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GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 INTO SOME REMOTE REGIONS OF 
 THE WORLD 
 
 BY 
 
 JONATHAN SWIFT, D.D. 
 
 WITH SEVENTY ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 New York 
 MANHATTAN PRESS 
 
 476 WEST BROADWAY 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/gulliverstravelsOOswi 
 

 "%fc«jiSfc*65S 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 The Author gives some Account of himself and Family — His First 
 Inducements to travel — He is shipwrecked, and swims for his Life 
 — Gets safe on Shore in the Country of Lilliput — Is made a Prisoner, 
 and carried up the Country. 
 
 My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire, 
 England: I was the third of four sons. He sent me 
 to college in Cambridge at fourteen years old, and after 
 studying there three years, I was bound apprentice to 
 Mr. Bates, a famous surgeon in London, with whom I 
 continued four years. My father now and then sending 
 me small sums of money, I spent them in learning navi- 
 gation, and other parts of the mathematics useful to those 
 who intend to travel, as I always believed it would be, 
 
 7 
 
8 gulliver's travels 
 
 some time or other, my fortune to do. When I left Mr. 
 Bates, I went down to my father, where, by the assistance 
 of him and my uncle and some other relations, I got forty 
 pounds, and a promise of thirty pounds a year, to main- 
 tain me at Leyden. There I studied physic two years 
 and seven months, knowing it would be useful in long 
 voyages. 
 
 Soon after my return from Leyden, I was recommended 
 by Mr. Bates, to be surgeon to the Swallow, Captain 
 Abraham Pannell, commander ; with whom I continued 
 three years and a half, making a voyage or two into the 
 Levant, and some other parts. When I came back I 
 resolved to settle in London ; to which Mr. Bates, en- 
 couraged me ; and by him I was recommended to several 
 patients. I took part of a small house in the Old Jewry, 
 and married Mary Burton, with whom I received four 
 hundred pounds for a portion. 
 
 But my good master Bates died two years after, and I 
 having few friends, my business began to fail. So I 
 determined to go again to sea. I was surgeon succes- 
 sively in two ships, and made several voyages, for six 
 years, to the East and West Indies, by which I got some 
 addition to my fortune. My hours of leisure I spent in 
 reading the best authors, ancient and modern ; and when 
 a-shore, I observed the manners and dispositions of the 
 people, and learned their language. 
 
 The last of these voyages not proving fortunate, I 
 grew weary of the sea, and intended to stay at home 
 with my wife and family. I removed from the Old Jewry 
 to Wapping, hoping to get business among the sailors ; 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 9 
 
 but it would not turn to account. After three years, 
 things not mending, I accepted an offer from Captain 
 William Prichard, master of the Antelope, who was 
 making a voyage to the South Sea. 1 We set sail from 
 Bristol, May 4, 1699, and our voyage at first was very 
 prosperous. 
 
 In our passage to the East Indies, we were driven by 
 a violent storm to the northwest of Van Diemen's Land. 
 Twelve of our crew died from hard labor and ill-food : 
 the rest were in a very weak condition. On November 
 5th, which was the beginning of summer in those 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 straight upon it, and 
 immediately split. 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 about 
 three leagues, till we were able to work no longer, being 
 already spent with labor while we were in the ship. 
 We, therefore, trusted ourselves to the mercy of the 
 waves ; and in about half an hour the boat was overset 
 by a sudden flurry from the north. What became of my 
 companions in the boat, as well as of those who escaped 
 on the rock, or were left in the vessel, I cannot tell, but 
 conclude they were all lost. For my own part, I swam 
 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 able to struggle no longer, 
 
 1 This was formerly the usual name of the Pacifio Ocean, or of the 
 southern portion of it. 
 
10 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 I found myself within my depth. By this time the 
 storm was much abated. I reached the shore about 
 eight o'clock in the evening, and then advanced near 
 half a mile, but could not discover any sign of houses 
 or inhabitants. I was extremely tired ; and with that, 
 and the heat of the weather, and about half a pint of 
 brandy that I drank as I left the ship, I found myself 
 much inclined to sleep. I lay down on the grass, which 
 was very short and soft, where I slept sounder than I 
 ever did in my life, for above nine hours. When I 
 woke it was just daylight. I attempted to rise, but 
 was not able to stir ; 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 same manner. I felt 
 several slender ligatures across my body, from my arm- 
 pits to my thighs. I could only look upwards; the 
 sun began to grow hot, and hurt my eyes. I heard a con- 
 fused noise about me, but could see nothing except the 
 sky. In a little time I felt something alive moving on 
 my left leg, which, advancing gently forward over my 
 breast, came almost up to my chin ; when, bending my 
 eyes downwards as much as I could, I perceived it to be 
 a human creature not six inches high, with a bow and 
 arrow in his hands, and a quiver at his back. In the 
 meantime, I felt at least forty more of the same kind 
 following the first. I was in the utmost astonishment, 
 and roared so loud, that they all ran back in a fright ; 
 and some of them, as I was afterwards told, were hurt 
 with the falls they got by leaping from my sides upon 
 
12 Gulliver's travels 
 
 the ground, However, they soon returned ; and one 
 of them, who ventured so far as to get a full sight of my 
 face, lifted up his hands and eyes by way of admiration. 
 I lay all this while in great uneasiness ; but at length, 
 struggling to get loose, I succeeded in breaking the 
 strings that fastened my left arm to the ground ; and, 
 at the same time, with a violent pull, which gave me 
 extreme pain, I loosened 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 second 
 time, before I could seize them ; whereupon there was 
 a great shout, and, in an instant, I felt above an hun- 
 dred arrows discharged on my left hand, which pricked 
 me like so many needles. Moreover they shot another 
 flight into the air, as we do bombs in Europe, whereof 
 many fell on my body, and some on my face, which I 
 immediately covered with my left hand. When this 
 shower of arrows was over, I groaned with grief and 
 pain ; and then, striving again to get loose, they dis- 
 charged another volley, larger than the first, and some 
 of them attempted, with spears, to stick me in the sides ; 
 but, by good luck, I had on me a buff jerkin, which 
 they could not pierce. I thought it the most prudent 
 method to lie still ; and my design was to continue so 
 till night, when, my left hand being loose, I could easily 
 free myself : and as for the inhabitants, I thought I 
 might be a match for the greatest armies they could 
 bring against me, if they were all of the same size with 
 him that I saw. But fortune disposed otherwise of me. 
 When the people observed I was quiet, they discharged 
 
irffW 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 13 
 
 no more arrows ; but, by the noise I beard I knew their 
 numbers increased : and about four yards from me, 
 over-against 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 a half 
 from the ground, capable of holding four of the inhabi- 
 tants, with two or three ladders to mount it. From this 
 one of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made 
 me a long speech, of which I could not understand a syl- 
 lable, though I could tell from his manner that he some- 
 times threatened me, and sometimes spoke with pity and 
 kindness. I answered in a few words, but in a most sub- 
 missive 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, I could not help putting 
 my finger frequently on my mouth, to signify that I 
 wanted food. He understood me very well, and de- 
 scending from the stage, commanded that several ladders 
 should be applied to my sides, on which more than a hun- 
 dred of the inhabitants mounted, and walked towards my 
 mouth, laden with baskets full of meat, which had been 
 sent by the king's orders, when he first received tidings 
 of me. I observed there was the flesh of several animals, 
 but could not distinguish them by the taste. There 
 were shoulders, legs, and loins, shaped like those of mut- 
 ton, and very well dressed, but smaller than the wings of 
 a lark. late them two or three at a mouthful, and took 
 three loaves at a time. They supplied me as fast as 
 they could, with a thousand marks of wonder and as- 
 
14 Gulliver's travels 
 
 tonishment at my bulk and appetite. I then made 
 another sign, that I wanted drink. They found by my 
 eating that a small quantity would not suffice me ; and, 
 being a most ingenious people, they slung up, with 
 
 great dexterity, one of their largest hogsheads, then 
 rolled it towards my hand, and beat out the top. I 
 drank it off at a draught, for it did not hold half a pint, 
 and tasted like a weak wine of Burgundy, but much 
 more delicious. Thej^ brought me a second hogshead, 
 
r X VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 15 
 
 which I drank in the same manner, and made signs for 
 more ; but they had none to give me. When I had per- 
 formed these wonders, they shouted for joy, and danced 
 upon my breast. I was often tempted, while they were 
 passing backwards and forwards on my body, to seize 
 forty or fifty of the first that came in my reach, and 
 dash them against the ground. But the remembrance 
 of what I had felt, which probably might not be the worst 
 they could do, and the promise of honor I made them 
 — for so I interpreted my submissive behavior — soon 
 drove out these imaginations. Besides, I now consid- 
 ered myself as bound by the laws of hospitality to a 
 people who had treated me with so much expense and 
 magnificence. However, I could not sufficiently won- 
 der at the daring of these diminutive mortals, who ven- 
 tured to mount and walk upon my body, while one of 
 my hands was at liberty, without trembling at the very 
 sight of so prodigious a creature as I must appear to 
 them. After some time, when they observed that I 
 made no more demands for meat, there appeared before 
 me a person of high rank from his imperial majesty. 
 His excellency, having mounted on the small of my 
 right 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, spoke about ten minutes without any signs of 
 anger, but with a kind of determined resolution ; often 
 pointing forwards ; which, as I afterwards found, was 
 towards the capital city, about half a mile distant, 
 whither it was agreed by his majesty in council that I 
 
16 GULLIVEli's TliAVELS 
 
 must be conveyed. I made a sign with my hand that 
 was loose, putting it to the other (but over his excel- 
 lency's head, for fear of hurting him or his train), 
 and then to my own head and body, to show that I de- 
 sired my liberty. It appeared that he understood me 
 well enough, for he shook his head, and held his hand 
 in a posture to show that I must be carried as a prisoner. 
 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 ; but again, when I felt 
 the smart of their arrows upon my face and hands, which 
 were all in blisters, and many of the darts still sticking 
 in them, and observing likewise that the number of my 
 enemies increased, I gave tokens to let them know that 
 they might do with me what they pleased. Soon after, 
 I heard a general shout, and I felt great numbers of 
 the people on my left side, relaxing the cords to such 
 a degree that I was able to turn upon my right. But 
 before 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. The relief from pain and hunger made me 
 drowsy, and presently I fell asleep. I slept about eight 
 hours, as I was afterwards assured ; and it was no won- 
 der, for the physicians, by the emperor's order, had 
 mingled a sleeping potion in the hogsheads of wine. 
 
 It seems, that when I was discovered sleeping on the 
 ground, after my landing, the emperor had early notice 
 of it by an express, and determined in council that I 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 17 
 
 should be tied in the manner I have related (which was 
 done in the night, while I slept), that plenty of meat 
 and drink should be sent to me, and a machine pre- 
 pared to carry me to the capital city. 
 
 This resolution, perhaps, may appear very bold and 
 dangerous. However, in my opinion, it was extremely 
 prudent, as well as generous ; for supposing these people 
 had endeavored to kill me with their spears and arrows 
 while I was asleep, I should certainly have awakened 
 with the first sense of smart, which might so far have 
 roused 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 most excellent mathematicians, and 
 arrived to great perfection in the art of constructing 
 machinery of all kinds, by the encouragement of the 
 emperor, who is a renowned patron of learning. This 
 prince has several machines fixed on wheels, for the 
 carriage of trees and other great weights. He often 
 builds his largest men of war, whereof some are nine 
 feet long, in the woods where the timber grows, and 
 has them carried on these engines, three or four hun- 
 dred yards, to the sea. Five hundred carpenters and 
 engineers were immediately set at work to prepare the 
 greatest engine they had. It was a frame of wood 
 raised three inches from the ground, about seven feet 
 long, and four wide, moving upon twenty-two wheels. 
 The shout I heard was upon the arrival of this engine, 
 which set out in four hours after my landing. It was 
 
18 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 brought parallel to me as I lay. But the principal diffi- 
 culty was to raise and place me in this vehicle. Eighty 
 poles, each of one foot high, were erected for this pur- 
 pose, and very strong cords were fastened by hooks to 
 many bandages, which the workmen had girt round my 
 neck, my hands, my body, and my legs. Nine hundred of 
 the strongest men were employed to draw up these cords, 
 by many pulleys fastened on the poles ; and thus, in less 
 than three hours, I was raised and slung into the engine, 
 and there tied fast. All this I was told \ for, while the 
 whole operation was performing, I lay in a profound 
 sleep, by the force of that medicine infused into my 
 liquor. Fifteen hundred of the emperor's largest horses, 
 each about four inches and a half high, were employed 
 to draw me towards the metropolis, which was half a 
 mile distant. 
 
 About four hours after we began our journey, I was 
 awakened by a very ridiculous accident, the carriage 
 being stopped to adjust something that was out of order, 
 two or three of the young natives had the curiosity to 
 see how I looked when I was asleep ; they climbed up 
 into the engine, and advancing very softly to my face, 
 one of them, an officer in the guards, put the sharp 
 end of his half -pike a good way up into my left nostril, 
 which tickled my nose like a straw, and made me sneeze 
 violently ; whereupon they stole off unperceived, and it 
 was three weeks before I knew the cause of my awak- 
 ing so suddenly. 
 
