in the Breed. Strength is chiefly valued in the
Male, and Comeliness in the Female; not upon the Ac-
count of Love, but to preferve the Race from degene-
rating; for, where a Female happens to excel in Strength,
a Confort is chofen with regard to Comeliness. Court-
fhip, Love, Prefents, Jointures, Settlements, have no
Place in their Thoughts; or Terms whereby to ex-
prefs them in their Language. The young Couple
meet and are joined, merely becauſe it is the Determi-
nation
256
A VOYAGE
nation of their Parents and Friends: It is what they
fee done every Day, and they look upon it as one of
the neceffary Actions of a reaſonable Being. But the
Violation of Marriage, or any other Unchaſtity, was
never heard of: And the married Pair paſs their Lives
with the fame Friendship, and mutual Benevolence, that
they bear to all others of the fame Species, who come
in their Way; without Jealoufy, Fondnefs, Quarrel-
ling, or Difcontent.
In educating the Youth of both Sexes, their Method
is admirable, and highly deferves our Imitation. Theſe
are not fuffered to taste a Grain of Oats, except upon
certain Days, till eighteen Years old; nor Milk, but
very rarely; and in Summer they graze two Hours in
the Morning, and as many in the Evening, which their
Parents likewife obferve; but the Servants are not al-
lowed above half that Time, and a great Part of their
Grafs is brought Home, which they eat at the moſt
convenient Hours, when they can be beft fpared from
Work.
Temperance, Industry, Exercife, and Cleanliness, are
the Leffons equally enjoined to the young ones of both
Sexes: And my Mafter thought it monftrous in us to
give the Females a different Kind of Education from
the Males, except in fome Articles of Domeſtic Ma-
nagement; whereby, as he truly obferved, one half
of our Natives were good for nothing but bringing
Children into the World: And to truſt the Care of our
Children to fuch uſeleſs Animals, he faid, was yet a
greater Infance of Brutality.
But the Houyhnhnms train up their Youth to Strength,
Speed, and Hardiness, by exercifing them to running
Races up and down fteep Hills, and over hard ftony
Grounds, and, when they are all in a Sweat, they are
ordered to leap over Head and Ears, into a Pond or
River. Four Times a Year, the Youth of a certain
Diſtrict meet to fhew their Proficiency in Running, and
Leaping, and other Feats of Strength and Agility;
where the Victor is rewarded, with a Song in his or
her
to the HOUYHNHNM S.
257
her Praiſe. On this Feſtival, the Servants drive a Herd
of Yahoos into the Field, laden with Hay, and Oats, and
Milk, for a Repaft to the Houyhnhnms; after which,
theſe Brutes are immediately driven back again, for
Fear of being noiſome to the Affembly.
Every fourth Year, at the Vernol Equinox, there is a
Repreſentative Council of the whole Nation, which
meets in a Plain about twenty Miles from our Houfe,
and continues about five or fix Days. Here they en-
quire into the State and Condition of the ſeveral Diſtricts;
Whether they abound, or be deficient in Hay or Oats,
or Cows or raboos? And wherever there is any Want
(which is but feldom) it is immediately fupplied by una-
nimous Confent and Contribution. Here likewife the
Regulation of Children is fettled: As for Inſtance, if
a Houyhnhnm hath two Males, he changeth one of them
with another that hath two Females: And when a
Child hath been loft by any Cafualty, where the Mo-
ther is paft Breeding, it is determined what Family in
the Diſtrict ſhall breed another, to ſupply the Lofs.
CHA P. IX.
A grand Debate at the General Affembly of the
Houyhnhnms, and how it was determined. The
Learning of the Houyhnhnms. Their Buildings.
Their Manner of Burials. The Defectiveness of
their Language.
NE of theſe grand Affemblies was held in my
Time, about three Months before my Departure,
whither my Mafter went, as the Reprefentative of our
Diſtrict. In this Council was refumed their old De-
bate, and, indeed, the only Debate that ever happened
in that Country; whereof my Mafler, after his Return,
gave me a very particular Account.
The Queftion to be debated, was, Whether the la-
boos fhould be exterminated from the Face of the Earth.
One
268
A VOYAGE
One of the Members for the Affirmative offered ſeveral
Arguments of great Strength and Weight; alledging,
That as the Taboos. were the moft filthy, noifome, and
deformed Animal which Nature ever produced, fo they
were the moft reftive and indocible, mifchievous and
malicious: They would privately fuck the Teats of the
Houyhnhnms Cows; kill and devour their Cats, trample
down their Oats and Graſs, if they were not continual-
ly watched, and commit a thouſand other Extravagan-
cies. He took Notice of a general Tradition, That
raboos had not been always in that Country; but that,
many Ages ago, two of theſe Brutes appeared together
upon a Mountain; whether produced by the Heat of
the Sun upon corrupted Mud and Slime, or from the
Ooze and Froth of the Sea, was never known. That
thefe Yahoos engendered, and their Brood, in a fhort
Time, grew fo numerous, as to over-run and infeſt
the whole Nation. That the Houyhnhnms, to get rid
of this Evil, made a general Hunting, and at laſt en-
clofed the whole Herd; and, deftroying the Elder, eve-
ry Houyhnhnm kept two young ones in a Kennel, and
brought them to fuch a Degree of Tamenefs, as an A-
nimal, fo favage by Nature, can be capable of acquir-
ing; ufing them for Draught and Carriage. That
there feemed to be much Truth in this Tradition, and
that thofe Creatures could not be Yinhniamsby (or Abo-
rigines of the Land) becauſe of the violent Hatred the
Houyhnhnms, as well as all other Animals, bore them ;
which, although their evil Difpofition fufficiently de-
ferved, could never have arrived at fo high a Degree,
if they had been Aborigines, or elſe they would have
long fince been rooted out. That the Inhabitants,
taking a Fancy to uſe the Service of the Yahoos, had
very imprudently neglected to cultivate the Breed of
Alles, which were a comely Animal, caſily kept, more
tame and orderly, without any offenfive Smell, ftrong
enough for Labour, although they yield to the other in
Agility of Body; and, if their Braying be no agreeable
Sound,
to the HOUYHNHN M S.
269
Sound, it is far preferable to the horrible Howlings of
the Yahoos.
Several others declared their Sentiments to the fame
Purpoſe, when my Mafter propofed an Expedient to
the Affembly, whereof he had, indeed, borrowed the
Hint from me. He approved of the Tradition, men-
tioned by the honourable Member, who ſpoke before
and affirmed, that the two Yahoos, ſaid to be firſt ſeen
among them, had been driven thither over the Sea;
that coming to Land, and being forfaken by their Com-
panions, they retired to the Mountains, and, degene-
rating by Degrees, became, in Proceſs of Time, much
more favage, than thofe of their own Species in the
Country from whence theſe two Originals came.
