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that cabal, a perfon of quality was difpatched with the copy of the articles against me. This envoy had inftructions to represent to the monarch of Blefufcu the great lenity of his mafter, who was content to punish me no farther than with the lofs of mine 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 further 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 civilities and excufes. He faid, that, as for fending me bound, his brother knew it was impoffible; that although 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 eafy; for I had found a prodigious veffel on the fhore, able to carry me on the fea, which he had given order to fit up with my own affiftance 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 Blefuscu related to me all that had paffed; offering me at the fame time (but under the ftricteft confidence) his gracious protection, if I would continue in his fervice; wherein although I believed him fincere, yet I refolved never more to put any confidence in princes or minifters, where I could poffibly avoid it; and therefore, with all due acknowledgments for his favourable intentions, I humbly begged to be excufed. I told him, that fince fortune, whether good or evil, had thrown a veffel in my way, I was refolved to venture myself 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 fo were most of his minifters.

Thefe confiderations moved me to haften my departure fomewhat fooner than I intended; to which the court, impatient to have me gone, very readily contributed. Five hundred workmen were employed to

make two fails to my boat, according to my directions, by quilting thirteen fold of their ftrongest linen together. I was at the pains of making ropes and cables, by twifting ten, twenty, or thirty of the thickeft and ftrongest of theirs. A great ftone that I happened to find, after a long fearch, by the fea-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 affifted by his majesty's fhip-carpenters, who helped me in fmoothing them after I had done the rough work.

In about a month, when all was prepared, I fent to receive his majesty's com mands, and to take my leave. The emperor and royal family came out of the palace; I lay down on my face to kiss 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 prugs a-piece, together with his picture at full length, which I put immediately into one of my gloves to keep it from being 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 them 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 permit; and, befides a diligent fearch into my pockets, his majesty engaged my honour not to carry away any of his fubjects, although with their own confent and defire.

Having thus prepared all things as well as I was able, I fet fail on the 24th day of September 1701, at fix in the morning: and when I had gone about four leagues to the northward, the wind being at foutheaft, at fix in the evening I defcried a fmall island about half a league to the north-weft. I advanced forward, and caft anchor on the lee-fide of the island, which feemed to be uninhabited. I then took fome refreshment, and went to my reft.

I flept

I flept well, and as 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 fun 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 those islands which I had reafon to believe lay to the north-eaft 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 fail fteering to the fouth-ealt; 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 fail I could, and in half an hour fhe fpied me, then hung out her ancient, and difcharged a gun. It is not easy to exprefs the joy I was in upon the unexpected hope of once more feeing my beloved country, and the dear pledges I left in it. The hip flackened her fails, and I came up with her between five and fix in the evening, September 26; but my heart leapt within me to fee her English colours, I put my cows and sheep into my coatpockets, and got on board with all my little cargo of provifions. The veffel was an English merchant-man returning from Japan by the north and fouth-feas; the captain Mr. John Biddle, of Deptford, a very civil man, and an excellent failor. We were now in the latitude of 30 degrees fouth, there were about fifty men in the fhip; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a good character 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 1 was raving, and that the dangers I had underwent had disturbed my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and theep out of my pocket, which, after great aftonifh ment, clearly convinced him of my veracity. I then fhewed him the gold given me by the emperor of Blefufcu, together with his majesty's picture at full length, and fome other rarities of that country. I gave him two purfes of two hundred fprugs each, and promifed, when we arrived in England, to make him a prefent of a cow and a fheep big with young.

I fhall not trouble the reader with a

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particular account of this voyage, which was very profperous for the most part. We arrived in the Downs on the 13th of April 1702. I had only one misfortune, that the rats on board carried away one of my fheep; I found her bones in a hole, picked clean from the flesh. The reft of my cattle I got fafe afhore, 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 I poffibly have preferved them in so long a voyage, if the captain had not allowed me fome of his beft bifcuit, which rubbed to powder, and mingled with water, was their conftant food. The fhort time I continued in England, I made a confiderable profit by fhewing my cattle to many persons of quality, and others; and before I began my fecond voyage, I fold them for fix hun dred pounds. Since my last return I find the breed is confiderably increased, efpecially the fheep, which I hope will prove much to the advantage of the woollen manufacture by the fineness of the fleeces.