 At the place where the carriage stopped there stood 
 an ancient temple, supposed to be the largest in the 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 19 
 
 kingdom ; and here it was determined that I should 
 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 
 small window* not above six inches from the ground : 
 into that on the left side, the king's smiths conveyed 
 fourscore and eleven chains, like those that hang to a 
 lady's watch in Europe, and almost as large, which 
 were locked to my left leg with six-and-thirty padlocks. 
 Over against this temple on the other side of the great 
 highway, there was a turret at least five feet high. 
 Here the emperor ascended, with many principal lords 
 of his court, to have an opportunity of viewing me, as 
 I was told, for I could not see them. It was reckoned 
 that above a hundred thousand inhabitants came out of 
 the town upon the same errand ; and, in spite of my 
 guards, I believe there could not be fewer than ten 
 thousand, at several times, who mounted upon my body 
 by the help of ladders. But a proclamation was issued, 
 forbidding it upon pain of death. When the workmen 
 found it was impossible for me to break loose, they cut 
 all the strings that bound me ; whereupon I rose up, 
 feeling as melancholy as ever I had in my life. But 
 the noise and astonishment of the people, at seeing me 
 rise and walk, are not to be expressed. 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 inside the temple. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 The Emperor of Lilliput, attended by Several of the Nobility, comes 
 to see the Author in his Confinement — The Emperor's Person 
 and Habit described — Learned Men appointed to teach the Au- 
 thor their Language — He gains Favor by his Mild Disposition — 
 His Pockets are searched, and his Sword and Pistols taken from 
 him. 
 
 When I found myself on my feet, I looked about 
 me, and never beheld a more entertaining prospect. 
 The country round appeared like a continued garden, 
 and the inclosed fields, which were generally forty feet 
 square, resembled so many beds of flowers. These 
 fields were intermingled with woods, and the tallest 
 trees appeared to be seven feet high. I viewed the 
 town on my left hand, which looked like the painted 
 scene of a city in a theater. 
 
 The emperor descended from the tower, and advanced 
 on horseback towards me, which had like to have cost 
 him dear, for the beast, though very well trained, yet 
 wholly unused to such a sight, which appeared as if a 
 mountain moved before him, reared up on his hind feet ; 
 but that prince, who is an excellent horseman, kept 
 his seat until his attendants ran in and held the bridle 
 while his majesty had time to dismount. When he 
 alighted he surveyed me round with great admiration, 
 but kept beyond the length of my chain. He ordered 
 his cooks and butlers to give me victuals and drink, 
 
 20 
 
22 Gulliver's travels 
 
 which they pushed forward in vehicles upon wheels till 
 I could reach them. I took these vehicles, and soon 
 emptied them all ; twenty of them were filled with 
 meat, and ten with liquor ; each of the former afforded 
 me two or three good mouthfuls, and I emptied the 
 liquor of ten vessels, which was contained in earthen 
 vials, into one vehicle, drinking it off at a draught, and 
 so I did with the rest. The empress and young princes 
 of the blood, of both sexes, attended by many ladies, sat 
 at some distance in their chairs, but upon the accident 
 that happened to the emperor's horse they alighted 
 and came near his person. He is taller by almost the 
 breadth of my nail, than any of his court, which alone 
 is enough to strike an awe into the beholders. His 
 features are strong and masculine, his complexion olive, 
 his countenance erect, his body and limbs well pro- 
 portioned, all his motions graceful and majestic. He 
 was then past his prime, being twenty-eight years and 
 three-quarters old, 1 of which he had reigned about 
 seven in great felicity, and generally victorious. For 
 the better convenience of beholding him I lay on my 
 side, so that my face was level with his, and he stood 
 but three yards off ; however, I have had him since 
 many times in my hand, and therefore cannot be de- 
 ceived. His dress was plain and simple, and 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 should happen to break 
 
 1 The lives of the Lilliputians were considerably shorter than ours, 
 it must he understood. 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 23 
 
 loose ; it was almost three inches long, the hilt and 
 scabbard were gold enriched with diamonds. His voice 
 was shrill, but very clear. The ladies and courtiers 
 were all most magnificently clad, so that the spot they 
 stood upon seemed to resemble a petticoat spread on 
 the ground embroidered with figures of gold and silver. 
 His majesty spoke to me, and I returned answers, but 
 neither of us could understand a word. There were 
 several of his priests and lawyers present, who were 
 commanded to address themselves to me, and I spoke 
 to them in as many languages as I had the least smat- 
 tering of, which were High and Low Dutch, Latin, 
 French, Spanish, Italian, and Lingua Franca, 1 but all 
 to no purpose. After about two hours the court re- 
 tired, and I was left with a strong guard to keep away 
 the crowd, some of whom had the impudence to shoot 
 their arrows at me as I sat on the ground by the door 
 of my house. But the colonel ordered six of them to 
 be seized, and delivered bound into my hands. I took 
 them all in my right hand, put five of them into my 
 coat pocket, and as to the sixth, I made a countenance 
 as if I would eat him alive. The poor man screamed 
 terribly, and the colonel and his officers were much 
 distressed, especially when they saw me take out my 
 penknife, but I soon put them out of fear, for cutting 
 the strings he was bound with, I set him gently on the 
 ground, and away he ran. I treated the rest in the 
 
 1 A mixed dialect used in some parts of the Mediterranean coasts 
 as a means of communication between persons of different nationality, 
 and largely consisting of corrupted Italian words. 
 
24 
 
 GULLIVER S TRAVELS 
 
 same manner, taking them one by one out of my pocket, 
 and I observed both the soldiers and people were highly 
 delighted at this mark of my kindness. 
 
 Towards night I got with some difficulty into my 
 house, where I lay on the ground, and continued to do 
 so about a fortnight, during which time the emperor 
 
 gave orders to have a bed prepared for me. Six hun- 
 dred beds of the common measure were brought in car- 
 riages, and worked up in my house ; a hundred and fifty 
 of their beds sewed 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, 
 
A VOYAGE TO L1LLIPUT 25 
 
 that was of smooth stone. By the same computation 
 they provided me with sheets, blankets, and coverlets, 
 tolerable enough for one who had been so long inured 
 to hardship as I. 
 
 As the news of my arrival spread through the king- 
 dom, it brought numbers of rich, idle, and curious people 
 to see me; so that the villages were almost emptied. 
 His majesty directed that those who had already beheld 
 me should return home, and not presume to come within 
 fifty yards of my house without license from court ; 
 whereby the secretaries of state got considerable fees. 
 
 In the meantime the emperor held frequent councils, 
 to debate what course should be taken with me ; and I 
 was afterwards assured by a person of high rank, who was 
 as much in the secret as any, that the court was under 
 many difficulties concerning me. They apprehended my 
 breaking loose ; that my diet would be very expensive, 
 and might cause a famine. Sometimes they determined 
 to starve me, or at least to shoot me in the face and 
 hands with poisoned arrows, which would soon dispatch 
 me; but again they considered that the stench of so 
 large a carcass might produce a plague in the metropolis, 
 and probably spread through the whole kingdom. In 
 the midst of these consultations, several officers of the 
 army went to the door of the great council-chamber, 
 and two of them, being admitted, gave an account of my 
 behavior to the six criminals, which made so favorable 
 an impression on his majesty and the whole board in my 
 behalf, that an order was issued obliging all the villages 
 
 nine hundred yards round the city, to deliver every 
 
 4% 
 
26 Gulliver's travels 
 
 morning six beeves, forty sheep, and other victuals for 
 my sustenance ; together with a proportionable quantity 
 of bread, and wine, and other liquors. An establishment 
 was also made of six hundred persons to be my domes- 
 tics, who had tents built for them, on each side of my 
 door. It was likewise ordered that three hundred tailors 
 should make me a suit of clothes, after the fashion of 
 the country ; that six of his majesty's greatest scholars 
 should be employed to instruct me in their language ; 
 and, lastly, that the emperor's horses, and those of the 
 nobility, and troops of guard, should be frequently ex- 
 ercised in my sight, to accustom themselves to me. All 
 these orders were duly carried out. In about three 
 weeks I made a great progress in learning their lan- 
 guage ; during which time the emperor frequently 
 honored me with his visits, and was pleased to assist my 
 masters in teaching me. We began already to converse 
 together in some sort: and the first words I learned 
 were to express my desire that he would please to give 
 me my liberty ; which I every day repeated on my knees. 
 He answered, that this must be a work of time, not to 
 be thought on without the advice of his council, and 
 that first I must swear a peace with him and his king- 
 dom. And he advised me to acquire, by my patience 
 and discreet behavior, the good opinion of himself and 
 his subjects. He desired I would not take it ill, if he 
 gave orders to certain proper officers to search me ; for 
 probably I might carry about me several weapons, which 
 must needs be dangerous things, if they answered the 
 bulk of so prodigious a person. I said, his majesty 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 27 
 
 should be satisfied; for I was ready to 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 assistance ; that he had so good an opinion of my 
 generosity and justice, as to trust their persons in my 
 hands ; that whatever they took from me, should be re- 
 turned when I left the country, or paid for at the rate 
 which I would set upon them. I took up the two officers 
 in my hands, put them first into my coat-pockets, and 
 then into every other pocket about me, except my two 
 fobs. In one of my fobs there was a silver watch, and 
 in the other a small quantity of gold in a purse. These 
 gentlemen, having pen, ink, and paper about them, made 
 an exact inventory of everything they saw ; and when 
 they had done, desired I would set them down, that they 
 might deliver it to the emperor. This inventory I 
 afterwards translated into English, and is word for 
 word as follows : — 
 
 " In the right coat-pocket of the great man-mountain, 
 we found only one great piece of coarse cloth, large 
 enough to be a footcloth for your majesty's chief room 
 of state. In the left pocket we saw a huge silver chest, 
 with a cover of the same metal, which we were not able 
 to lift. We desired it should be opened, and one of us 
 stepping into it, found himself up to the mid-leg in a 
 sort of dust, some part whereof flying up to our faces, 
 set us both sneezing for several times together. In his 
 right waistcoat-pocket we found a prodigious bundle of 
 
28 GULLIVEli's TRAVELS 
 
 white thin substances, folded one over another, about 
 the bigness of three men, tied with a strong cable, and 
 marked with black figures, which we humbly conceive 
 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, resembling the palisadoes before your 
 majesty's court; wherewith we conjecture the man- 
 mountain combs his head ; for we did not always trouble 
 him with questions, because we found great difficulty 
 in making him understand us. In the large pocket, on 
 the right side of his middle cover we saw a hollow pillar 
 of iron, about the length of a man, fastened to a strong 
 piece of timber larger than the pillar ; and upon one 
 side of the pillar were huge pieces of iron sticking out, 
 cut into strange figures, which we know not what to 
 make of. In the left pocket, another engine of the same 
 kind. In the smaller pocket on the right side, were sev- 
 eral round flat pieces of white and red metal, of different 
 bulk ; some of the white, which seemed to be silver, were 
 so large and heavy, that my comrade and I could hardly 
 lift them. In the left pocket were two black pillars ir- 
 regularly shaped: we could not, without difficulty, reach 
 the top of them, as we stood 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 bigness of our heads. 
 Within each of these was inclosed a prodigious plate of 
 steel ; which we obliged him to show us, because we felt 
 they might be dangerous engines. He took them out 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 29 
 
 of their cases, and told us that, in his own country, his 
 practice was to shave his beard with one of these, 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 squeezed close by the pressure of his belly. Out of 
 
 the right fob hung a great silver chain, with a wonder- 
 ful kind of engine at the bottom. We directed him to 
 draw out whatever was at the end of that chain, which 
 appeared to be a globe, half silver, and half of some 
 transparent metal; for, on the transparent side, we saw 
 certain strange figures circularly drawn, and thought 
 
30 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 we could touch them, till we found our fingers stopped 
 by that transparent substance. He put this engine to 
 our ears, which made an incessant noise like that of a 
 water-mill ; and we suspect it is either some unknown 
 animal, or the god that he worships ; but we are more 
 inclined to the latter opinion, because he assured us 
 that he seldom did anything without consulting it. He 
 called it his oracle, and said it pointed out the time for 
 every action of his life. From the left fob he took out 
 a net, almost large enough for a fisherman, but con- 
 trived to open and shut like a purse, and served him for 
 the same use : we found therein several massy pieces 
 of yellow metal, which, if they be real gold, must be of 
 immense value. 
 
 " Having thus, in obedience to your majesty's com- 
 mands, diligently searched all his pockets, we observed a 
 girdle about his waist, made of the hide of some 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 several 
 globes or balls, of a ponderous metal, about the bigness 
 of our heads, and required a strong hand to lift them ; the 
 other cell contained a heap of certain black grains, but of 
 no bulk or weight, for we could hold about fifty of them 
 in the palms of our hands. 
 
 " This is an exact inventory of what we found about 
 the body of tha man-mountain, who used us with great 
 civility." 
 