The
Reafon of this Affertion was, that he had now in his
Poffeffion a certain wonderful Yahoo (meaning myfelf)
which moſt of them had heard of, and many of them
had feen. He then related to them, how he first found
me; that my Body was all covered with an artificial
Compoſure of the Skins and Hairs of other Animals:
That I spoke in a Language of my own, and had tho-
roughly learned theirs: That I had related to him the
Accidents which brought me thither: That, when he
faw me without my Covering, I was an exact laboo in
every Part, only of a whiter Colour, lefs hairy, and
with ſhorter Claws. He added, how I had endeavoured
to perfuade him, that, in my own and other Countries,
the Yaboos acted as the governing, rational Animal, and
held the Houyhnhnms in Servitude: That he obſerved
in me all the Qualities of a Yaboo, only a little more
civilized by fome Tincture of Reafon; which, howe-
ver, was in a Degree as far inferiour to the Houyhnhnm
Race, as the Yahoos of their Country were to me: That,
among other Things, I mentioned a Cuſtom we had of
Caftrating Houyhnhnms when they were young, in order
to render them tame; that the Operation was eafy and
fafe; that it was no Shame to learn Wiſdom from Brutes,
as Induſtry is taught by the Ant, and Building by the
Swallow
270
A VOYAGE
Swallow (for fo I tranſlate the Word Lyhannh, although
it be a much larger Fowl.) That this Invention might
be practifed upon the younger Yahoos here, which, be-
fides rendering them tractable, and fitter for Ufe, would,
in an Age, put an End to the whole Species, without
deftroying Life. That, in the mean Time, the Houyhn-
bnms fhould be exhorted to cultivate the Breed of Affes,
which, as they are in all Refpects more valuable Brutes,
fo they have this Advantage, to be fit for Service at
at five Years old, which the others are not till twelve.
This was all my Mafter thought fit to tell me at that
Time, of what paffed in the Grand Council. But he
was pleaſed to conceal one Particular, which related
perfonally to myſelf, whereof I foon felt the unhappy
Effect, as the Reader will know in its proper Place,
and from whence I date all the fucceeding Misfortunes
of my Life.
The Houyhnhnms have no Letters, and confequently,
their Knowledge is all Traditional. But there happen-
ing few Events of any Moment among a People fo well
united, naturally difpofed to every Virtue, wholly go-
verned by Reaſon and cut off from all Commerce with
other Nations; the hiftorical Part is eafily preferved
without burthening their Memories. I have already
obferved that they are fubject to no Diſeaſes, and there-
fore can have no Need of Phyficians. However, they
have excellent Medicines compofed of Herbs, to cure
accidental Bruifes and Cuts in the Paftern, or Frog of
the Foot, by fharp Stones, as well as other Mains and
Hurts in the feveral Parts of the Body.
They calculate the Year by the Revolution of the Sun
and the Moon, but uſe no Subdivifions into Weeks.
They are well enough acquainted with the Motions of
thofe two Luminaries, and underſtand the Nature of E-
clipfes; and this is the utmoft Progrefs of their Aftro-
nomy.
In Poetry, they must be allowed to excel all other
Mortals; wherein the Juftnefs of their Similies, and the
Minuteness,
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
27 I
Minuteness, as well as Exactnefs of their Defcriptions,
are, indeed, inimitable. Their Verfes abound very
much in both of thefe; and ufually contain either fome
exalted Notions of Friendship and Benevolence, or the
Praiſes of thoſe who were Victors in Races, and other
bodily Exercifes. Their Buildings, although very rude
and fimple, are not inconvenient, but well contrived to
defend them from all Injuries of Cold and Heat. They
have a Kind of Tree, which, at forty Years old, loofens
in the Root, and falls with the firft Storm; it grows
very ftrait, and being pointed like Stakes, with a fharp
Stone (for the Houyhnhnms know not the Uſe of Iron)
they flick them erect in the Ground about ten Inches a-
funder, and then weave in Oat-ftraw, or ſometimes
Wattles, betwixt them. The Roof is made after the
fame Manner, and fo are the Doors.
The Houyhnhnms ufe the hollow Part, between the
Paftern and the Hoof, of their Forefeet, as we do our
Hands, and this with greater Dexterity, than I could
at firſt imagine. I have feen a white Mare of our Fa-
mily thread a Needle (which I lent her on Purpoſe)
with that Joint. They milk their Cows, reap their
Oats, and do all the Work which requires Hands in
the fame Manner. They have a Kind of hard Flints,
which, by grinding against other Stones, they form
into Inftruments, that ferve inſtead of Wedges, Axes,
and Hammers. With Tools made of theſe Flints,
they likewife cut their Hay, and reap their Oats,
which there grow naturally in feveral Fields: The
Yahoos draw Home the Sheaves in Carriages, and the
Servants tread them in certain covered Hutts, to get
out the Grain, which is kept in Stores. They make
a rude Kind of earthen and wooden Veffels, and bake
the former in the Sun.
If they can avoid Cafualties, they die only of Old-
Age, and are buried in the obfcureft Places that can
be found, their Friends and Relations expreffing nei-
ther Joy nor Grief at their Departure; nor does the
dying Perfon diſcover the leaſt Regret that he is leav-
ing
272
A VOYAGE
ing the World, any more than if he were upon return
ing Home from a Vifit to one of his Neighbours. I
remember, my Mafter having once made an Appoint-
ment with a Friend and his Family to come to his
Houſe upon fome Affair of Importance, on the Day
fixed, the Miſtreſs, and her two Children, came very
late; fhe made two Excufes, firft for her Husband,
who, as fhe faid, happened that very Morning to
Lhnuwnb. The Word is ftrongly expreffive in their
Language, but not eafily rendered into English; it
fignifies, to retire to his first Mother. Her Excufe,
for not coming fooner, was, that her Huſband dying
late in the Morning, fhe was a good while confulting
her Servants about a convenient Place where his Body
fhould be laid; and, I obferved, fhe behaved herſelf
at our Houſe, as chearfully as the reft: She died a-
bout three Months after.
They live generally to feventy, or feventy-five
Years, very feldom to fourfcore: Some Weeks before
their Death, they feel a gradual Decay; but without
Pain. During this Time, they are much vifited by
their Friends, becauſe they cannot go abroad, with
their ufual Eafe and Satisfaction. However, about
ten Days before their Death, which they ſeldom fail
in computing, they return the Vifits that have been
made them, by thoſe who are neareſt in the Neigh-
bourhood, being carried in a convenient Sledge, drawn
by Yahoos ; which Vehicle they ufe, not only upon
this Occafion, but when they grow old, upon long
Journies, or when they are lamed by any Accident.
And, therefore, when the dying Houyhnhnms return
thoſe Viſits, they take a folemn Leave of their Friends,
as if they were going to fome remote Part of the Coun-
try, where they defigned to paſs the reſt of their Lives.
I know not whether it may be worth obferving, that
the Houyhnhnms have no Word in their Language, to
express any Thing that is Evil, except what they bor-
row from the Deformities, or ill Qualities of the Ya-
boos. Thus they denote the Folly of a Servant, an
Omiffion
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
273
Omiffion of a Child, a Stone that cuts their Feet, a
Continuance of foul or unfeaſonable Weather, and the
like, by adding to each the Epithet of Yahoo. For
Inftance, Hhnm Yahoo, Whnaholm Yahoo, Ynlhmnd-
wihlma Yahoo, and an ill contrived Houſe, Ynholme
hamrohlnw Yahoo.
I could with great Pleaſure enlarge farther upon the
Manners and Virtues of this excellent People; but, in-
tending in a fhort Time to publiſh a Volume by itſelf
exprefly upon that Subject, I refer the Reader thither.
And, in the mean Time, proceed to relate my own
faid Cataſtrophe.
CHAP. X.
The Author's Oeconomy, and happy Life, among the
Houyhnhnms. His great Improvement in Vir-
tue, by converfing with them. Their Converfa-
tions. The Author has Notice given him by his
Mafter, that he muſt depart from the Country.
He falls into a Swoon for Grief; but ſubmits.
He contrives and finishes a Canoo, by the Help of
a Fellow-fervant, and puts to Sea at a Venture.