I ftayed but two months with my wife and family; for my infatiable defire of feeing foreign countries would fuffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen hundred pounds with my wife, and fixed her in a good houfe at Redriff. My remaining flock I carried with me, part in money and part in goods, in hopes to improve my fortunes. My eldeft uncle John had left me an estate in land, near Epping, of about thirty pounds a-year; and I had a long leafe of the Black-Bull in FetterLane, which yielded me as much more; fo that I was not in any danger of leaving my family upon the parith. My fon Johnny, named fo 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 needle-work. I took leave of my wife, and boy and girl, with tears on both fides, and went on board the Adventure, a merchant-fhip of three hundred tons, bound for Surat, captain John Nicholas of Liverpool commander. But my account of this voyage must be deferred to the fecond part of my travels. Swift.

$149. A voyage to Brobdingnag.

CHA P. I.

A great farm defcribed, the long-boat fost to fetch water, the author goes with it to discus

difcover the country. He is left on fhore, is feized by one of the natives, and carried to a farmer's house. His reception, with feveral accidents that happened there. 4 defeription of the inhabitants.

Having been condemned by nature and fortune to an active and reflefs life, in two months after my return I again left my native country, aed took fhipping in the Downs on the 20th day of June 1702, in the Adventure, captain 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 fail, and had a good voyage till we paffed the Streights of Madagafcar; but having got northward of that island, and to about five degrees fouth latitude, the winds, which in thofe feas are obferved to blow a constant equal gale between the north and weft, from the beginning of December to the beginning of May, on the 19th of April began to blow with much greater violence, and more wefterly than ufual, continuing fo for twenty days toge ther, during which time we were driven a little to the east of the Molucca iflands, and about three degrees northward of the line, as our captain found by an obfervation he took the fecond 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 well experienced in the navigation of thofe feas, bid us all prepare against a form, which accordingly happened the day following: for a fouthern wind, called the fouthern monfoon, began to fet in.

Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our fprit-fail, and ftood by to hand the fore-fail; but, making foul weather, we looked the guns were all falt, and handed the mizen. The fhip lay very broad off, fo we thought it better fpooning before the fea, 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-hawl; but the fail was fplit, and we hawled down the yard, and got the fail into the hip, and unbound all the things clear of it. It was a very fierce ftorm; the fea 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, becaufe fhe fcudded before the fea very well, and we knew that, the top-maft being aloft, the fhip was the wholefomer, and made better way through the fea, feeing we had fea-room. When the ftorm was over, we fet fore-fail and main-fail, and brought the ship to. Then we fet the mizen, main-top-fail, and the fore-top fail. Our courfe was east-northeaft, the wind was at fouth-weft. We got the ftarboard tacks aboard, we caft off our weather-braces and lifts; we fet in the lee-braces, and hawled forward by the weather-bowlings, and hawled them tight, and belayed them, and hawled over the mizen-tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as he would lie.

During this form, which was followed by a strong wind weft-fouth-weit, we were carried by my computation about five hundred leagues to the eaft, so that the oldest failor on board could not tell in what part of the world we were. Our provisions held out well, our fhip was flaunch, and our crew all in good health; but we lay in the utmost diftrefs for water. We thought it beft to hold on the fame courfe, rather than turn more northerly, which might have brought us to the north-west parts of Great Tartary, and into the frozen fea.

On the 16th day of June 1703, a boy on the top-maft dilcovered land. On the 17th we came in full view of a great ifland or continent (for we knew not whether) on the fouth fide whereof was a fmall neck of land jutting out into the fea, and a creek too fhallow to hold a fhip of above one hundred tons. 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 defired his leave to go with them, that I might fee the country, and make what difcoveries I could. When we came to land, we faw no river or spring, nor any fign of inhabitants. Our men therefore wandered on the fhore to find out fome fresh water near the fea, and I walked alone about a mile on the other fide, where I obferved the country all barren and rocky. I now began to be weary, and feeing nothing to entertain. my curiofity, I returned gently down towards the creek; and the fea being full inmy view, I faw our men already got into the boat, and rowing for life to the ship.