 When this inventory was read over to the emperor* he 
 
32 GtJLLIVER*S TRAVELS 
 
 directed me, although in very gentle terms, to deliver up 
 the several particulars. He first called for my sword, 
 which I took out, scabbard and all. In the meantime, he 
 ordered three thousand of his troops to surround me at 
 a distance, with their bows and arrows ready to discharge; 
 but I did not observe it, for my eyes were fixed upon his 
 majesty. He then desired me to draw my sword, which, 
 although it had got some rust by the sea-water, was in 
 most parts exceeding bright. I did so, and immediately 
 all the troops gave a shout between terror and surprise : 
 for the sun shone clear, and the reflection dazzled their 
 eyes, as I waved it to and fro in my hand. His majesty 
 was less daunted than I could expect : he ordered me to 
 return it into the scabbard, and cast it on the ground as 
 gently as I could, about six 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 desire expressed to him the use of it ; 
 and charging it only with powder, which, by the closeness 
 of my pouch, escaped wetting in the sea, I first cautioned 
 the emperor not to be afraid, and then I let it off in the 
 air. The astonishment was great. Hundreds fell down 
 as if they had been struck dead ; and even the emperor, 
 although he stood his ground, could not recover himself 
 for some time. I delivered up my pistols, 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 smallest spark, and blow his palace into the air. 
 I delivered up my watch, which the emperor was very 
 curious to see, and commanded two of his tallest yeomen 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 33 
 
 of the guards to bear it on a pole upon their shoulders* 
 He was amazed at the continual noise it made, and the 
 motion of the minute hand, which he could easily dis- 
 cern, for their sight is much more acute than ours. I 
 then gave up my silver and copper money, my purse 
 with nine large pieces of gold and some smaller ones ; 
 my knife and razor, my comb and silver snuff-box, my 
 handkerchief and journal-book. My sword, pistols, and 
 pouch were conveyed in carriages to his majesty's stores, 
 the rest of my goods were returned me. 
 
 I had, as I before observed, one private pocket, which 
 escaped their search, wherein there was a pair of spec- 
 tacles, and a small spy-glass, and which, being of no con- 
 sequence to the emperor, I did not think myself bound 
 in honor to discover. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 The Author diverts the Emperor, and his Nohility of Both Sexes, in a 
 very Uncommon Manner — The Diversions of the Court of Lilliput 
 described — The Author has his Liberty granted him upon Certain 
 Conditions. 
 
 My good behavior had gained so far on the emperor 
 and his court, and indeed upon the army and people in 
 general that I conceived hopes of getting my liberty in 
 a short time. I took all possible methods to cultivate 
 this favorable disposition. The natives came, by de- 
 grees, to be less fearful of me. I would sometimes lie 
 down, and let five or six of them dance on my hand; 
 and at last the boys and girls would venture to come and 
 play at hide-and-seek in my hair. I made good prog- 
 ress in understanding and speaking their language. The 
 emperor one day entertained me with several of the coun- 
 try shows, wherein they exceed all nations I have known, 
 both for dexterity and magnificence. I was diverted 
 with none so much as that of the rope-dancers, per- 
 formed upon a slender white thread, extended about 
 two feet from the ground. 
 
 This diversion is only practiced by those persons who 
 are candidates for great employments and high favor at 
 
 34 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 35 
 
 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 dis- 
 grace, five or six of those candidates petition the em- 
 peror to entertain his majesty and the court with a dance 
 on the rope ; and whoever jumps the highest without 
 falling, succeeds in the office. Very often the chief min- 
 isters themselves are commanded to show their skill, and 
 to convince the emperor that they have not lost their 
 faculty. Flimnap, the treasurer, is allowed to cut a caper 
 on the straight rope, at least an inch higher than any 
 other lord in the whole empire. I have seen him do 
 the somerset several times together, upon a trencher 
 fixed on the rope, which is no thicker than a common 
 thread. The principal secretary for private affairs, is the 
 second after the treasurer ; the rest of the great officers 
 are much upon a par. 
 
 These diversions are often attended with fatal acci- 
 dents. I have seen two or three candidates break a limb. 
 But the danger is much greater when the ministers 
 themselves are commanded to show their dexterity ; for, 
 in trying to excel themselves and their fellows, they 
 strain so far that there is hardly one of them who has 
 not received a fall, and some of them two or three. I 
 was assured that Flimnap would have broken his neck 
 if one of the king's cushions, that accidently lay on the 
 ground, had not weakened the force of his fall. 
 
 There is likewise another diversion, which is only 
 shown before the emperor and empress, and first min- 
 ister, upon particular occasions. The emperor lays on 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 37 
 
 a table three fine silken threads of six inches long ; one 
 is blue, the other red, and the third green. These 
 threads are proposed as prizes for those persons whom 
 the emperor has a mind to distinguish by a peculiar 
 mark of his favor. The ceremony is performed in his 
 majesty's great chamber of state, where the candidates 
 are to undergo a trial of dexterity. The emperor holds 
 a stick in his hands, both ends parallel to the horizon, 
 while the candidates advancing, one by one, sometimes 
 leap over the stick, sometimes creep under it, backwards 
 and forwards, several times, according as the stick is ad- 
 vanced or depressed. Sometimes the emperor holds one 
 end of the stick, and his first minister the other ; some- 
 times the minister has it entirely to himself. Whoever per- 
 forms his part with most agility, and holds out the longest 
 in leaping and creeping, is rewarded with the blue-colored 
 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 see few great persons about this court 
 who are not adorned with one of these girdles 
 
 The horses of the army, and those of the royal stables, 
 having been daily led before me, were no longer shy, 
 but would come up to my very feet without starting. 
 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 courser, took my foot, shoe and all, which 
 was indeed a prodigious leap. I amused the emperor 
 one day after a very extraordinary manner. I desired 
 he would order several sticks of two feet high, and the 
 thickness of an ordinary cane, to be brought me. I took 
 
38 Gulliver's travels 
 
 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, rising about five 
 inches higher than the handkerchief, served as ledges 
 on each side. When I had finished my work, I desired 
 the emperor to let a troop of his best horse, twenty-four 
 in number, come and exercise upon this plain. His 
 majesty approved, and I took them up, one by one, in 
 my hands, ready mounted and armed, with the proper 
 officers to exercise them. As soon as they got into order 
 they divided into two parties, performed mock skir- 
 mishes, discharged blunt arrows, drew their swords, fled 
 and pursued, attacked and retired, and, in short, dis- 
 covered the best military discipline I ever beheld. The 
 parallel sticks secured them and their horses from fall- 
 ing over the stage ; and the emperor was so much de- 
 lighted, that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated 
 several days, and once was pleased to be lifted up and 
 give the word of command ; and with great difficulty 
 persuaded even the empress herself to let me hold her 
 in her close chair within two yards of the stage, from 
 whence she was able to take a full view of the whole 
 performance. Fortunately no accident happened ; only 
 once a fiery horse, that belonged to one of the captains, 
 pawing with his hoof, struck a hole in my handkerchief, 
 and his foot slipping, he overthrew his rider and him- 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 89 
 
 self ; but I immediately relieved them both, and cover- 
 ing the hole with one hand, I set down the troop with 
 the other, in the same manner as I took them up. The 
 horse that fell was strained 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 such dangerous enterprises. 
 
 About two or three days before I was set at liberty, 
 there arrived an express to inform his majesty that some 
 of his subjects, riding near the place where I was first 
 taken up, had seen a great black substance lying on the 
 ground, very oddly shaped, extending its edges round, 
 as wide as his majesty's bed-chamber, and rising up in 
 the middle as high as a man ; that it was no living crea- 
 ture, as they at first apprehended, for it lay on the grass 
 without motion, and some of them had walked round 
 it several times ; that, by mounting upon each other's 
 
40 Gulliver's travels 
 
 shoulders, they had got to the top, which was flat and 
 even, and stamping upon it, they found it was hollow 
 within ; that they humbly conceived it might be some- 
 thing belonging to the man-mountain. I presently 
 knew what they meant. It seems, upon my first reach- 
 ing the shore after our shipwreok, I was in such confu- 
 sion that, before I came to the place where I went to 
 sleep, my hat, which I had fastened with a string to my 
 head while I was rowing, and had stuck on all the time 
 I was swimming, fell off after I came to land ; the 
 string, breaking by some accident which I never ob- 
 served, but thought my hat had been lost at sea. I 
 entreated his majesty to give orders it might be brought 
 to me, describing to him the use and the nature of it : 
 and the next day the wagoners arrived with it, but not in 
 very good condition ; they had bored two holes in the 
 brim, within an inch and a half of the edge, and fastened 
 two hooks in the holes ; these hooks were tied by a long 
 cord to the harness, and thus my hat was dragged along 
 for half a mile ; but the ground in that country being 
 extremely smooth and level, it received less 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 singular manner. He de- 
 sired I would stand like a Colossus, with my legs as far 
 asunder as I conveniently could. He then commanded 
 his general to draw up the troops in close order and 
 march them under me ; the foot by twenty -four in a 
 

42 
 
 Gulliver's travels 
 
 breast, and the horse by sixteen, with drums beating, 
 colors flying, and pikes advanced. This body consisted 
 of three thousand foot and a thousand horse. 
 
 I had sent so many petitions for my liberty, that his 
 majesty at length mentioned the matter in full council ; 
 where it was opposed by none except Skyresh Bolgo- 
 lam, who was pleased, without any provocation, to be 
 my mortal enemy. But it was carried against him by 
 
 the whole board, and confirmed by the emperor. That 
 minister was admiral of the realm, very much in his 
 master's confidence, and a person well versed in affairs, 
 but of a morose and sour disposition, he prevailed that 
 the articles and conditions upon which I should be set 
 free, and to which I must swear, should be drawn up by 
 himself. These articles were brought to me by Skyresh 
 Bolgolam in person. After they were read, I was or- 
 dered to swear to the performance of them ; first in the 
 manner of my own country, and afterwards in the method 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 43 
 
 prescribed by their laws ; which was, to hold my right 
 foot in my left hand, 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 reader may 
 perhaps be curious to have some idea of the style and 
 manner of expression peculiar to that people, as well as 
 to know the articles upon which I recovered my liberty, 
 I have made a translation of the whole instrument, word 
 for word, as near as I was able, which I here offer to 
 the public. 
 
 " Golbasto Momarem Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully 
 Ully Gue, most mighty Emperor of Lilliput, delight and 
 terror of the universe, whose dominions extend five thou- 
 sand blustrugs (about twelve miles in circumference) to 
 the ends of the globe ; monarch of all monarchs, taller 
 than the sons of men ; whose feet press down to the 
 center, and whose head strikes against the sun, at whose 
 nod the princes of the earth shake their knees ; pleasant 
 as the spring, comfortable as the summer, fruitful as 
 autumn, dreadful as winter. His most sublime majesty 
 proposes to the man-mountain, lately arrived at our 
 celestial dominions, the following articles, which, by a 
 solemn oath, he shall be obliged to perform : — 
 
 " First. The man-mountain shall not depart from our 
 dominions without our license under our seal. 
 
 "Second. He shall not presume to come into our 
 metropolis without our express order ; at which time 
 the inhabitants shall have two hours' warning to keep 
 within their doors. 
 
44 gtjlliyer's travels 
 
 "Third. The said man-mountain shall confine his 
 walks to our principal high roads, and not offer to 
 walk, or lie down, in a meadow or field of corn. 
 
 "Fourth. As he walks the said roads, he shall take 
 the utmost care not to trample upon the bodies of any 
 of our loving subjects, nor take any of our said subjects 
 into his hands without their own consent. 
 
 "Fifth. If a special or pressing message requires ex- 
 traordinary dispatch, the man-mountain shall be obliged 
 to carry in his pocket the messenger and horse a six 
 days' journey, once in every moon, and return the said 
 messenger back safe to our imperial presence. 
 
 "Sixth. He shall be our ally against our enemies in 
 the island of Blefuscu, and do his utmost to destroy 
 their fleet, which is now preparing to invade us. 
 
 "Lastly. That, upon his solemn oath to observe all 
 the above articles, the said man-mountain shall have a 
 daily allowance of meat and drink sufficient for the 
 support of 1728 of our subjects, with free access to our 
 royal person, and other marks of our favor. " 
 
 I swore to these articles with great cheerfulness, 
 whereupon my chains were immediately unlocked, and 
 I was at full liberty. 
 
 The emperor did me the honor to be by at the whole 
 ceremony. I made my acknowledgments by prostrat- 
 ing myself at his majesty's feet: but he commanded 
 me to rise; and after many gracious expressions, he 
 added, that he hoped I should prove a useful servant, 
 and well deserve all the favors he had already conferred 
 upon me, or might do for the future. * ' 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 Mildendo, the Metropolis of Lilliput, described, together with the Em- 
 peror's Palace — A Conversation between the Author and a Princi- 
 pal Secretary, concerning the Affairs of that Empire — The Author's 
 Offers to serve the Emperor in his Wars. 
 