I
HAD fettled my little Oeconomy to my own Heart's
Content. My Maſter had ordered a Room to be
made for me after their Manner, about fix Yards from
the Houfe; the Sides and Floors of which I plaiftered
with Clay, and covered with Ruſh-matts of my own
contriving; I had beaten Hemp, which there grows
wild, and made of it a Sort of Ticking; This I filled
with the Feathers of ſeveral Birds I had taken with
Springes made of Yahoos Hairs, and were excellent Food.
I had worked two Chairs with my Knife, the Sorrel
Nag helping me in the groffer and more laborious Part.
When my Cloaths were worn to Rags, I made my-
felf others with the Skins of Rabbits, and of a certain
T
beautiful
274
A VOYAGE
beautiful Animal about the fame Size, called Nnuhnoh,
the Skin of which is covered with a fine Down. Of
theſe I alſo made very tolerable Stockings. I foaled
my Shoes with Wood which I cut from a Tree, and
fitted to the upper Leather; and, when this was worn
out, I fupplied it with the Skins of Yahoos, dried in the
Sun. I often got Honey out of hollow Trees, which
I mingled with Water, or eat with my Bread. No
Man could more verify the Truth of theſe two Maxims,
That Nature is very eaſily ſatisfied; and, That Neceffity is
the Mother of Invention. I enjoyed perfect Health of
Body, and Tranquility of Mind; I did not feel the
Treachery or Inconftancy of a Friend, nor the Injuries
of a fecret or open Enemy. I had no Occafion of
bribing, flattering, or pimping, to procure the Favour
of any great Man, or of his Minion. I wanted no
Fence againſt Fraud or Oppreffion; here was neither
Phyfician to deſtroy my Body, nor Lawyer to ruin my
Fortune; no Informer to watch my Words, and Ac-
tions, or forge Accufations againſt me for Hire: Here
were no Gibers, Cenfurers, Backbiters, Pick-pockets,
Highwaymen, Houfe-breakers, Attornies, Bawds, Buf-
foons, Gamefters, Politicians, Wits, Splenatics, tedious.
Talkers, Controvertifts, Ravifhers, Murderers, Rob-
bers, Virtuofo's; no Leaders or Followers of Party
and Faction; no Encouragers to Vice, by Seducement
or Examples; no Dungeon, Axes, Gibbets, Whipping-
pofts, or Pillories; no cheating Shopkeepers or Me-
chanics; no Pride, Vanity or Affectation; no Fops,
Bullies, Drunkards, ftrolling Whores, or Poxes; no
ranting, lewd, expenfive Wives; no ftupid, proud Pe-
dants; no importunate, over-bearing, quarrelfome, noi.
fy, roaring, empty, conceited, fwearing Companions :
No Scoundrels, raifed from the Duft, for the Sake of
their Vices, or Nobility thrown into it, on Account
of their Virtues; no Lords, Fidlers, Judges, or Dan-
cing-mafters.
I had the Favour of being admitted to feveral
Houyhnhnms, who came to vifit or dine with my Maf-
ter;
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
275
ter; where his Honour graciouſly fuffered me to wait
in the Room, and listen to their Difcourfe. Both he
and his Company would often deſcend to aſk me Queſ-
tions, and receive my Anfwers. I had alfo fometimes
the Honour of attending my Maſter in his Vifits to o-
thers. I never prefumed to fpeak, except in Anſwer
to a Queſtion; and then I did it with inward Regret,
becauſe it was a Lofs of fo much Time for improving
myfelf: But I was infinitely delighted with the Sta-
tion of an humble Auditor in fuch Converfations, where
nothing paffed but what was uſeful, expreffed in the
fewest and most fignificant Words: Where (as I have
already faid) the greatest Decency was obferved, with-
out the leaft Degree of Ceremony; where no Perſon
ſpoke, without being pleafed himſelf, and pleafing his
Companions; where there was no Interruption, Tedi-
oufnefs, Heat, or Difference of Sentiments. They
have a Notion, That, when People are met together, a
fhort Silence doth much improve Converſation: This
I found to be true; for, during thoſe little Intermiffions
of Talk, new Ideas would arife in their Thoughts,
which very much enlivened the Diſcourſe. Their Sub-
jects are generally on Friendſhip and Benevolence, on
Order and Economy; fometimes upon the vifible O-
perations of Nature, or ancient Traditions; upon the
Bounds and Limits of Virtue; upon the unerring Rules
of Reafon, or upon fome Determinations, to be taken at
the next great Affembly; and often upon the various
Excellencies of Poetry. I may add, without Vanity,
that my Prefence often gave them fufficient Matter for
Difcourfe, becauſe it afforded my Mailer an Occafion
of letting his Friends into the History of me and my
Country, upon which they were all pleaſed to defcant,
in a Manner not very advantageous to Human Kind
and, for that Reaſon, I fhall not repeat what they ſaid:
Only I may be allowed to obferve, That his Honour,
to my great Admiration, appeared to underſtand the
Nature of Yaboos, much better than myfelf. He went
through all our Vices and Follies, and difcovered many
T &
which
276
AVOYAGE
which I had never mentioned to him, by only ſuppoſing
what Qualities a Yahoo of their Country, with a fmall
Proportion of Reafon, might be capable of exerting;
and concluded, with too much Probability, how vile,
as well as miferable, fuch a Creature must be.
I freely confefs, that all the little Knowledge I have,
of any Value, was acquired by the Lectures, I received
from my Mafter, and from hearing the Diſcourſes of
him and his Friends; to which 1 fhould be prouder to
liften, than to dictate to the greateſt and wifeft Affem-
bly in Europe. I admired the Strength, Comeliness, and
Speed of the Inhabitants; and fuch a Conſtellation of
Virtues, in fuch amiable Perfons, produced in me the
higheſt Veneration. At first, indeed, I did not feel
that natural Awe, which the Yahoos, and all other A-
nimals, bear towards them; but it grew upon me by
Degrees, much fooner than I imagined, and was
mingled with a refpectful Love and Gratitude, that
they would condeſcend to distinguish me from the reſt
of my Species.
When I thought of my Family, my Friends, my
Countrymen, or Human Race in general, I confider-
ed them as they really were, Yahoos in Shape and
Difpofition, perhaps a little more civilized, and qua-
lified with the Gift of Speech; but making no other
Ufe of Reaſon, than to improve and multiply thofe
Vices, whereof their Brethren in this Country had on-
ly the Share that Nature allotted them. When I
happened to behold the Reflection of my own Form in
a Lake or a Fountain, I turned away my Face in Hor-
ror and Deteſtation of myſelf; and could better endure
the Sight of a common Yahoo, than of my own Perfon.
By converfing with the Houyhnhnms, and looking upon
them with Delight, I fell to imitate their Gate and
Geſture, which is now grown into an Habit; and my
Friends often tell me in a blunt Way, that I trot like
a Horfe; which, however, I take for a great Compli-
ment: Neither fhall I diſown, that, in Speaking, I
am apt to fall into the Voice and Manner of the Houy-
bahnms,
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
277
hnhnms, and hear myſelf ridiculed on that Account,
without the leaft Mortification.