was

I was going to halloo after them, although it had been to little purpose, when I obferved a huge creature walking after them in the ea, as faft as he could: he waded not much deeper than his knees, and took prodigious ftrides: but our men had the ftart of him half a league, and the fea thereabouts being full of fharp-pointed rocks, the monster was not able to overtake the boat. This I was afterwards told, for I durft not stay to see the iffue of the adventure; but ran as fast as I could the way I first went, and then climbed up a fleep 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 thofe 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 fide, it being now near harvest, and the corn rifing at least 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 ftile to pafs from this field into the next. It had four fteps, and a ftone to cross over when you came to the upperinoft. It was impoffible for me to climb, this ftile, because every step was fix feet high, and the upper ffone above twenty. I was endeavouring to find fome gap in the hedge, when I difcovered one of the inhabitants in the next feld advancing towards the file, of the fame fize with him whom I faw in the fea purfuing our boat. He appeared as tall as an ordinary fpire-fteeple, and took about ten yards at every ftride, as near as I could guess. I was ftruck with the utmoft fear and aftonishment, and ran to hide myself in the corn, from whence I faw him at the top of the ftile looking back into the next field on the right hand, and heard him call in a voice many degrees louder than a fpeaking-trumpet; but the noife was fo high in the air, that at first I certainly thought it was thunder. Whereupon feven monsters, like himself, came towards him with reaping-hooks in their hands, each hook about the largenefs of fix fcythes. These people were not fo well clad as the firft, whofe fervants or labourers they feemed to be; for upon

fome words he spoke, 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 ftalks of the corn were fometimes not above a foot diftant, fo that I could hardly fqueeze my body betwixt them. However I made a fhift 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 ftalks were fo interwoven that I could not creep thorough, and the beards of the fallen ears fo ftrong and pointed, that they pierced through my clothes 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 despair, 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 wilfulnefs in attempting a fecond voyage, against the advice of all my friends and relations. In this terrible agitation of mind I could not forbear thinking 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 those other actions which will be recorded for ever in the chronicles of that empire, while pofterity fhall hardly believe them, although attefted by millions. I reflected what a mortification it must 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 misfortunes: 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 first among these enormous barbarians, that should happen to feize me? Undoubtedly philofophers are in the right when they tell us, that nothing is great or little otherwife than by comparifon. It might have pleafed fortune to have 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 over-matched in fome diftant part of the world, whereof we have yet no discovery?

Scared and confounded as I was, I could not forbear going on with thefe reflec

tions, 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 screamed as loud as fear could make me. Whereupon the huge creature trod fhort, and looking round about under him for fome time, at lait efpied me as I lay on the ground. He confidered me awhile, with the caution of one who endeavours to lay hold on a fmall dangerous animal in fuch a manner that it fhall 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 between his fore-finger and thumb, and brought me within three yards of his eyes, that he might behold my fhape more perfectly. I gueffed his meaning, and my good fortune gave me fo much prefence of mind, that I refolved not to truggle in the leaft as he held me in the air above fixty feet from the ground, although he grievously pinched my fides, for fear I fhould flip through his fingers. All I ventured was to raife mine eyes towards the fun, and place my hands together, in a fupplicating pofture, and to fpeak fome words in an humble melancholy tone, fuitable to the condition I then was in. For I apprehended every moment that he would dash me against the ground, as we ufually do any little hateful animal, which we have a mind to destroy *. But my good ftar would have it, that he appeared pleafed with my voice and geftures, and began to look upon me as a curiofity, much wondering to hear me pronounce articulate words, although he could not underftand them. In the mean time I was not able to forbear groaning and fhedding tears, and turning my head towards my fides; letting him know, as well as I could, how cruelly I was hurt by the preffure of his thumb and finger. He feemed to apprehend my meaning; for lifting up the lappet of his coat, he put me gently into it, and immediately ran along with me to his

Our inattention to the felicity of fenfitive beings, merely because they are fmall, is here for. cibly reproved: many have wantonly crufhed an infect, who would fhudder at cutting the throat of a dog: but it fhould always be remembered, that the leaft of these

"In mortal fufferance feels a pang as great
"As when a giant dies."

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The farmer having (as I fuppofe by their talk) received fuch an account of me as his fervant could give him, took a piece of a small ftraw, about the fize of a walking-ftaff, and therewith lifted up the lappets of my coat; which it feems he thought to be fome kind of covering that nature had given me. He blew rny 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 those 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 farmer. I fell on my knees, and lifted up my hands and eyes, and spoke feveral words as loud as I could: I took a purfe of gold out of my pocket, and humbly prefented it to him. He received it on the palm of his hand, then applied it close 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 fleeve) but could make nothing of it. Whereupon I made a fign that he fhould place his hand on the ground. I then took the purse, and opening it, poured all the gold into his palm. There were fix Spanish pieces of four piftoles 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 largeft pieces, and then another, but he feemed to be wholly ignorant what they were. He made me a fign to put them again into my purfe, 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 found of his voice pierced my ears like that of a water-mill, yet his words were articulate enough. I answered 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 fervants to their work, and taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he doubled and fpread it on his

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