 The first request I made, after I had obtained my 
 liberty, was, that I might have license to see Mildendo, 
 the metropolis ; which the emperor granted, but with 
 a special charge to do no hurt either to the inhabitants 
 or their houses. The people had notice of my design 
 to visit the town. The wall, which encompassed it, is 
 two feet and a half high, and at least eleven inches 
 broad, so that a coach and horses may be driven very 
 safely round it ; and it is flanked with strong towers 
 at ten feet distance. I stepped over the great western 
 gate, and passed very gently and sideling through the 
 two principal streets, only in my short waistcoat, for 
 fear of damaging the roofs and eaves of the houses with 
 the skirts of my coat. I walked with the utmost care, 
 to avoid treading on any stragglers that might remain 
 in the streets ; although the orders were very strict that 
 all people should keep in their houses, at their own 
 peril. The garret windows and tops of houses were 
 crowded with spectators. The city is an exact square, 
 each side of the wall being five hundred feet long. The 
 two great streets, which run across and divide it into 
 
 45 
 
46 gulliver's travels 
 
 four quarters, are five feet wide. The lanes and alleys 
 which I could not enter, but only viewed them as I 
 passed, are from twelve to eighteen inches. The town 
 is capable of holding half a million people ; the houses 
 are from three to five stories : th« shops and markets 
 well provided. 
 
 The emperor's palace is in the center of the city, 
 where the two great streets meet. It is inclosed by 
 a wall two feet high, and twenty feet distant from the 
 buildings. I had his majesty's permission to step over 
 this wall ; and the space being so wide between that and 
 the palace, I could easily view it on every side. The 
 outward court is a square of forty feet, and includes 
 two other courts: in the inmost are the royal apart- 
 ments, which I was very desirous to see, but found it 
 extremely difficult ; for the great gates from one square 
 into another, were but eighteen inches high and seven 
 inches wide. Now the buildings of the outer court 
 were at least five feet high, and it was impossible for 
 me to stride over them without damage to the pile, 
 though the walls were strongly built of hewn stone, and 
 four inches thick. The emperor desired that I should 
 see the magnificence of his palace ; but this I was not 
 able to do till three days after, which I spent in cutting 
 down with my knife some of the largest trees in the 
 royal park, about a hundred yards distant from the city. 
 Of these trees I made two stools, each about three feet 
 high, and strong enough to bear my weight. The peo- 
 ple having received notice the second time, I went again 
 through the city to the palace with my two stools in 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 47 
 
 my hands. When I came to the side of the outer court, 
 I stood upon one stool, and took the other in my hand ; 
 this I lifted over the roof, and gently set it down on 
 the space between the first and second courts, which 
 was eight feet wide. I then stepped over the buildings 
 from one stool to the other, and drew up the first 
 after me with a hooked stick. Thus I got into the in- 
 most 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 
 splendid apartments that can be imagined. There I 
 saw the empress and the young princes, with their chief 
 attendants about them. Her imperial majesty was 
 pleased to smile very graciously upon me, and gave me 
 out of the window her hand to kiss. 
 
 One morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained 
 my liberty, the principal secretary of private affairs 
 came to my house, attended only by one servant. He 
 ordered his coach to wait at a distance, and desired I 
 would give him an hour's audience. 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 conversation. He began with compliments 
 on my liberty ; said he might pretend to some merit in 
 it ; but added, that if it had not been for the present 
 situation of things at court, perhaps I might not have 
 obtained it so soon. " For," said he, " as flourishing 
 a condition as we may appear to be in to foreigners, we 
 labor under two mighty evils ; a violent faction at home, 
 and the danger of an invasion from the island of Ble- 
 
48 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 fuscu, which is the other great empire of the universe, 
 almost as large and powerful as this of his majesty. 
 For, as to what we have heard you affirm, that there 
 are other kingdoms in the world, inhabited by human 
 creatures as large as yourself, our philosophers are in 
 much doubt, and would rather believe that you dropped 
 from the moon or one of the stars ; because it is certain, 
 that a hundred mortals of your bulk would in a short 
 time destroy all the fruits and cattle of his majesty's 
 dominions : besides, our histories of six thousand moons 
 make no mention of any other regions than the two 
 great empires of Lilliput and Blef uscu ; which two 
 mighty powers have been engaged in a most obstinate 
 war for six-and-thirty moons past. It began on the 
 following occasion : It is allowed on all hands, that the 
 primitive way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, 
 was upon the larger end; but his present majesty's 
 grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, 
 and breaking it according to the ancient practice, hap- 
 pened to cut one of his fingers ; whereupon, the emperor 
 his father published an edict, commanding all his sub- 
 jects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end 
 of their eggs. The people so highly resented this law, 
 that our histories tell us, there have been six rebellions 
 raised on that account ; wherein one emperor lost his 
 life and another his crown. These civil commotions 
 were constantly fomented by the monarchs of Blef uscu; 
 and when they were quelled, the exiles always fled for 
 refuge to that empire. It is computed that eleven 
 thousand persons have at several times suffered death, 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 49 
 
 rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller 
 end. Many hundred volumes have been published upon 
 this controversy ; but the books of the Bigendians have 
 been long forbidden, and the whole party rendered in- 
 capable by law of holding employments. During the 
 course of those troubles, the emperors of Blefuscu ac- 
 
 cused us of making a schism in religion, by offending 
 against a fundamental doctrine of our great prophet 
 Lustrog, in the fifty-fourth chapter of the Blundecral 
 (which is their Alcoran). This, however, is thought 
 to be a mere strain upon the text ; for the words are 
 these : that all true believers shall break their eggs at 
 
50 
 
 GtTLLIVBE's TBAVKL8 
 
 the convenient end. And which is the convenient end 
 seems, in my humble opinion, to be left to every man's 
 conscience, or at least in the power of the chief magis- 
 trate to determine. Now, the Bigendian exiles have 
 found so much credit in the emperor of Blefuscu's 
 court, and so much private assistance and encourage- 
 ment from their party here at home, that a bloody war 
 has been carried on between the two empires for six- 
 and-thirty moons with various success; during which 
 time we have lost forty capital ships, and a much greater 
 number of smaller vessels, together with thirty thousand 
 of our best seamen and soldiers ; and the damage re- 
 ceived by the enemy is reckoned to be somewhat greater 
 than ours. However, they have now equipped a nu- 
 merous fleet, and are just preparing to make a descent 
 upon us ; and his imperial majesty, placing great con- 
 fidence in your valor and strength, hath commanded me 
 to set the case before you." 
 
 I desired the secretary to present my humble duty to 
 the emperor ; and to let him know that I was ready, at 
 the risk of my life, to defend his person and state 
 against all invaders. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 The Author, hy an. Extraordinary Stratagem, prevents an Invasion — A 
 High Title is conferred upon him — Ambassadors arrive from the 
 Emperor of Blefuscu, and sue for Peace. 
 
 The empire of Blefuscu is an island, situated to the 
 northeast of Lilliput, from which it is parted only by a 
 channel of eight hundred yards wide. I had not yet 
 seen it, and upon this notice of an intended invasion, I 
 avoided appearing on that side of the coast, for fear of 
 being discovered by some of the enemy's ships, who had 
 received no intelligence of me ; all intercourse between 
 the two empires having been forbidden during the war, 
 upon pain of death, and an embargo laid by our emperor 
 upon all vessels whatsoever. I communicated to his 
 majesty a project I had formed, of seizing the enemy's 
 whole fleet ; which lay at anchor in the harbor, ready 
 to sail with the first fair wind. I consulted the most 
 experienced seamen upon the depth of the channel, and 
 was told that in the middle at high water it was about 
 six feet deep. I walked towards the northeast coast, 
 over against Blefuscu, and lying down behind a hillock, 
 took out my small spy-glass, and viewed the enemy's 
 
 62 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 53 
 
 fleet at anchor, consisting of about fifty men-of-war, and 
 a great number of transports. I came back to my bouse, 
 and gave order for a great quantity of the strongest 
 cable and bars of iron. The cable was about as thick as 
 thread, and the bars of the length and size of a knitting- 
 needle. I trebled the cable to make it stronger, and for 
 the same reason I twisted three of the iron bars together, 
 bending the ends into a hook. Having thus fixed fifty 
 hooks to as many cables, I went back to the northeast 
 coast, and putting off my coat, shoes, and stockings, 
 walked into the sea, in my leather jacket, about half an 
 hour before high-water. I waded with what haste I 
 could, and swam in the middle about thirty yards, till I 
 felt ground. I arrived at the fleet in less than half an 
 hour. The enemy was so frightened when they saw me, 
 that they leaped out of their ships, and swam to shore, 
 where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand. 
 I then took my tackling, and, fastening 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 dis- 
 charged several thousand arrows, many of which stuck in 
 my hands and face. My greatest fear was for my eyes, 
 which I should have lost, if I had not suddenly thought 
 of the pair of spectacles, which had escaped the emper- 
 or's searchers. These I took out, and fastened upon 
 my nose, and thus armed, went on boldly with my work, 
 in spite of the enemy's arrows, many of which struck 
 against the glasses of my spectacles, but without any 
 other effect than slightly disturbing them. I had now 
 fastened all the hooks, and, taking the knot in my hand, 
 
54 gulliver's travels 
 
 began to pull ; but not a ship would stir, for they were 
 all held too fast by their anchors, so that the boldest 
 part of my enterprise remained. I let go the cord, and, 
 leaving the hooks fixed to the ships, I resolutely cut with 
 my knife the cables that fastened the anchors, receiving 
 
 about two hundred shots in my face and hands ; then I 
 took up the knotted ends of the cables, to which my 
 hooks were tied, and with great ease drew fifty of the 
 enemy's largest men-of-war after me. 
 
 When the Blefuscudians saw t % e whole fleet moving 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 55 
 
 in order, and saw me pulling at the end, they set up such 
 a scream of grief and despair. When I had got out of 
 danger, I stopped awhile to pick out the arrows that 
 stuck in my hands and face ; and rubbed on some of the 
 same ointment that was given me at my first arrival. I 
 then took off my spectacles, and waiting about an hour, 
 till the tide was a little fallen, I waded through the 
 middle with my cargo, and arrived safe at the royal 
 port of Lilliput. 
 
 The emperor and his whole court stood on the shore, 
 awaiting me. They saw the ships move forward in a 
 large half -moon, but could not discern me, who was up 
 to my breast in water. When I advanced to the middle 
 of the channel, they were yet more in fear, because I 
 was under water to my neck. The emperor concluded 
 me to be drowned, and that the enemy's fleet was ap- 
 proaching in a hostile manner : but he was soon eased 
 of his fears ; for the channel growing shallower every 
 step I made, I came in a short 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 Emperor of Lilliput ! This great prince re- 
 ceived me at my landing with all possible encomiums, 
 and created me a Nardal on the spot, which is the high 
 est title of honor among them. 
 
 His majesty desired I would take some other oppor- 
 tunity of bringing all the rest of his enemy's ships into 
 his ports, and he seemed to think of nothing less than 
 reducing the whole empire of Blefuscu into a province, 
 and governing it by a viceroy ; of destroying the Bi- 
 
56 gulliver's travels 
 
 gendian exiles, and compelling that people to break the 
 smaller ends of their eggs, by which he would remain 
 the sole monarch of the whole world. But I plainly- 
 protested that I would never be an instrument of bring- 
 ing a free and brave people into slavery. And, when 
 the matter was debated in council, the wisest part of the 
 ministry were of my opinion. 
 
 This open, bold declaration of mine was so opposite 
 to the schemes of his imperial majesty that he could 
 never forgive it. He mentioned it in a very artful man- 
 ner at council, where I was told that some of the wisest 
 appeared by their silence, to be of my opinion ; but 
 others, who were my secret enemies, made some expres- 
 sions which reflected on me. And from this time began 
 an intrigue between his majesty and a junto of minis- 
 ters, maliciously bent against me, which broke out in 
 less than two months, and had like to have ended in 
 my utter destruction. Of so little weight are the great- 
 est services to princes when put into the balance with a 
 refusal to gratify their passions. 
 
 About three weeks after this exploit there arrived an 
 embassy from Blefuscu, with humble offers of a peace ; 
 which was soon concluded, upon conditions very advan- 
 tageous to our emperor. There were six ambassadors, 
 with a train of about five hundred persons : and their 
 entry was very magnificent, suitable to the grandeur 
 of their master, and the importance of their business. 
 When their treaty was finished, wherein I did them 
 several good offices by the credit I now had, or at least 
 appeared to have, at court, their excellencies, who were 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPtTT 57 
 
 privately told how much I had been their friend, made 
 me a visit in form. They began with many compli- 
 ments upon my valor and generosity, invited me to that 
 kingdom in the emperor their master's name, and de- 
 sired me to show them some proofs of my prodigious 
 strength, of which they had heard so many wonders. 
 
 When I had for some time entertained their excellen- 
 cies, to their infinite satisfaction and surprise, I desired 
 they would do me the honor to present my respects to 
 the emperor their master, the renown of whose virtues 
 had so justly filled the world with admiration, and 
 whose royal person I resolved to attend before I re- 
 turned to my own country. Accordingly, the next time 
 I had the honor to see our emperor, I desired his gen- 
 eral license to wait on the Blefuscudian monarch, which 
 he was pleased to grant me, in a very cold manner ; but 
 could not guess the reason, till I had a whisper from a 
 certain person, that Flimnap and Bolgolam had repre- 
 sented my intercourse with those ambassadors as a 
 mark of disaffection ; from which I am sure my heart 
 was wholly free. 
 