In the Midſt of all this Happineſs, and when I
looked upon myſelf to be fully fettled for Life, my
Mafter fent for me one Morning, a little earlier than
his uſual Hour. I obferved by his Countenance, that he
was in fome Perplexity, and at a Lofs how to begin what
he had to ſpeak. After a fhort Silence, he told me,
He did not know how I would take what he was going
to ſay; that in the laſt general Affembly, when the
Affair of the Yahoos was entered upon, the Reprefenta-
tives had taken offence at his keeping a Yahoo (mean-
ing myſelf) in his Family, more like a Houyhnhnm,
than a brute Animal. That he was known frequently
to converſe with me, as if he could receive fome Ad-
vantage or Pleafure in my Company: That fuch a
Practice was not agreeable to Reaſon or Nature, or a
Thing ever heard of before among them. The Affem-
bly did therefore exhort him, either to employ me like
the rest of my Species, or command me to fwim back
to the Place from whence I came, That the firſt of
thefe Expedients was utterly rejected by all the Houy-
hnhnms, who had ever feen me at his Houfe or their
own: For they alledged, That, becauſe I had fome
Rudiments of Reaſon, added to the natural Pravity of
thoſe Animals, it was to be feared, I might be able to
feduce them into the woody and mountainous Parts of
the Country, and bring them in Troops by Night to
deſtroy the Houyhnhnms Cattle, as being naturally of
the ravenous Kind, and averfe from Labour.
My Mafter added, That he was daily preffed by the
Houyhnhnms of the Neighbourhood, to have the Affem-
bly's Exhortation executed, which he could not put off
much longer. He doubted it would be impoffible for
me to ſwim to another Country; and therefore wished
I would contrive fome Sort of Vehicle refembling thofe
I had deſcribed to him, that might carry me on the
Sea; in which Work I fhould have the Affiftance of
his own Servants, as well as thofe of his Neighbours.
T3
He
278
AVOYAGE
He concluded, That, for his own Part, he could have
been content to keep me in his Service as long as I
lived; becauſe he found I had cured myſelf of ſome
bad Habits and Difpofitions, by endeavouring, as far
as my inferior Nature was capable, to imitate the
Houyhnhnms.
I fhould here cbferve to the Reader, That a Decree
of the general Affembly, in this Country, is expref-
fed by the Word Hnhloayn, which fignifies an Exhor-
tation, as near as I can render it: For they have no
Conception how a rational Creature can be compelled,
but only adviſed, or exhorted; becauſe no Perfon can
difobey Reaſon, without giving up his Claim to be a
rational Creature.
I was ftruck with the utmoft Grief and Deſpair at
my Master's Difcourfe; and, being unable to fupport
the Agonies I was under, I fell into a Swoon at his
Feet: When I came to myfelf, he told me, that he
concluded I had been dead (for thefe People are ſub-
ject to no fuch Imbecillities of Nature.) I anfwered
in a faint Voice, That Death would have been too
great an Happinefs; that although I could not blame
the Affembly's Exhortation, or the Urgency of his
Friends; yet, in my weak and corrupt Judgment, I
thought it might confift with Reaſon, to have been leſs
rigorous. That I could not fwim a League, and, pro-
bably, the neareft Land to theirs might be diſtant a-
bove an hundred: That many Materials, neceſſary
for making a ſmall Veffel to carry me off, were wholly
wanting in this Country, which, however, I would
attempt, in Obedience and Gratitude to his Honour,
although I concluded the Thing to be impoffible, and
therefore looked on myſelf as already devoted to De-
ftruction. That the certain Profpect of an unnatural
Death was the leaft of my Evils: For, fuppofing I
should escape with Life by fome ftrange Adventure,
how could I think with Temper, of paffing my Days
among Yahoos, and relapfing into my old Corruptions,
for Want of Examples to lead and keep me within the
Paths
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
279
Paths of Virtue. That I knew, too well, upon what
folid Reaſons, all the Determinations of the wife Hɔuy-
hnhnms were founded, not to be fhaken by Arguments
of mine, a miferable Yahoo; and therefore, after pre-
fenting him with my humble Thanks for the offer of
his Servants Affiftance in making a Veffel, and defir-
ing a reaſonable Time for fo difficult a Work, I told
him I would endeavour to preſerve a wretched Being;
and, if ever I returned to England, was not without
Hopes of being uſeful to my own Species, by celebra-
ting the Praiſes of the renowned Houyhnhnms, and pro-
pcfing their Virtues to the Imitation of Mankind.
My Maſter in a few Words, made me a very graci-
ous Reply, allowed me the Space of two Months to
finiſh my Boat; and ordered the Sorrel Nag, my Fel-
low-fervant (for fo at this Diſtance I may preſume to
call him) to follow my Inftructions, becauſe I told my
Maſter, that his Help would be fufficient, and I knew
he had a Tenderneſs for me.
In his Company, my firſt Buſineſs was to go to that
Part of the Coaft, where my rebellious Crew had or-
dered me to be fet on Shore. I got upon a Height,
and, looking on every Side into the Sea, fancied I faw
a fmall Island, towards the North-eaft: I took out my
Pocket-glafs, and could then clearly diftinguish it a-
bout five Leagues off, as I computed; but it appeared
to the Sorrel Nag to be only a blue Cloud: For, as he
had no Conception of any Country befide his own, ſo
he could not be as expert in diſtinguiſhing remote Ob-
jects at Sea, as we who ſo much converfe in that Ele-
ment.
After I had difcovered this Ifland, I confidered no
farther; but refolved, it fhould, if poffible, be the
firft Place of my Banifhment, leaving the Confequence
to Fortune.
I returned Home, and confulting with the Sorrel
Nag, we went into a Copfe at fome Diſtance, where
I with my Knife, and he with a fharp Flint faftened
very artificially, after their Manner, to a wooden
Handle,
Ꭲ 4
280
AVOYAGE
Handle, cut down feveral oak Wattles, about the
Thickness of a Walking ſtaff, and fome larger Pieces.
But I fhall not trouble the Reader with a particular
Deſcription of my own Mechanics; let it fuffice to ſay,
that in fix Weeks Time, with the Help of the Sorrel
Nag, who performed the Parts that required moft La-
bour, I finifhed a Sort of Indian Canoo, but much
larger, covering it with the Skins of Yahoos, well ftitch-
ed together with hempen Threads of my own making.
My Sail was likewiſe compoſed of the Skins of the fame
Animal; but I made Ufe of the youngeſt I could get,
the older being too tough and thick; and I likewife
provided myſelf with four Paddles. I laid in a Stock
of boiled Fleſh, of Rabbets and Fowls; and took with
me two Veffels, one filled with Milk, and the other
with Water.
I tried my Canoo in a large Pond, near my Maſter's
Houſe, and then corrected in it what was amifs; ſtop-
ping all the Chinks with Yahoos Tallow, till I found
it ftanch, and able to bear me, and my Freight. And
when it was as compleat as I could poffibly make it,
I had it drawn on a Carriage, very gently, by Yahoos,
to the Sea-fide, under the Conduct of the Sorrel Nag,
and another Servant.
When all was ready, and the Day came for my
Departure, I took Leave of my Maſter and Lady, and
the whole Family, mine Eyes flowing with Tears, and
my Heart quite funk with Grief. But his Honour,
out of Curiofity, and perhaps (if I may ſpeak it with-
out Vanity) partly out of Kindneſs, was determined to
fee me in my Canoo; and got ſeveral of his neighbour-
ing Friends to accompany him. I was forced to wait
above an Hour for the Tide, and then obferving the
Wind very fortunately bearing towards the Ifland, to
which I intended to fteer my Courfe, I took a Second
Leave of my Maſter: But as I was going to poſtrate
myſelf to kifs his Hoof, he did me the Honour to raiſe
įt gently to my Mouth. I am not ignorant how much
I have been cenfured for mentioning this laft Particu
lar,
to the HOUYHNHNM S. 281
lar. For my Detractors are pleaſed to think it impro-
bable, that fo illuftrious a Perfon fhould defcend to
give fo great a Mark of Distinction to a Creature fo
inferior as I. Neither have I forgot, how apt fome
Travellers are to boaſt of extraordinary Favours they
have received. But, if theſe Cenfurers were better ac-
quainted with the noble and courteous Difpofition of
the Houyhnhnms, they would foon change their Opi-
nion.
I paid my Refpects to the rest of the Houyhnhnms in
his Honour's Company; then, getting into my Canoo,
I pushed off from Shore.
CHAP.
XI.
The Author's dangerous Voyage. He arrives at New-
Holland, hoping to fettle there. Is wounded with
an Arrow by one of the Natives. Is feized and
carried by Force into a Portugueze Ship. The
great Civilities of the Captain. The Author ar-
rives at England.
I
BEGAN this defperate Voyage on February 15,
1714-15, at 9 o'clock in the Morning The Wind
was very favourable; however, I made Ufe, at firſt,
only of my Paddles; but confidering I should foon be
weary, and that the Wind might probably chop about,
I ventured to ſet up my little Sail; and thus, with the
Help of the Tide, I went at the Rate of a League and
a half an Hour, as near as I could guess. My Mailer
and his Friends continued on the Shore, till I was al-
moſt out of Sight; and I often heard the Sorrel Nag
(who always loved me) crying out, Hnuy illa nyba ma-
jab Yahoo, Take Care of thyself, gentle Yahoo.
My Defign was, if poffible, to difcover fome fmall
Iſland uninhabited, yet fufficient with my Labour
to furniſh me with the Neceffaries of Life, which I
would have thought a greater Happinefs, than to be
6:4
282
AVOYAGE
firft Miniſter in the politeft Court of Europe; fo horri
ble was the Idea I conceived of returning to live in the
Society, and under the Government of Yahoos. For,
in fuch a Solitude as I defired, I could, at leaft, enjoy
my own Thoughts, and reflect with Delight on the
Virtues of thoſe inimitable Houyhnhnms, without any
Opportunity of degenerating into the Vices and Cor-
ruptions of my own Species.
The Reader may remember what I related, when
my Crew confpired againſt me, and confined me to my
Cabbin. How I continued there feveral Weeks, with-
out knowing what Courſe we took; and when I was
put a-fhore in the Long-boat, how the Sailors told me
with Oaths, whether true or falfe, that they knew not
in what Part of the World we were. However, I did
then believe us to be about ten Degrees Southward of
the Cape of Good-Hope, or about 45 Degrees, Southern
Latitude, as I gathered from fome general Words I o-
verheard among them, being, I fuppofed, to the South.
Eaft in their intended Voyage to Madagafcar. And,
although this were but little better than Conjecture,
yet I refolved to ftear my Courſe Eastward, hoping to
reach the South-West Coast of New-Holland, and per-
haps fome fuch Iſland as I defired, lying Weftward of
it. The Wind was full Weſt, and, by fix in the Even-
ing, I computed I had gone Eastward, at leaft, eigh-
teen Leagues; when I fpied a very fmall Iſland about
half a League off, which I foon reached. It was no-
thing but a Rock with one Creek, naturally arched
by the Force of Tempefts. Here I put in my Canoo,
and, climbing up a part of the Rock, I could plainly
diſcover Land to the Eaft, extending from South to
North. I lay all Night in my Canoo; and, repeating
my Voyage early in the Morning, I arrived in ſeven
Hours to the South-East Point of New Holland. This
confirmed me in the Opinion I have long entertained,
that the Maps and Charts place this Country at leaſt
three Degrees more to the Eaſt, than it really is; which
Thought I communicated, many Years ago, to my
worthy
to the HOUYHNHN MS.
283
worthy Friend, Mr. Herman Moll, and gave him my
Reaſons for it, although he hath rather chofen to fol-
low other Authors.
I ſaw no Inhabitants in the Place where I landed,
and, being unarmed, I was afraid of venturing far in-
to the Country. I found fome Shell-fish on the Shore,
and eat them raw, not daring to kindle a Fire, for Fear
of being diſcovered by the Natives. I continued three
Days feeding on Oyfters and Limpits, to fave my own
Provifions; and I fortunately found a Brook of excel-
lent Water, which gave me great Relief.
On the fourth Day, venturing out early, a little too
far, I faw twenty or thirty Natives upon a Height,
not above five hundred Yards from me. They were
ſtark naked, Men, Women, and Children, round a
Fire, as I could difcover by the Smoke. One of them
fpied me, and gave Notice to the reft; five of them ad-
vanced towards me, leaving the Women and Children
at the Fire. I made what Hafte I could to the Shore,
and, getting into my Canoo, fhoved off. The Sa-
vages, obferving me retreat, ran after me, and, be-
fore I could get far enough into the Sea, diſcharged an
Arrow, which wounded me deeply on the Inſide of
my left Knee (I ſhall carry the Mark to my Grave).
I apprehended the Arrow might be poiſoned, and pad-
dling out of the Reach of their Darts (being a calm Day)
I made a Shift to fuck the Wound, and dreſs it as I
could.
I was at a Lofs what to do, for I durft not return to
the fame Landing-place, but ftood to the North, and
was forced to paddle; for the Wind, though very
gentle, was against me, blowing North-Weft. As I
was looking about for a fecure Landing-place, I faw a
Sail to the North North East, which appearing every
Minute more vifible, I was in fome Doubt, whether
I ſhould wait for them or no; but, at laft, my Detef-
tation of the Yahoo Race prevailed; and, turning my
Canoo, I failed and paddled together to the South, and
got into the fame Creek from whence I ſet out in the
·
Morning
284
AVOYAGE
Morning, chufing rather to trust myſelf among theſe
Barbarians, than live with European Yahoos. I drew
up my Canoo as close as I could to the Shore, and hid
myſelf behind a Stone by the little Brook, which, as I
have already faid, was excellent Water.
The Ship came within half a League of this Creek,
and fent out her Long-Boat, with Veffels to take in
fresh Water (for the Place, it feems, was very well
known) but I did not obſerve it, till the Boat was al-
moft on Shore; and it was too late to feek another
Hiding-place. The Seamen, at their Landing, ob-
ferved my Canoo, and, rummaging it all over, eafily
conjectured that the Owner could not be far off. Four
of them, well armed, fearched every Cranny and
Lurking hole, till at laft they found me flat on my Face
behind the Stone. They gazed a while, in Admirati-
on at my ftrange uncouth Drefs; my Coat made of
Skins, my wooden foaled Shoes, and my furred Stock-
ings; from whence, however, they concluded, I was
not a Native of the Place, who all go naked. One of
the Seamen, in Portugueze, bid me tiſe, and aſked who
I was. I underſtood that Language very well, and get-
ting upon my Feet, faid, I was a poor Yahoo, baniſhed
from the Houyhnhnms, and defired they would pleaſe to
let me depart. They admired to hear me anſwer them
in their own Tongue, and faw by my Complexion, I
must be an European; but were at a Lofs to know what
I meant by Yahoos, and Houyhnhnms, and at the ſame
Time fell a Laughing at my ftrange Tone in Speaking,
which reſembled the Neighing of a Horfe. I trem-
bled all the while betwixt Fear and Hatred: I again
defired Leave to depart, and was gently moving to my
Canoo, but they laid hold on me, defiring to know,
What Country I was of? Whence I came ? with ma-
ny other Queſtions. I told them, I was born in Eng-
land, from whence I came about five Years ago, and
then their Country and ours were at Peace. I there-
fore hoped they would not treat me as an Enemy, ſince
I meant them no Harm, but was a poor Yahoo, feek-
ing
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
285
ing fome defolate Place where to paſs the Remainder of
his unfortunate Life.