 It is to be observed, that these ambassadors spoke to 
 me by an interpreter, the languages of both empires dif- 
 fering as much from each other as any two in Europe, 
 and each nation priding itself upon the antiquity, beauty, 
 and energy of their own tongues, with an avowed con- 
 tempt for that of their neighbor ; yet our emperor, 
 standing upon the advantage he had got by the seizure 
 of their fleet, obliged them to deliver their credentials, 
 and make their speech in the Lilliputian tongue. From 
 
58 gtjlliver's travels 
 
 the great intercourse of trade and commerce between 
 both realms, from the continual reception of exiles, 
 which is mutual among them, and from the custom, in 
 each empire, to send their young nobility and richer gen- 
 try to the other, in order to polish themselves by seeing 
 the world, and understanding men and manners, there 
 are few persons of distinction, or merchants, or seamen, 
 who dwell in the maritime parts, but what can hold con- 
 versation in both tongues ; as I found some weeks after, 
 when I went to pay my respects to the Emperor of Ble- 
 fuscu, which in the midst of great misfortunes, through 
 the malice of my enemies, proved a very happy adven- 
 ture to me, as I shall relate in its proper place. 
 
 When I signed those articles upon which I recovered 
 my liberty, there were some which I dislike, upon 
 account of their being too servile ; neither could any- 
 thing but an extreme necessity have forced me to sub- 
 mit. But being now a Nardal of the highest rank in 
 that empire, such offices, were looked upon as below my 
 dignity, and the emperor never once mentioned them 
 to me. 
 
CHAPTER 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. 
 
 Although I intend to leave the description of this 
 empire to a particular treatise, yet, in the meantime, I 
 am content to gratify the curious reader with some 
 general ideas. As the common size of the natives is 
 somewhat under six inches high, so there is an exact 
 proportion in all other animals, as well as plants and 
 trees; for instance, the tallest horses and oxen are 
 between four and five inches in height, the sheep an 
 inch and half, more or less ; their geese about the big- 
 ness of a sparrow, and so the several gradations, down- 
 wards, till you come to the smallest, which, to my sight, 
 were almost invisible; but nature hath adapted the 
 eyes of the Lilliputians to all objects proper for their 
 view; they see with great exactness, but at no great 
 distance. And to show the sharpness of their sight 
 toward objects that are near, I have been much pleased 
 observing a cook plucking the feathers from a lark, 
 which was not so large as a common fly : and a young 
 girl threading an invisible needle with invisible silk. 
 Their tallest trees are about seven feet high ; I mean 
 some of those in the great royal park, the tops whereof 
 I could but just reach with my fist clenched. The 
 other vegetables are in the same proportion. 
 
60 gulliver's travels 
 
 I shall say but little 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 Euro- 
 peans ; nor from the right to the left, like the Arabi- 
 ans ; nor from up to down like the Chinese ; but aslant 
 from one corner of the paper to the other. 
 
 They bury their dead with their heads directly down- 
 wards, because they hold an opinion, that in eleven 
 thousand moons they are all to rise again; in which 
 period the earth (which they conceive to be flat) will 
 turn upside down, and by this means they shall at 
 their resurrection be found ready standing on their 
 feet. The learned among them confess the absurdity 
 of this doctrine; but the practice still continues, in 
 compliance to the vulgar. 
 
 Some laws and customs in this empire are very pecul- 
 iar. All crimes against the state are punished here 
 with the utmost severity; but, if the person accused 
 makes his innocence appear upon his trial, the accuser 
 is immediately put to an ignominious death ; and out 
 of his goods or lands the innocent person is quadruply 
 recompensed for the loss of his time, for the danger he 
 underwent, for the hardship of his imprisonment, and 
 for all the charges he has been at in making his defense. 
 Or, if that fund be deficient, it is largely supplied by 
 the crown. The emperor does also confer on him some 
 public mark of his favor, and proclamation is made of 
 his innocence through the whole city. 
 
 They look upon fraud as a greater crime than theft, 
 
62 gulliver's travels 
 
 and seldom fail to punish it with death; for they 
 allege, that care and vigilance may preserve a man's 
 goods from thieves, but honesty has no fence against 
 superior cunning ; and, since it is necessary that there 
 should be a perpetual intercourse of buying and selling, 
 and dealing upon credit, where fraud is permitted, or 
 hath no law to punish it, the honest dealer is always 
 undone, and the knave gets the advantage. I remem- 
 ber, when I was once interceding with the king for a 
 criminal who had wronged his master of a great sum of 
 money, which he had received by order, and ran away 
 with; and happening to tell his majesty, by way of 
 extenuation, that it was only a breach of trust, the em- 
 peror thought it monstrous in me to offer as a defense 
 the greatest aggravation of the crime ; and truly I had 
 little to say in return, further than the common answer, 
 that different nations had different customs ; for I con- 
 fess I was heartily ashamed. 
 
 Although we usually call reward and punishment the 
 two hinges upon which all government turns, yet I could 
 never observe this maxim to be put in practice by any 
 nation, except that of Lilliput. Whoever can there 
 bring sufficient proof, that he has strictly observed the 
 laws of his country for seventy-three moons, hath a claim 
 to certain privileges, according to his quality and con- 
 dition of life, with a proportionate sum of money, out of 
 a fund appropriated for that use ; he likewise acquires 
 the title of legal, which is added to his name, but does 
 not descend to his posterity. And these people thought 
 it a great defect of policy among us. when I told them 
 
'A VOYAGE TO LILLIPtTT 6S 
 
 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, is formed with six eyes, 
 two before, as many behind, and on each side one, to 
 signify circumspection ; with a bag of gold open in her 
 right hand, and a sword sheathed in her left, to show 
 she is more disposed to reward than to punish. 
 
 In choosing persons for all employments, they have 
 more regard to good morals than to great abilities ; for 
 since government is necessary to mankind, they believe 
 that the ordinary understanding is fitted to some station 
 or other ; and that Providence never intended to make 
 the management of public affairs a mystery to be com- 
 prehended only by a few persons of sublime genius, of 
 which there seldom are three born in an age : but they 
 suppose truth, justice, temperance, and the like, to be 
 in every man's power; the practice of which virtues, 
 assisted by experience and a good intention, would 
 qualify any man for the service of his country, except 
 where a course of study is required. But they thought 
 the want of moral virtues was so far from being supplied 
 by superior endowments of the mind, that employments 
 could never be put into such dangerous hands as those 
 of persons so qualified; and at least, that the mistakes 
 committed by ignorance, in a virtuous disposition, would 
 never be of such fatal consequence to the public weal, 
 as the practices of a man whose inclinations led him to 
 be corrupt, and had great abilities to manage, and multi- 
 ply, and defend, his corruptions. 
 
 In like manner, this disbelief of a Divine Providence 
 
64 gulliver's travels 
 
 renders a man incapable of holding public station ; for, 
 since kings avow themselves to be the deputies of Provi- 
 dence, the Lilliputians think nothing can be more absurd 
 than for a prince to employ such men as disown the 
 authority under which he acts. 
 
 In relating these and the following laws, I would only 
 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 employments 
 by dancing on the ropes or badges of favor and distinc- 
 tion by leaping over sticks and creeping under them, 
 they were first introduced by the grandfather of the 
 emperor now reigning, and grew to the present height 
 by the gradual increase of party and faction. 
 
 Ingratitude is among them a capital crime ; for they 
 reason thus, that whoever makes ill returns to his bene- 
 factor, must needs be a common enemy to the rest of 
 mankind, from whom he hath received no obligation, 
 and therefore such a man is not fit to live. 
 
 Their notions relating to the duties of parents and 
 children differ extremely from ours. Their opinion is, 
 that parents are the last of all others to be trusted with 
 the education of their own children ; therefore, they 
 have in every town public nurseries, where all parents, 
 except cottagers and laborers, are obliged to send their 
 infants of both sexes to be reared and educated, when 
 they come to the age of twenty moons, at which time 
 they are supposed to have some rudiments of docility. 
 These schools are of several kinds, suited to different 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPtTT 65 
 
 qualities, and to both sexes. They have professors, well 
 skilled in preparing children for such a condition of life 
 as befits the rank of their parents, and their own capaci- 
 ties, as well as inclinations. I shall first say something 
 of the male nurseries, and then of the female. 
 
 The nurseries for males of noble or eminent birth, 
 are provided with grave and learned professors, and 
 their several deputies. The clothes and food of the 
 children are plain and simple. They are bred up in the 
 principles of honor, justice, courage, modesty, clemency, 
 religion, and love of their country ; they are always em- 
 ployed in some business, except in- the times of eating 
 and sleeping, which are very short, and two hours for 
 diversions consisting of bodily exercises. They are 
 dressed by men till four years of age, and then are 
 obliged to dress themselves, although their rank be ever 
 so great ; and the women attendants, who are aged pro- 
 portionably to ours of fifty, perform only the most menial 
 offices. They are never suffered to converse with ser- 
 vants, but go together, in smaller or greater numbers, 
 to take their diversions, and always in the presence of 
 a professor, or one of his deputies ; whereby they avoid 
 those early bad impressions of folly and vice, to which 
 our children are subject. Their parents see them only 
 twice a year ; the visit is to last but an hour ; they are 
 allowed to kiss the child at meeting and parting ; but a 
 professor, who always stands by on those occasions, will 
 not suffer them to whisper, or use any fondling expres- 
 sions, or bring any presents or toys, sweetmeats, and the 
 like. 
 
66 Gulliver's travels 
 
 The pension from each family for the education and. 
 entertainment of a child, upon failure of due payment, 
 is levied by the emperor's officers. 
 
 The nurseries for children of ordinary gentlemen, 
 merchants, traders, and handicrafts are managed pro- 
 portionally after the same manner ; only those designed 
 for trades are put out apprentices at eleven years old ; 
 whereas those of persons of quality continue in their 
 nurseries till fifteen, which answers to one-and-twenty 
 with us : but the confinement is gradually lessened for 
 the last three years. 
 
 In the female nurseries, the young girls of quality are 
 educated much like the males, only they are dressed by 
 orderly servants of their own sex ; but always in the 
 presence of a professor or deputy, till they come to 
 dress themselves, which is at five years old. And if it 
 be found, that these nurses ever presume to entertain 
 the girls with frightful or foolish stories, they are pub- 
 licly whipped thrice about the city, imprisoned for a 
 year, and banished for life to the most desolate part of 
 the country. Thus the young ladies there are as much 
 ashamed of being cowards and fools as the men ; and 
 despise all personal ornaments, beyond decency and 
 cleanliness : neither did I perceive any difference in 
 their education, made by their difference of sex, only 
 that the exercises of the females were not altogether so 
 robust ; and that some rules were given them relating 
 to domestic life, and a smaller compass of learning was 
 enjoined them : for the maxim is, that among people of 
 quality, a wife should be always a reasonable and agree- 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 67 
 
 able companion, because she cannot always be young. 
 When the girls are twelve years old, which among them 
 is the marriageable age, their parents or guardians take 
 them home, with great expressions of gratitude to the 
 professors, and seldom without tears of the young lady 
 and her companions. 
 
 In the nurseries of females of the meaner sort, the 
 children are instructed in all kinds of works proper for 
 their sex, and their several degrees : those intended for 
 apprentices are dismissed at seven years old, the rest 
 are kept to eleven. 
 
 The meaner families, who have children at these nurs- 
 eries, are obliged, beside their annual pension, which is 
 as low as possible, to return to the steward of the nursery 
 a small monthly share of their gettings, to be a portion 
 for the child; and therefore all parents are limited in 
 their expenses by the law. For the Lilliputians think 
 nothing can be more unjust, than for people to bring 
 children into the world, and leave the burden of sup- 
 porting them on the public. As to persons of quality, 
 they give security to appropriate a certain sum for each 
 child, suitable to their condition ; and these funds are 
 always managed with good husbandry, and the most 
 exact justice. 
 
 The cottagers and laborers keep their children at 
 home, their business being only to till and cultivate the 
 earth, and therefore their education is of little conse- 
 quence to the public : but the old and diseased among 
 them are supported by hospitals ; for begging is a trade 
 unknown in this kingdom. 
 
68 Gulliver's travels 
 
 And here it may perhaps divert the curious reader, to 
 give some account of my domestic affairs, and my man- 
 ner of living in this country, during a residence of nine 
 months and thirteen days. Having a turn for mechanics, 
 and being forced by necessity, I had made myself a table 
 and chair, convenient enough, out of the largest trees in 
 the royal park. Two hundred seamstresses were em- 
 ployed to make me shirts and linen for my bed and table, 
 all of the strongest and coarsest kind they could get ; 
 which, however, they were forced to quilt together in 
 several folds, for the thickest was some degrees finer 
 than lawn. Their linen is usually three inches wide, 
 and three feet make a piece. The seamstresses took 
 my measure as I lay on the ground, one standing at my 
 neck, and another at my mid-leg, with a strong 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 measured my right tihunib, and desired 
 no more ; for, by a mathematical computation, that twice 
 round the thumb is once round the wrist, and so on to 
 the neck and the waist, and by the help of my old shirt, 
 which I displayed on the ground before them for a pat- 
 tern, they fitted me exactly. Three hundred tailors 
 were employed in the same manner to make me clothes ; 
 but they had another contrivance for taking my measure. 
 I kneeled down, and they raised a ladder from the ground 
 to my neck ; upon this ladder one of them mounted, and 
 let fall a plumb-line from my collar to the floor, which 
 just answered the length of my coat ; but my waist and 
 arms I measured myself. When my clothes were finished, 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 69 
 
 which was done in my house (for the largest of theirs 
 would not have been able to hold them), they looked 
 like the patchwork made by the ladies in England, only 
 that mine were all of a color. 
 