When they began to talk, I thought I never heard
or faw any Thing fo unnatural; for it appeared to me
as monftrous, as if a Dog or a Cow fhould fpeak in
England, or a Yahoo in Houyhnhnm-land. The honeft
Portugueze were equally amazed at my ftrange Dreſs,
and the odd Manner of delivering my Words, which,
however, they underſtood very well. They fpoke to
me with great Humanity, and ſaid they were fure
the Captain would carry me gratis to Lisbon, from
whence I might return to my own Country; that two
of the Seamen would go back to the Ship, inform the
Captain of what they had feen, and receive his Or-
ders; in the mean Time, unleſs I would give my fo-
lemn Oath not to fly, they would fecure me by Force.
I thought it beft to comply with their Propofal. They
were very curious to know my Story, but I gave them
very little Satisfaction; and they all conjectured, that
my Misfortunes had impaired my Reafon. In two
Hours the Boat, which went loaden with Veffels of
Water, returned, with the Captain's Command, to
fetch me on Board. I fell on my Knees to preferve
my Liberty; but all was in vain, and the Men, hav-
ing tied me with Cords, heaved me into the Boat, from
whence I was taken into the Ship, and from thence in-
to the Captain's Cabbin.
His Name was Pedro de Mendez; he was a very
courteous and generous Perfon; he entreated me to give
fome Account of myſelf, and defired to know what I
would eat or drink; faid, I fhould be uſed as well as
himſelf, and ſpoke fo many obliging Things, that I
wondred to find fuch Civilities from a Yahoo. How-
ever, I remained filent and fullen; I was ready to faint
at the very Smell of him and his Men. At last I de-
fired fomething to eat out of my own Canoo; but he
ordered me a Chicken, and fome excellent Wine, and
then directed that I fhould be put to Bed in a very clean
Cabbin. I would not undrefs myſelf, but lay on the
Bed-
286
AVOYAGE
Bed-cloaths, and in half an Hour ftole out, when f
thought the Crew was at Dinner, and getting to the
Side of the Ship, was going to leap into the Sea, and
fwim for my Life, rather than continue among Yahoos.
But one of the Seamen prevented me, and, having in-
formed the Captain, I was chained to my Cabbin.
After Dinner, Don Pedro came to me, and defired
to know my Reafon for fo defperate an Attempt; af-
fured me, he only meant to do me all the Service he
was able, and ſpoke fo very movingly, that at laſt I
defcended to treat him like an Animal which had fome
little Portion of Reaſon. I gave him a very fhort Rela-
tion of my Voyage; of the Confpiracy againſt me by my
own Men; of the Country where they fet me on Shore,
and of my three Years Refidence there. All which he
looked upon as if it were a Dream or a Vifion; where-
at I took great Offence; for I had quite forgot the Fa-
culty of Lying, fo peculiar to Yahoos in all Countries
where they prefide, and confequently the Difpofition of
fufpecting Truth in others of their own Species. I afk-
ed him, Whether it were the Cuſtom in his Country,
to Say the Thing that was not? I affured him, I had
almoft forgot what he meant by Falſehood, and, if I
had lived a thouſand Years in Houyhnhnm-land, I
ſhould never have heard a Lye from the meaneft Ser-
vant; that I was altogether indifferent whether he be-
lieved me or no; but however, in Return for his Fa-
vours, I would give ſo much Allowance to the Corrup-
tion of his Nature, as to anſwer any Objection he would
pleaſe to make, and then he might eafily diſcover the
Truth.
The Captain, a wife Man, after many Endeavours
to catch me tripping in fome Part of my Story, at laſt,
began to have a better Opinion of my Veracity. But
he added, that, fince I profeffed fo inviolable an At-
tachment to Truth, I must give him my Word and Ho-
nour to bear him Company in this Voyage, without at-
tempting any Thing againſt my Life, or elfe he would
continue me a Prifoner till we arrived at Lisbon. I
gave
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
287
gave him the Promiſe he required; but at the fame
Time protefted, that I would fuffer the greateſt Hard-
ſhips, rather than return to live among Yahoos.
Our Voyage paffed without any confiderable Acci-
dent. In Gratitude to the Captain, I fometimes fat
with him, at his earneft Requeft, and ftrove to conceal
my Antipathy to Human Kind, although it often broke
out; which he fuffered to pafs without Obfervation.
But, the greateſt Part of the Day, I confined myſelf to
my Cabbin, to avoid feeing any of the Crew. The
Captain had often entreated me to ftrip myfelf of my
favage Drefs, and offered to lend me the beft Suit of
Cloaths he had. This I would not be prevailed on to
accept, abhorring to cover myſelf with any Thing that
had been on the Back of a Yahoo. I only defired he
would lend me two clean Shirts, which having been
wathed fince he wore them, I believed would not fo
much defile me. Thefe I changed every fecond Day,
and waſhed them myſelf.
We arrived at Liſbon, Nov. 5,.1715. At our Land-
ing the Captain forced me to cover myſelf with his
Cloak, to prevent the Rabble from crouding about me.
I was conveyed to his own Houfe; and, at my earneft
Requeft, he led me up to the higheſt Room backwards.
I conjured him to conceal from all Perfons what I had
told him of the Houyhnhnms; becauſe the leaſt Hint of
fuch a Story would not only draw Numbers of People
to fee me, but probably put me in Danger of being im-
priſoned, or burnt by the Inquifition. The Captain per-
fuaded me to accept a Suit of Cloaths newly made;
but I would not fuffer the Taylor to take my Meaſure;
however, Don Pedro being almost of my Size, they fit-
ted me well enough. He accoutred me with other Ne-
ceffaries, all new, which I aired for twenty-four Hours,
before I would uſe them.
The Captain had no Wife, nor above three Servants,
none of which were fuffered to attend at Meals; and
his whole Deportment was fo obliging, added to very
good buman Underſtanding, that I really began to to-
lerate
:
288
A VOYAGE
lerate his Company. He gained fo far upon me, that
I ventured to look out of the back Window.
By De-
grees, I was brought into another Room, from whence
I peeped into the Street, but drew my Head back in a
Fright. In a Week's Time, he feduced me down to
the Door. I found my Terror gradually leffened, but
my Hatred and Contempt feemed to encreaſe. I was
at laft bold enough to walk the Street in his Company,
but kept my Noſe well ſtopped with Rue, or fome-
times with Tobacco.
In ten Days, Don Pedro, to whom I had given fome
Account of my domeftic Affairs, put it upon me as a
Matter of Honour and Confcience, that I ought to re-
turn to my native Country, and live at Home with my
Wife and Children. He told me, there was an English
Ship in the Port juft ready to fail, and he would furnish
me with all Things neceffary. It would be tedious to
repeat his Arguments, and my Contradictions. He
faid it was altogether impoffible to find ſuch a ſolitary
Iſland as I had defired to live in; but I might command
in my own Houſe, and paſs my Time in a Manner as
reclufe as I pleaſed.
.
I complied at last, finding I could not do better. I
left Lisbon the 24th Day of November, in an Engliſh
Merchant-Man, but, who was the Maſter, I never en-
quired. Don Pedro accompanied me to the Ship, and
lent me twenty Pounds. He took kind Leave of me,
and embraced me at Parting, which I bore as well as I
could. During the last Voyage, I had no Commerce
with the Maſter, or any of his Men; but, pretending
I was fick, kept cloſe in my Cabbin. On the 5th of
December, 1715, we caft Anchor in the Downs about
nine in the Morning, and at three in the Afternoon I
got fafe to my Houfe at Rotherhith.
My Wife and Family received me with great Sur-
prize and Joy, becauſe they concluded me certainly
dead; but I must freely confefs the Sight of them filled
me only with Hatred, Difguft, and Contempt; and the
more by reflecting on the near Alliance I had to them.
For,
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
289.
For, although, fince my unfortunate Exile from the
Houyhnhnm Country, I had compelled myſelf to tole-
rate the Sight of Yahoos, and to converfe with Don Pe-
dro de Mendez; yet my Memory and Imagination were
perpetually filled with the Virtues and Ideas of thoſe
exalted Houyhnhnms. And when I began to confider,
that, by copulating with one of the Yahoo-Species, I
had become a Parent of more; it ftruck me with the
utmoſt Shame, Confufion, and Horror.
laft
As foon as I entered the Houſe, my Wife took me
in her Arms, and kiffed me; at which, having not
been uſed to the Touch of that odious Animal for fo
many Years, I fell in a Swoon for almoſt an Hour.
At the Time I am writing, it is five Years fince my
Return to England: During the first Year, I could not
endure my Wife or Children in my Prefence, the very
Smell of them was intolerable; much lefs could I ſuffer
them to eat in the fame Room. To this Hour, they
dare not prefume to touch my Bread, or drink out of
the fame Cup; neither was I ever able to let one of them
take me by the Hand. The first Money I laid out was
to buy two young Stone-Horfes, which I kept in a good
Stable, and next to them the Groom is my greatelt Fa-
vourite; for I feel my Spirits revived by the Smell he
contracts in the Stable. My Horfes underſtand me tole-
rably well; I converfe with them at leaſt four Hours eve-
ry Day. They are Strangers to Bridle or Saddle; they
live in great Amity with me, and Friendship to each
other.
U
CHAP.
290
AVOYAGE
CHA P. XII.
The Author's Veracity. His Defign in publiſhing this
Work. His Cenfure of thofe Travellers who
Swerve from the Truth. The Author clears him-
Self from any finifter Ends in writing. An Ob-
jection anſwered. The Method of planting Colo
nies. His Native Country commended. The Right
of the Crown to thofe Countries defcribed by the
Author, is juftified. The Difficulty of conquering
them. The Author takes his laft Leave of the
Reader; propofeth his Manner of Living for the
future; gives good Advice, and concludeth.
T
HUS, gentle Reader, I have given thee a faith-
ful History of my Travels for Sixteen Years, and
above feven Months; wherein I have not been fo ftu-
dious of Ornament as Truth. I could perhaps, like
others, have aftoniſhed thee with frange improbable
Tales; but I rather chofe to relate plain Matter of
Fact, in the fimpleft Manner and Style; becauſe my
principal Deſign was to inform, and not to amuſe thee.
It is eafy for us who travel into remote Countries,
which are ſeldom vifited by Engliſhmen, or other Euro-
peans, to form Defcriptions of wonderful Animals, both
at Sea and Land. Whereas a Traveller's chief Aim
ſhould be, to make Men wiſer and better, and to im-
prove their Minds by the bad, as well as good Exam-
ple, of what they deliver, concerning foreign Places.
I could heartily with a Law was enacted that every
Traveller, before he were permitted to publiſh his Voy-
ages, fhould be obliged to make Oath before the Lord
High Chancellor, that all he intended to print was ab-
folutely true, to the beft of his Knowledge; for then
the World would no longer be deceived, as it uſually
is; while fome Writers, to make their Works paſs the
better upon the Public, impofe the groffeft Falfities on
the
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
291
the unwary Reader. I have peruſed ſeveral Books of
Travels, with great Delight, in my younger Days; but
having fince gone over moft Parts of the Globe, and
been able to contradict many fabulous Accounts from
my own Obfervation, it hath given me a great Diſguſt
againſt this Part of Reading, and fome Indignation to
fee the Credulity of Mankind fo impudently abuſed.
Therefore, fince my Acquaintance were pleafed to
think my poor Endeavours might not be unaccepta-
ble to my Country, I impofed on myſelf, as a Max-
im, never, to be fwerved from, that I would ſtrictly
adhere to Truth; neither, indeed, can I be ever under
the leaft Temptation to vary from it, while I retain in
my Mind the Lectures and Example of my Noble Ma-
fter, and the other Illuftrious Houyhnhnms, of whom I
had fo long the Honour to be an humble Hearer.
Nec fi miferum Fortuna Sinoncm
Finxit, vanum etiam, mendacemque improba finget.
I know very well, how little Reputation is to be got
by Writings which require neither Genious nor Learn-
ing, nor, indeed, any other Talent, except a good
Memory, or an exact Journal. I know likewife, that
Writers of Travels, like Dictionary-Makers, are funk
into Oblivion, by the Weight and Bulk of thoſe who
come laft, and therefore le uppermoft. And it is
highly probable, that fuch Travellers, who fhall here-
after vifit the Countries defcribed in this Work of
mine, may, by detecting my Errors (if there be any)
and adding many new Difcoveries of their own, juftle
me out of Vogue, and ftand in my Place, making the
World forget that I was ever an Author. This indeed
would be too great a Mortification, if I wrote for
Fame: But, as my fole Intention was the PUBLIC
GOOD, I cannot be altogether difappointed.
who can read of the Virtues I have mentioned in the
glorious Houyhnhnms, without being afhimed of his
own Vices, when he confiders himſelf as the reafon-
U 2
For
ing,
292
A VOYAGE
ing, governing, Animal of his Country? I fhall fay
nothing of thofe remote Nations where Yahoos pre-
fide; amongſt which the leaft corrupted are the Brob-
dingnagians, whofe wife Maxims, in Morality and
Government, it would be our Happineſs to obferve.
But I forbear defcanting farther, and rather leave the
Judicious Reader to his own Remarks and Applica-
tions:
,
I am not a little pleafed that this Work of mine
can poffibly meet with no Cenfurers: For what Ob-
jections can be made againſt a Writer who relates on-
ly plain Facts that happened in fuch diftant Countries,
where we have not the leaft Intereft, with Reſpect ei-
ther to Trade or Negotiations? I have carefully a-
voided every Fault with which common Writers of
Travels are often too juftly charged. Befides, I med-
dle not the leaft with any Party, but write without
Paffion, Prejudice, or Ill-will against any Man, or
Number of Men, whatfoever. I write for the nobleſt
End, to inform and inftruct Mankind, over whom I
may, without Breach of Modefty, pretend to fome Su-
periority, from the Advantages I received by conver-
fing fo long among the moft accomplished Houyhnhnms.
I write without any View towards Profit or Praiſe
never fuffer a Word to pafs, that may look like Reflec-
tion, or poffibly give the leaft Offence, even to thoſe
who are moſt ready to take it. So that I hope, I
may, with Juftice, pronounce myfelf an Author per-
fectly blameleſs; against whom the Tribes of Anfwer-
ers, Confiderers, Obfervers, Reflecters, Detecters, Re-
markers, will never be able to find Matter for exerci-
fing their Talents.
.
I
I confefs, it was whiſpered to me, that I was bound
in Duty, as a Subject of England, to have given in a
Memorial to a Secretary of State, at my firft Coming
over; becauſe, whatever Lands are difcovered by a
Subject, belong to the Crown. But I doubt whether
our Conquefts, in the Countries I treat of, would be
as eafy as thofe of Ferdinando Cortez, over the naked
Americans.