 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, some with dishes of meat, and 
 some with barrels of wine and other liquors slung on 
 their shoulders ; all which the waiters above drew up, as 
 I wanted, in a very ingenious manner, by certain cords, 
 as we draw the bucket up a well. A dish of their meat 
 was a good mouthful, and a barrel of their liquor a reason- 
 able draught. Their mutton yields to ours, but their 
 beef is excellent. I have had a sirloin so large, that I 
 have been forced to make three bites of it : but this is 
 rare. My servants were astonished to see me eat it, 
 bones and all, as in our country we do the leg of a lark. 
 Their geese and turkeys I usually eat at a mouthful, and 
 I must confess they far exceed ours. Of their smaller 
 fowl I could take up twenty or thirty at the end of my 
 knife. 
 
 One day his imperial majesty, being informed of my 
 way of living, desired that himself and his royal consort, 
 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 accordingly, and I placed them 
 upon chairs of state, upon my table just over against 
 
70 gtjlliver's travels 
 
 me, with their guards about them. Flimnap, the lord 
 high treasurer, attended there likewise with his white 
 staff ; and I observed he often looked on me with a sour 
 countenance, which I would not seem to regard, but eat 
 more than usual, in honor to my dear country, as well 
 as to fill the court with admiration. That minister had 
 always been my secret enemy, though he outwardly 
 caressed me more than usual to the moroseness of his 
 nature. He represented to the emperor the low condi- 
 tion of his treasury ; that he was forced to take up money 
 at great discount ; that exchequer bills would not circu- 
 late under nine per cent, below par ; that, in short, I had 
 cost his majesty above a million and a half of sprugs (their 
 greatest gold coin, about the bigness of a spangle) ; and, 
 upon the whole, that it would be advisable in the emperor 
 to take the first fair occasion of dismissing me. 
 
 I am here obliged to vindicate the reputation of an excel- 
 lent lady, who was an innocent sufferer upon my account. 
 The treasurer took a fancy to be jealous of his wife, from 
 the malice of some evil tongues, who informed him that 
 her grace had taken a violent affection for my person ; 
 and the court scandal ran for some time, that she once 
 came privately to my lodging. This was a most infa- 
 mous falsehood, without any grounds, further than that 
 her grace was pleased to treat me with all innocent marks 
 of freedom and friendship. I own she came often to my 
 house, but always publicly, nor ever without three more 
 in the coach, who were usually her sister and young 
 daughter, and some particular acquaintance : but this 
 was common to many other ladies of the court. And I 
 
72 gulliver's travels 
 
 still appeal to my servants round, whether they at any 
 time saw a coach at my door, without knowing what per- 
 sons were in it. On those occasions, when a servant had 
 given me notice, my custom was to go to the door ; and, 
 after paying my respects, to take up the coach and two 
 horses very carefully in my hands (for if there were six 
 horses, the postilion always unharnessed four), and place 
 them on a table, where I had fixed a movable rim quite 
 round, of five inches high, to prevent accidents. And I 
 have often had four coaches and horses at once on my 
 table, full of company ; and when I was engaged with 
 one set, the coachman would gently drive the others 
 round my table. I have passed many an afternoon very 
 agreeably in these conversations. But I defy the treas- 
 urer to prove that any person ever came to me incognito, 
 except the secretary, who was sent by command of his 
 majesty, as I have before related. I should not have 
 dwelt so long upon this particular, if it had not been a 
 point wherein the reputation of a great lady is so nearly 
 concerned, to say nothing of my own; though I had then 
 the honor to be a Nardal, which the treasurer himself is 
 not. His title was inferior to mine by one degree, as 
 that of a marquis is to a duke in England. These false 
 informations, which I afterwards came to the knowledge 
 of by an accident not proper to mention, made Flimnap 
 the treasurer show his lady for some time an ill counte- 
 nance, and me a worse ; and although he was at last un- 
 deceived and reconciled to her, yet I lost all credit with 
 him, and found my interest decline very fast with the 
 emperor himself, who was much governed by that favorite. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 The Author, being informed of a Design to accuse him of High-treason, 
 makes his Escape to Blefuscu — His Reception there. 
 
 Before giving an account of my leaving this kingdom, 
 it may be proper to inform the reader of a private in- 
 trigue, which had been for two months forming against 
 me. I had been hitherto a stranger to courts. I had 
 indeed heard and read enough of the dispositions of great 
 princes and ministers ; but never expected to have found 
 such terrible effects of them, in so remote a country, gov- 
 erned as I thought, by very different maxims from those 
 in Europe. 
 
 When I was just preparing to pay my attendance on 
 the Emperor of Blefuscu, a considerable person at court 
 (to whom I had been very serviceable at a time when he 
 lay under the highest displeasure of his imperial majesty) 
 came to my house very privately at night, in a close chair, 
 and, without sending his name, desired admittance. The 
 chairmen were dismissed ; I put the chair, with his lord- 
 ship in it, into my coat-pocket ; and giving orders to a 
 trusty servant to say I was indisposed and gone to sleep, 
 
 73 
 
74 gulliver's travels 
 
 I fastened tlie door of my house, placed the chair on the 
 table, according to my usual custom, and sat down by it. 
 After the common salutations were over, observing his 
 lordship's countenance full of concern, and inquiring into 
 the reason, he desired I would hear him with patience, in 
 a matter that highly concerned my honor and my life. 
 His speech was to the following effect, for I took notes 
 of it as soon as he left me : — 
 
 " You are to know," said he, " that several committees 
 of council have been called on your account ; and it is 
 but two days since his majesty came to a full resolution. 
 
 " You are very sensible that Skyresh Bolgolam, the 
 high admiral, hath been your mortal enemy almost ever 
 since your arrival. His original reasons I know not ; 
 but his hatred is much increased since your great suc- 
 cess against Blefuscu, by which his glory as admiral is 
 obscured. This lord, in conjunction with Flimnap the 
 high treasurer, whose enmity against you is notorious 
 on account of his lady, Limtoc the general, Lalcon the 
 chamberlain, and Balmuff the grand justiciary, have pre- 
 pared articles of impeachment against you, for treason 
 and other capital crimes." 
 
 This preface made me so impatient, being conscious 
 of my own merits and innocence, that I was going to 
 interrupt, when he intreated me to be silent, and thus 
 proceeded : — 
 
 "Out of gratitude for the favors you have done me, 
 I procured information of the whole proceedings, and a 
 copy of the articles ; wherein I risked my head for your 
 service. 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 75 
 
 " Articles of Impeachment against Quinbus Flestrin, the 
 Man-Mountain 
 
 " Article 1. — That the said Quinbus Flestrin, having 
 brought the imperial fleet of Blefuscu into the royal port, 
 and being afterwards commanded by his imperial maj- 
 esty to seize all the other ships of the said empire . of 
 Blefuscu, and reduce that empire to a province, to be 
 governed by a viceroy from hence, and to destroy and 
 put to death, not only all the Bigendian exiles, but like- 
 wise all the people of that empire who would not im- 
 mediately forsake the Bigendian heresy; he, the said 
 Flestrin, like a false traitor against his most auspicious, 
 serene, imperial majesty, did petition to be excused from 
 the said service, upon pretense of unwillingness to force 
 the consciences, or destroy the liberties and lives, of an 
 innocent people. 
 
 " Article 2. — That, whereas certain ambassadors ar- 
 rived from the court of Blefuscu, to sue for peace in his 
 majesty's court ; he, the said Flestrin, did, like a false 
 traitor, aid, abet, comfort, and divert the said ambassa- 
 dors, although he knew them to be servants to a prince 
 who was lately an open enemy to his imperial majesty, 
 and in open war against his said majesty. 
 
 " Article 3. — That the said Quinbus Flestrin, con- 
 trary to the duty of a faithful subject, is now preparing 
 to make a visit to the court and empire of Blefuscu., for 
 which he hath received only verbal license from his im- 
 perial majesty ; and, under color of the said license, doth 
 falsely and traitorously intend to take the said voyage, 
 
76 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 and thereby to aid, comfort, and abet the Emperor of 
 Blefuscu, so late an enemy, and in open war with his 
 imperial majesty aforesaid. 
 
 " There are some other articles ; but these are the most 
 important, of which I have read you an abstract. In the 
 several debates upon this impeachment, it must be con- 
 fessed that his majesty gave many marks of his great 
 lenity ; often urging the services you had done him, and 
 endeavoring to extenuate your crimes. The treasurer 
 and admiral insisted that you should be put to the most 
 painful and ignominious death, by setting fire to your 
 house at night ; and the general was to attend with 
 twenty thousand men, armed with poisoned arrows, to 
 shoot you on the face and hands. Some of your servants 
 were to have private orders to strew a poisonous juice 
 on your shirts, which would soos make you tear your 
 own flesh, and die in the utmost torture. The general 
 came ilito the same opinion ; so that for a long time there 
 was a majority against you ; but his majesty resolving, 
 if possible, to spare your life, at last brought off the 
 chamberlain. 
 
 " Upon this incident the 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 justified the good 
 thoughts you have of him. He allowed your crimes to 
 be great, but that still there was room for mercy, the 
 most commendable virtue in a prince, and for which his 
 majesty was so justly celebrated. He said, the friend- 
 ship between you and him was so well known to the 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 77 
 
 world, that perhaps the most honorable board might 
 think him partial ; however, in obedience to the com- 
 mand he had received, he would freely offer his senti- 
 ments. That if his majesty, in consideration of your 
 services, would please to spare your life, and only give 
 order to put out both your eyes, he humbly conceived 
 that, by this expedient, justice might in some measure 
 be satisfied, and all the world would applaud the len- 
 ity of the emperor, as well as the fair and generous 
 proceedings of those who have the honor to be his 
 counselors. That the loss of your eyes would be no 
 impediment to your bodily strength, by which you 
 might still be useful to his majesty ; that blindness 
 is an addition to courage, by concealing dangers from 
 us ; that the fear you had for your eyes was the great- 
 est difficulty in bringing over the enemy's fleet; and it 
 would be sufficient for you to see by the eyes of the 
 ministers, since the greatest princes do no more. 
 
 " This proposal was received with the utmost disap- 
 probation by the whole board. The admiral could not 
 preserve his temper ; but, rising up in fury, said, he 
 wondered how the secretary dared presume to give his 
 opinion for preserving the life of a traitor ; that the ser- 
 vices you had performed were, by all true reasons of 
 state, the great aggravation of your crimes ; that the 
 same strength, which enabled you to bring over the 
 enemy's fleet, might serve, upon the first discontent, to 
 carry it back ; that he had good reasons to think you 
 were a Bigendian in your heart ; and, as treason begins 
 in the heart, before it appears in overt acts, so he ac- 
 
T8 gulliver's travels 
 
 cused you as a traitor on that account, and therefore 
 insisted you should be put to death. 
 
 " The treasurer was of the same opinion. He showed 
 to what straits his majesty's revenue was reduced by 
 maintaining you, which would soon grow insupportable ; 
 
 that the secretary's expedient of putting out your eyes 
 was so far from being a remedy against this evil, that it 
 would probably increase it, as is manifest from the com- 
 mon practice of blinding some kind of fowls, after which 
 they fed the faster, and grew sooner fat ; that his majesty 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 79 
 
 ancl tuvj council, who are your judges, were in their own 
 consciences fully convinced of your guilt, which was a 
 sufficient argument to condemn you to death, without 
 the formal proofs required by the strict letter of the law. 
 
 "But his majesty, fully determined against capital 
 punishment, said that since the council thought the 
 loss of your eyes too easy a censure, some other may be 
 inflicted hereafter. And your friend, the secretary, 
 humbly desiring to be heard again, in answer to what 
 the treasurer had objected, concerning the great charge 
 his majesty was at in maintaining you, said, that his 
 excellency, who had the sole disposal of the emperor's 
 revenue, might easily provide against that evil, by 
 gradually lessening your establishment ; by which, for 
 want of sufficient food, you would grow weak and 
 faint, and lose your appetite, and consequently decay 
 and consume in a few months. Neither would the 
 stench of your carcass be then so dangerous, when it 
 should become more than half diminished ; and, im- 
 mediately upon your death, five or six thousand of his 
 majesty's subjects, might, in two or three days, cut 
 your flesh from your bones, take it away by cartloads, 
 and bury it in distant parts, to prevent infection, leaving 
 the skeleton as a monument of admiration to posterity. 
 