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
293
1
Americans. The Lilliputians, I think, are hardly
worth the Charge of a Fleet and Army to reduce them;
and I queftion whether it might be prudent or fafe to
attempt the Brobdingnagians. Or whether an English
Army would be much at their Eafe with the Flying
Iſland over their Heads. The Houyhnhnms, indeed,
appear not to be fo well prepared for War, a Science
to which they are perfect Strangers, and eſpecially a-
gainſt miffive Weapons. However, fuppofing myſelf
to be a Minifter of State, I could never give my Ad-
vice for invading them. Their Prudence, Unanimi-
ty, Unacquainted nefs with Fear, and their Love of
their Country, would amply fupply all Defects in the
Military Art. Imagine twenty thousand of them
breaking into the midft of an European Army, con-
founding the Ranks, overturning the Carriages, bat-
tering the Warriors Faces into Mummy, by terrible
Yerks from their hinder Hoofs; for they would well
deſerve the Character given to Auguftus: Recalcitrat
undique tutus. But, inftead of Propofals for conquering
that magnanimous Nation, I rather wifh they were in
a Capacity, or Difpofition, to fend a fufficient Num-
ber of their Inhabitants for civilizing Europe, by teach-
ing us the first Principles of Honour, Justice, Truth,
Temperance, Public Spirit, Fortitude, Chaſtity, Friend-
fhip, Benevolence, and Fidelity. The Names of all
which Virtues are ftill retained among us in moſt Lan-
guages, and are to be met with in modern, as well as
ancient Authors; which I am able to affert, from my
own fmall Reading.
But I had another Reafon which made me lefs for-
ward to enlarge his Majefty's Dominions by my Dit
coveries. To fay the Truth, I had conceived a few
Scruples with Relation to the Diſtributive Juftice of
Princes upon thofe Occafions. For Inflance, a Crew
of Pyrates are driven by a Storm they know not whi-
ther; at length a Boy diſcovers Land from the Top-
maft; they go on Shore to rob and plunder; they fee
an harmleſs People, are entertained with Kindneſs;
they
294
AVOYAGE
they give the Country a new Name; they take formal
Poffeffion of it for their King; they fet up a rotten
Plank or a Stone for a Memorial; they murder two or
three Dozen of the Natives, bring away a Couple more
by Force for a Sample, return Home, and get their
Pardon. Here commences a new Dominion acquired
with a Title by Divine Right. Ships are fent with the
firft Opportunity; the Natives driven out or deſtroy-
ed; their Princes tortured to diſcover their Gold; a
free Licence given to all Acts of Inhumanity and Luft,
the Earth reeking with the Blood of its Inhabitants:
And this execrable Crew of Butchers employed in fo
pious an Expedition, is a modern Colony, fent to con-
vert and civilize an idolatrous and barbarous People.
But this Deſcription, I confefs, doth by no Means
affect the British Nation, who may be an Example to
the whole World for their Wisdom, Care, and Juftice
in planting Colonies; their liberal Endowments for the
Advancement of Religion and Learning; their Choice
of devout and able Paftors to propagate Christianity;
their Caution in ſtocking their Provinces with People
of fober Lives and Converfations from this the Mother
Kingdom; their ftri&t Regard to the Diſtribution of
Juftice, in fupplying the civil Adminiftration, through
all their Colonies, with Officers of the greateſt Abili-
ties, utter Strangers to Corruption; and to crown all,
by fending the moft vigilant and virtuous Governors,
who have no other Views than the Happineſs of the
People over whom they prefide, and the Honour of
the King their Maſter.
But, as thofe Countries, which I have deſcribed, do
not appear to have a Defire of being conquered, and
enflaved, murdered or driven out by Colonies; nor a-
bound either in Gold, Silver, Sugar, or Tobacco; I
did humbly conceive, they were by no Means proper
Objects of our Zeal, our Valour, or our Intereft.
However, if thoſe, whom it more concerns, think fit
to be of another Opinion, I am ready to depofe, when
I fhall be lawfully called, that no European did ever
vifit
to the HOUYHNHNMS.
29.5
vifit theſe Countries before me.
habitants ought to be believed.
I mean, if the In-
But, as to the Formality of taking Poffeffion in my
Sovereign's Name, it never came once into my
Thoughts; and, if it had, yet, as my Affairs then
ſtood, I ſhould, perhaps, in Point of Prudence, and
Self-prefervation, have put it off to a better Opportu-
nity.
Having thus anſwered the only Objection that can
ever be raiſed againſt me as a Traveller; I here take
a final Leave of all my courteous Readers, and return
to enjoy my own Speculations in my little Garden at
Reddriff; to apply thofe excellent Leffons of Virtue
which I learned among the Houyhnhnms; to inftruct
the Yahoos of my own Family, as far as I fhall find
them docible Animals; to behold my Figure often in
a Glafs, and thus, if poffible, habituate my felf, by
Time, to tolerate the Sight of a human Creature: To
lament the Brutality of Houyhnhnms in my own Coun-
try, but always treat their Perfons with Refpect, for
the Sake of my noble Maſter, his Family, his Friends,
and the whole Houyhnhnm Race, whom thefe, of ours,
have the Honour to refemble in all their Lineaments,
however their Intellectuals came to degenerate.
I began last Week to permit my Wife to fit at Din-
ner with me, at the fartheft End of a long Table; and
to anſwer (but with the utmoft Brevity) the few Queſti-
ons I aſked her. Yet, the Smell of a Yahoo continuing
very offenſive, I always keep my Noſe well ftopped
with Rue, Lavender, or Tobacco-leaves. And, al-
though it be hard for a Man late in Life, to remove
old Habits, I am not altogether out of Hopes, in ſome
Time, to fuffer a Neighbour Yahoo in my Company,
without the Apprehenfions I am yet under of his Teeth
or his Claws.
My Reconcilement to the Yahoo Kind in general
might not be ſo difficult, if they would be content
with thoſe Vices and Follies only, which Nature hath
intitled them to. I am not in the least provoked at
the
296
AVOYAGE, &c.
the Sight of a Lawyer, a Pick-pocket, a Colonel, a
Fool, a Lord, a Gameſter, a Politician, a Whore-maſ-
ter, a Phyfician, an Evidence, a Suborner, an Attor-
ney, a Traytor, or the like: This is all according to
the due Courſe of Things: But when I behold a Lump
of Deformity, and Diſeaſes both in Body and Mind,
fmitten with Pride, it immediately breaks all the
Meaſures of my Patience; neither fhall I be ever able
to comprehend how ſuch an Animal, and ſuch a Vice,
could tally together. The wife and virtuous Houyhn-
hnms, who abound in all Excellencies that can adorn a
rational Creature, have no Name for this Vice in their
Language, which hath no Terms to exprefs any Thing
that is Evil, except thoſe whereby they defcribe the
deteftable Qualities of their Yahoos, among which they
were not able to diftinguiſh this of Pride, for Want of
thoroughly underſtanding Human Nature, as it fhew-
eth itſelf in other Countries, where that Animal pre-
fides. But I, who had more Experience, could plain-
ly obſerve fome Rudiments of it among the wild Ya-
boos.
But the Houyhnhnms, who live under the Govern-
ment of Reafon, are no more proud of the good Quali-
ties they poffefs, than I fhould be for not wanting a
Leg or an Arm, which no Man in his Wits would
boaft of, although he muſt be miferable without them.
I dwell the longer upon this Subject, from the Defire
I have to make the Society of an English Yahoo, by
any Means, not infupportable; and, therefore, I
here intreat thoſe who have any Tincture of this ab-
furd Vice, that they will not prefume to come in my
Sight.
FINI S.
}