 " Thus, by the great friendship of the secretary, the 
 whole affair was compromised. It was strictly en- 
 joined that the project of starving you by degrees 
 should be kept a secret : but the sentence of putting 
 out your eyes was entered on the books ; none dissent- 
 ing except the admiral, who, being a creature of the 
 
80 gxjlliver's travels 
 
 empress, was perpetually instigated by her majesty to 
 insist upon your death. 
 
 "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 signify the 
 great lenity and favor of his majesty and council, 
 whereby you are only condemned to the loss of your 
 eyes, which his majesty doth not question you will 
 humbly submit to ; and twenty of his majesty's sur- 
 geons will attend, in order to see the operation well 
 performed, by discharging very sharp-pointed arrows 
 into the balls of your eyes, as you lie on the ground. 
 
 " I leave to your prudence what measures you will 
 take ; and, to avoid suspicion, I must immediately re- 
 turn in as private a manner as I came." 
 
 His lordship did so ; and I remained alone, under 
 many doubts and perplexities of mind. 
 
 It was a custom introduced by this prince and his 
 ministry — very different, as I have been assured, from 
 the practices of former times — that after the court 
 had decreed any cruel execution, either to gratify the 
 monarch's resentment, or the malice of a favorite, the 
 emperor made a speech to his whole council, expressing 
 his great lenity and tenderness, as qualities known and 
 confessed by all the world. This speech was published 
 through the kingdom ; nor did anything terrify the 
 people so much as those encomiums on his majesty's 
 mercy ; because it was observed, that the more these 
 praises were enlarged and insisted on, the more in- 
 human was the punishment, and the sufferer more 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 81 
 
 innocent. And, as to myself, having never been de- 
 signed for a courtier, either by my birth or education, 
 I was so ill a judge of things, that I could not discover 
 the lenity and favor of this sentence, but conceived it 
 rather to be rigorous than gentle. I sometimes thought 
 of standing my trial ; for, although I could not deny the 
 facts alleged in the several articles, yet I hoped they 
 would admit of some extenuations. But, having in my 
 life perused many state trials, which I ever observed to 
 terminate as the judges thought fit to direct, I dared not 
 rely on so dangerous a decision, in so critical a juncture, 
 and against such powerful enemies. Once I was strongly 
 bent upon resistance ; for while I had liberty, the whole 
 strength of that empire could hardly subdue me, and I 
 might easily with stones pelt the metropolis to pieces ; 
 but I soon rejected that project with horror, by re- 
 membering the oath I had made to the emperor, the 
 favors I received from him, and the high title of Nardal 
 he conferred upon me. Neither had I so soon learned 
 the gratitude of courtiers, to persuade myself that his 
 majesty's present severities acquitted me of all past 
 obligations. 
 
 At last I fixed upon a resolution, for which it is 
 probable I may incur some censure, and not unjustly ; 
 for I confess I owe the preserving my eyes, and con- 
 sequently my liberty, to my own great rashness and 
 want of experience ; because, if I had then known the 
 nature of princes and ministers, which I have since 
 observed in many other courts, and their methods of 
 treating criminals less obnoxious than myself, I should, 
 
82 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 with great alacrity and readiness, have submitted to so 
 easy a punishment. But, hurried on by youth, and 
 having his imperial majesty's license to pay my attend- 
 ance upon the Emperor of Blef uscu, I took this oppor- 
 tunity, before the three days were elapsed, to send a 
 
 letter to my friend the secretary, signifying my resolu- 
 tion of setting out that morning for Blefuscu, pursuant 
 to the leave I had got ; and, without waiting for an 
 answer, I went to that side of the island where our fleet 
 lay. I seized a large man-of-war, tied a cable to the 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 83 
 
 prow, and, lifting up the anchors, I stripped myself, put 
 my clothes into the vessel, and, drawing it after me, 
 between wading and swimming, arrived at the royal 
 port of Blefuscu, where the people had long expected 
 me : they lent me two guides to direct me to the capi- 
 tal city. I held them in my hands, till I came within 
 two hundred yards of the gate, and desired them to 
 signify my arrival to one of the secretaries, and let him 
 know I there waited his majesty's commands. I had 
 an answer in about an hour, that his majesty was 
 coming out to receive me. I advanced a hundred yards. 
 The emperor and his train alighted from their horses ; 
 the empress and ladies from their coaches. I lay on 
 the ground to kiss his majesty's and the empress's 
 hand. I told his majesty that I was come, according 
 to my promise, and with the license of the emperor, my 
 master, to have the honor of seeing so mighty a mon- 
 arch, and to offer him any service in my power, con- 
 sistent with my duty to my own prince ; not mentioning 
 a word of my disgrace, because I had hitherto no regu- 
 lar information of it, and might suppose myself wholly 
 ignorant of any such design ; neither could I reason- 
 ably conceive that the emperor would discover the 
 secret, while I was out of his power ; wherein, however, 
 it soon appeared I was deceived. 
 
 I shall not trouble the reader with the particular ac- 
 count of my reception at this court, which was suitable 
 to the generosity of so 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, wrapped up in my coverlet. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 The Author, by a Lucky Accident, finds Means to leave Blefuscu ; and 
 after Some Difficulties, returns safe to his Native Country. 
 
 Theee days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity 
 to the north-east coast of the island, I observed, about 
 half a league off in the sea, somewhat that looked like a 
 boat overturned. I pulled 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 saw it to be a real boat, which I supposed might 
 by some tempest have been driven from a ship : where- 
 upon I returned immediately towards the city, and de- 
 sired his imperial majesty to lend me twenty of the tallest 
 vessels he had left, after the loss of his fleet, and three 
 thousand seamen, under the command of the vice-admi- 
 ral. This fleet sailed round, while I went back the 
 shortest way to the coast, where I first discovered the 
 boat. I found the tide had driven it still nearer. The 
 seamen were all provided with cordage, which I had 
 twisted to a sufficient strength. When the ships came 
 up, I stripped myself, and waded till I came within a 
 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 fastened to a hole in the forepart of 
 the boat, and the other end to a man-of-war ; but I found 
 
 84 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 85 
 
 all my labor to little purpose ; for, being out of my depth, 
 I was not able to work. In this necessity, I was forced 
 to swim behind, and push the boat forward, as often as 
 I could, with one of my hands ; and the tide favoring 
 me, I advanced so far that I could just hold up my chin 
 and feel the ground. I rested two or three minutes, and 
 then gave the boat another shove, and so on, till the sea 
 was no higher than my arm-pits ; and, now the most 
 laborious part being over, I took out my other cables, 
 which were stowed in one of the ships, and fastened them 
 first to the boat, and then to nine of the vessels which 
 attended me ; the wind being favorable, the seamen towed 
 and I shoved, 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 assistance of two thousand men, 
 with ropes and engines, I made a shift to turn it on its 
 bottom, and found it was but little damaged. 
 
 I shall not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was 
 under, by the help of certain paddles, which cost me ten 
 days' making, to get my boat to the royal port of Ble- 
 fuscu, where a mighty concourse of people appeared 
 upon my arrival, full of wonder at the sight of so pro- 
 digious a vessel. I told the emperor that my good for- 
 tune had thrown this boat in my way to carry me to 
 some place from whence I might return into my native 
 country; and begged his majesty's orders for getting 
 materials to fit it up, together with his license to depart ; 
 which he was pleased to grant. 
 
 I did very much wonder not to have heard of any 
 message relating to me from our emperor to the court 
 
86 gulliver's travels 
 
 of Blefuscu. But I was afterwards given privately to 
 understand, that his majesty, never imagining I had the 
 least notice of his designs, believed I was only gone to 
 Blefuscu in performance of my promise, according to 
 the license he had given me, which was well known at 
 our court, and would return in a few days, when that 
 ceremony was ended. But he was at last in pain at my 
 long absence ; and, after consulting with the treasurer 
 and the rest of that cabal, a person of quality was dis- 
 patcned with the copy of the articles against me. This 
 envoy had instructions to represent to the monarch of 
 Blefuscu, the great lenity of his master, who was content 
 to punish me no further than with the loss of my eyes ; 
 that I had fled from justice ; and if I did not return in 
 two hours, I should be deprived of my title of Nardal 
 and declared a traitor. The envoy added, that, in order 
 to maintain the peace and amity between both empires, 
 his master expected that his brother of Blefuscu would 
 give orders to have me sent back to Lilliput bound hand 
 and foot, to be punished as a traitor. 
 
 The Emperor of Blefuscu, having taken three days to 
 consult, returned an answer consisting of many civilities 
 and excuses. He said, that as for sending me bound, 
 his brother knew it was impossible ; 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 majesties would 
 soon be made easy; for I had found a vessel on the 
 shore, able to carry me on the sea, which he had given 
 order to fit up, with my own assistance and direction ; 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 87 
 
 and he hoped, in a few weeks, both empires would be 
 freed from so insupportable an incumbrance. 
 
 With this answer the envoy returned to Lilliput ; and 
 the monarch of Blefuscu related to me all that had 
 passed ; offering me, at the same time his gracious pro- 
 tection if I would continue in his service : wherein al- 
 though I believed him sincere, yet I resolved never more 
 to put any confidence in princes or ministers. I told 
 him, that since fortune, whether good or evil, had thrown 
 a vessel in my way, I was resolved to venture myself on 
 the ocean, rather than be an occasion of difference be- 
 tween two such mighty monarchs. Neither did I find 
 the emperor at all displeased ; and I discovered, that he 
 was very glad of my resolution, and so were most of his 
 ministers. 
 
 These considerations moved me to hasten my depar- 
 ture to which the court very readily contributed. Five 
 hundred workmen were employed to make two sails 
 to my boat, according to my directions, by quilting 
 thirteen folds of their strongest linen together. I made 
 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- 
 shore, served me for an anchor. I had the tallow of 
 three hundred cows for greasing my boat, and other 
 uses. I was at pains in cutting down some of the largest 
 timber trees for oars and masts ; wherein I was, how- 
 ever, much assisted by his majesty's ship-carpenters, 
 who helped me in smoothing them, after I had done the 
 rough work. 
 
88 GULLIVERS TRAVELS 
 
 Id about a month, when all was prepared, I sent to 
 receive his majesty's commands, 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 : so did the empress and young 
 princes of the blood. His majesty presented me with 
 fifty purses of two hundred sprugs a-piece, together with 
 his picture at full length, which I put into one of my 
 gloves, to keep it from being hurt. 
 
 I stored the boat with the carcasses of an hundred 
 oxen and three hundred sheep, with bread and drink 
 proportionable, and as much meat ready dressed as four 
 hundred cooks could provide. I took with me six cows 
 and two bulls alive, with as many ewes and rams, in- 
 tending to carry them into my own country, and propa- 
 gate 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 besides a 
 diligent search into my pockets, his majesty engaged 
 my honor not to carry away any of his subjects, although 
 with their own consent and desire. 
 
 Having thus prepared all things as well as I was able, 
 I set sail on September 24, 1701, at six in the morning ; 
 and when I had gone about four leagues to the north- 
 ward, the wind being at southeast, at six in the evening 
 I descried a small island, about half a league to the north- 
 west. I advanced forward, and cast anchor on the lee- 
 side 1 of the island, which seemed to be uninhabited, 
 1 Side sheltered from the wind. 
 

90 
 
 Gulliver's travels 
 
 I then took some refreshment, and went to my rest. I 
 slept well for at least six hours, and I found the day 
 broke in two hours after I awakened. It was a clear 
 night. I eat my breakfast before the sun was up ; and 
 heaving anchor, I steered the same course that I had done 
 
 ■in Hiua ' itfytUrt 
 
 =a?feS?s?^3=5rr 
 
 the day before, wherein I was directed by my pocket 
 compass. My intention was to reach, if possible, one of 
 those islands which I had reason to believe lay to the 
 northeast of Van Diemen's Land. I discovered nothing 
 all that day ; but upon the next, about three in the 
 afternoon, when I had, by my computation, made 
 twenty-four leagues from Blefuscu, I descried a sail 
 steering to the southeast ; my course was due east. I 
 
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPTJT 91 
 
 tailed her, but could get no answer ; yet I found I 
 gained upon her, for the wind slackened. I made all 
 the sail I could, and in half an hour she spied me, then 
 hung out her flag, and discharged a gun. It is not easy 
 to express the joy I was in, upon the unexpected hope of 
 once more seeing my beloved country, and the dear 
 pledges I left in it. The ship slackened her sails, and I 
 came up with her between five and six in the evening, 
 September 26th ; but my heart leaped within me to see 
 her English colors. I put my cows and sheep into my 
 coat-pockets, and got on board with all my little cargo 
 of provisions. The vessel was an English merchantman, 
 returning from Japan by the North and South Seas ; 
 the captain, Mr. John Biddel, of Deptford, a very civil 
 man, and an excellent sailor. 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 charac- 
 ter to the captain. This gentleman treated me with 
 kindness, and desired I would let him know what place 
 I came from last, and whither I was bound ; which I 
 did in few words, but he thought I was raving ; where- 
 upon I took my black cattle and sheep out of my pocket, 
 which, after great astonishment, clearly convinced him 
 of my veracity. I then showed him the gold given me 
 by the Emperor of Blefuscu, together with his majesty's 
 picture, and some other rarities of that country. I gave 
 him two purses of two hundred sprugs each, and prom- 
 ised, when we arrived in England, to make him a pres- 
 ent of a cow and a sheep. 
 
 I shall not trouble the reader with a particular account 
 
92 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 of this voyage, which was very prosperous for the most 
 part. We arrived in the Downs on April 13, 1702. 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 safe on shore, and set them grazing in a bowling- 
 green at Greenwich, where the fineness of the grass 
 made them feed very heartily, though I had always 
 feared the contrary : neither could I possibly have pre- 
 served them in so long a voyage, if the captain had not 
 allowed me some of his best biscuit, which rubbed to 
 powder, and mingled with water, was their constant 
 food. The short time I continued in England, I made 
 a considerable profit by showing my cattle, and before 
 I began my second voyage, I sold them for six hundred 
 pounds. Since my last return I find the breed is con- 
 siderably increased, especially the sheep, which I hope 
 will prove much to the advantage of the woolen manu- 
 facture, by the fineness of the fleeces. 
 
 I stayed but two months with my wife and family j 
 for my insatiable desire of seeing foreign countries 
 would suffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen 
 hundred pounds with my wife, and fixed her in a good 
 house. My remaining stock I carried with me, part in 
 money and part in goods, in hopes to improve my 
 fortune. My eldest uncle left me an estate in land of 
 about thirty pounds a year ; and I had a long lease of 
 the Black Bull 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 
 
A VOYAGE TO LIL.LIPUT 
 
 93 
 
 after his uncle, was at the grammar-school, and a doc- 
 ile child. My daughter Betty (who is now well mar- 
 ried, 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, bound 
 for India, Captain John Nicholas, of Liverpool, com- 
 mander. But my account of this voyage must be re- 
 ferred to the second part of my travels. 
 
P^RT II 
 
 T©J5 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A Great Storm ; the Long-boat sent to fetch Water, the Author goes 
 with it to discover the Country — He is left on Shore, is seized by 
 one of the Natives, and carried to a Farmer's House — His Reception 
 there, with Several Accidents that happened there — A Description 
 of the Inhabitants. 
 
 Having been condemned, by nature and fortune, to 
 an active and restless life, in two months after my re- 
 turn, I again left my native country, and took shipping 
 in the Adventure, bound for India. We had a very 
 prosperous gale till we arrived at the Cape of Good 
 Hope, where we landed for fresh water ; but discover- 
 ing a leak, we unshipped our goods and wintered there ; 
 for the captain falling sick of an ague, we could not 
 
 94 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 96 
 
 leave the Cape till the end of March. We then set 
 sail, and had a good voyage till we passed the Straits of 
 Madagascar ; but having got northward of that island, 
 the winds, which in those seas blow a constant equal 
 gale between the north and west, from the beginning of 
 December to the beginning of May, on April 19, began 
 to blow with much greater violence, and more westerly 
 than usual, continuing so for twenty days together ; 
 during which time we were driven a little to the east 
 of the Molucca Islands. On May 2, the wind ceased, 
 and it was a perfect calm, whereat I was rejoiced. But 
 he, being a man well experienced in the navigation of 
 those seas, bid us prepare against a storm, which accord- 
 ingly happened the day following ; for a southern wind, 
 called the southern monsoon, 1 began to set in, and soon 
 it was a very fierce storm. 
 
 During this storm, which was followed by a strong 
 wind west-southwest, we were carried about five hun- 
 dred leagues to the east, so that the oldest sailor on 
 board could not tell in what part of the world we were. 
 Our provisions held out well, our ship was stanch, and 
 our crew all in good health ; but we lay in the utmost 
 distress for water. We thought it best to hold on the 
 same course, rather than turn more northerly, which 
 might have brought us to the northwest parts of Great 
 Tartary, and into the Frozen Sea. 
 
 On June 16, 1703, a boy on the top-mast discovered 
 
 1 The monsoons are winds of the Indian Ocean and Eastern seas 
 that blow in the same direction for half the year and in the opposite 
 direction the other half. 
 
96 gulliver's travels 
 
 land. On the 17th we came in full view of a great 
 island on the south side, whereof was a small neck of 
 land jutting out into the sea, and a creek too shallow 
 to hold a ship of above one hundred tons. We cast 
 anchor within a league of this creek, and our captain 
 sent a dozen of his men well armed in the long-boat, 
 with vessels for water, if any could be found. I de- 
 sired his leave to go with them, that I might see 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 some fresh water near the sea, and 
 I walked alone about a mile on the other side, where I 
 observed the country all barren and rocky. I now be- 
 gan to be weary, and returned down towards the creek ; 
 and the sea being full in my view, I saw our men already 
 got into the boat, and rowing for life to the ship. I 
 was going to hallo after them, when I observed a huge 
 creature walking after them in the sea, as fast as he 
 could : he waded not much deeper than his knees, and 
 took great strides ; but our men had got the start of 
 him half a league, and the sea thereabouts being full of 
 sharp-pointed rocks, the monster was not able to over- 
 take the boat. This I was afterwards told, for I ran 
 as fast as I could the way I first went, and then climbed 
 up a steep hill, which gave me some prospect of the 
 country. I found it fully cultivated ; but that which 
 first surprised me was the length of the grass, which, in 
 those grounds that seemed to be kept for hay, was 
 about twenty feet high. 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 97 
 
 I fell into a high-road, for so I took it to be, though 
 it served to the inhabitants only as a foot-path through 
 a field of barley. Here I walked on for some time, but 
 could see little on either side, it now being near harvest, 
 and the corn rising 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 so 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 uppermost. It was 
 impossible for me to climb this stile, because every step 
 was six feet high, and the upper stone above twenty. 
 I was endeavoring to find some gap in the hedge, when 
 I discovered one of the inhabitants in the next field, 
 advancing towards the stile, of the same size with him 
 whom I saw 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 guess. I was 
 struck with fear and astonishment, and ran to hide my- 
 self 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 louder than a speak- 
 ing-trumpet ; but the noise was so high in the air, that 
 at first I certainly thought it was thunder. Whereupon 
 seven monsters, like himself, 1 came towards him with 
 reaping-hooks in their hands, each hook about the 
 
 1 The Brobdingnagians are represented to be about as much larger 
 than ordinary human beings as the Lilliputians are smaller, all their 
 belongings being of a corresponding magnitude. 
 
98 qulliver's travels 
 
 largeness of six scythes. These people were not so well 
 clad as the first, whose servants or laborers they seemed 
 to be ; for, upon some 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 stalks of the 
 corn were sometimes not above a foot distant, so that I 
 could hardly squeeze my body between them. How- 
 ever, I made a 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 impossible for me to advance 
 a step ; for the stalks were so interwoven that I could 
 not creep through, and the beards of the fallen ears so 
 strong and pointed, that they pierced through my clothes 
 into my flesh. At the same time I heard the reapers 
 not above a hundred yards behind me. Being quite 
 dispirited 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 
 desolate widow and fatherless children. I lamented my 
 own folly and wilfulness in attempting a second voyage, 
 against the advice of all my friends and relations. In 
 this terrible agitation of mind, I could not forbear think- 
 ing of Lilliput, whose 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 per- 
 form those other actions which will be recorded forever 
 in the chronicles of that empire, while posterity shall 
 hardly believe them, although attested by millions. I 
 reflected what a mortification it must prove to me, to 
 
i , " , l»;,Vi,y,""v.;i'!''^!' :!l|, ; ; 
 
 
100 Gulliver's travels 
 
 appear as inconsiderable in this nation as one single 
 Lilliputian would be among us. But this I conceived 
 was to be the least of my misfortunes ; for, as human 
 creatures are observed to be more savage and cruel in 
 proportion to their bulk, what could I expect but to be 
 a morsel in the mouth of the first among these enormous 
 barbarians that should happen to seize me ? Un- 
 doubtedly philosophers are in the right, when they tell 
 us that nothing is great or little otherwise than by com- 
 parison. It might have pleased fortune to let the 
 Lilliputians find some 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 some distant 
 part of the world, whereof we have yet no discovery. 
 
 Scared as I was, I could not help going on with these 
 reflections, when one of the reapers, approaching within 
 ten yards of the ridge where I lay, made me fear that 
 with the next step I should be squashed 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 short, and, looking round about under him 
 for some time, at last espied me as I lay on the ground. 
 He considered awhile, with the caution of one who en- 
 deavors to lay hold on a small dangerous animal in such 
 a manner that it may not be able either to scratch or to 
 bite him, as I myself have sometimes done with a weasel 
 in England. At length he ventured to take me up be- 
 hind, by the middle, between his forefinger and thumb, 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 
 
 101 
 
 and brought me within three yards of his eyes, that he 
 might behold my shape more perfectly. I guessed his 
 meaning, and my good fortune gave me so much pres- 
 ence of mind, that I resolved not to struggle in the least 
 as he held me in the air above sixty feet from the 
 ground, although he grievously pinched my sides, for 
 fear I should slip through his fingers. All I ventured 
 
 was to raise my eyes towards the sun, and place my 
 hands together in a supplicating posture, and to speak 
 some words in an humble, melancholy tone, suitable to 
 the condition I then was in ; for I felt every moment 
 that he would dash me against the ground, as we usu- 
 ally do any little hateful animal which we have a mind 
 to destroy. But my good star would have it, that he 
 appeared pleased with my voice and gestures, and began 
 to look upon me as a curiosity, much wondering to hear 
 me pronounce articulate words, although he could not 
 understand them. In the meantime I was not able to 
 
102 GULUVER'S JRAVELS 
 
 help groaning and shedding tears, and turning my head 
 towards my sides ; letting him know as well as I could, 
 how cruelly I was hurt by the pressure of his thumb and 
 finger. He seemed to know my meaning ; for, lifting 
 up the skirt of his coat, he put me gently into it, and 
 ran along with me to his master, who was a substantial 
 farmer, and the same person I had first seen in the 
 field. 
 
 The farmer having received such an account of me 
 as his servant could give him, took a piece of a small 
 straw, about the size of a walking-staff, and therewith 
 lifted up the lappets of my coat ; which, it seems, he 
 thought to be some kind of covering that nature had 
 given me. He blew my hairs aside to take a better view 
 of my face. He called his servants about him, and 
 asked them, Whether they had ever seen in the fields 
 any little creature that resembled me ? He then placed 
 me softly on the ground upon all four, but I got up, and 
 walked slowly backwards and forwards, to let those 
 people see I had no intent to run away. They all sat 
 down in a circle about me, the better to observe 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 several words as loud as 
 I could ; I took a purse of gold out of my pocket, and 
 humbly presented it to him. He received it on the palm 
 of his hand, then applied it close to his eye to see what 
 it was, and afterwards turned it several 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 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 108 
 
 that lie should place his hand on the ground. I then 
 took the purse, and opening it, poured all the gold into 
 his palm. There were six Spanish pieces of four pis- 
 toles each, besides twenty or thirty smaller coins. I 
 saw 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 purse again into my pocket, which, after offer- 
 ing to him several times, I thought it best 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 answered as 
 loud as I could in several 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 sent 
 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 step 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 myself at full length upon the handkerchief, with 
 the remainder of which he lapped me up to the head for 
 further security, and in this manner carried me home 
 to his house. There he called his wife, and showed me 
 to her ; but she screamed and ran back, as women do at 
 the sight of a toad or a spider. However, when she had 
 awhile seen how well I observed the signs her husband 
 
104 
 
 Gulliver's travels 
 
 made, she was soon reconciled, and by degrees grew very- 
 tender of me. 
 
 It was about twelve at noon, and a servant brought 
 in dinner. It was only one substantial dish of meat, in 
 
 a dish of about four-and-twenty feet diameter. The 
 company were, the farmer and his wife, three children, 
 and an old grandmother. When they were set down, 
 the farmer placed me at some distance from him on the 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 105 
 
 table, which Wt s 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 some bread on a trencher, and placed it 
 before me. I made her a low bow, took out my knife 
 and fork, and fell to eating, which gave them exceeding 
 delight. The mistress sent her maid for a small dram- 
 cup, which held about two gallons, and rilled it with 
 drink ; I took up the vessel with much difficulty in both 
 hands, and in a most respectful manner drank to her 
 ladyship's health, expressing the words as loud as I could 
 in English, which made the company laugh so heartily, 
 that I was almost deafened with the noise. This liquor 
 tasted like a small cider, and was not unpleasant. Then 
 the master made me a sign to come to his trencher-side ; 
 but as I walked on the table, I happened to stumble 
 against a crust, and fell flat on my face, but received no 
 hurt. I got up immediately, and observing 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 huzzas, to show I had 
 got no mischief by my fall. But advancing forwards 
 towards my master (as I hall henceforth call him), his 
 youngest son, who sat next him, an arch boy of about 
 ten years old, took me up by the legs, and held me so 
 high in the air, that I trembled in every limb ; but his 
 father snatched me from him, and at the same time gave 
 him such 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 
 
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 might owe me a spite, and well remembering how mis- 
 chievous all children among us naturally are to spar- 
 rows, rabbits, young kittens, and puppy-dogs, I fell on 
 my knees, and, pointing to the boy, made my master to 
 understand, as well as I could, that I desired 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 master took, and made him stroke 
 me gently with it. 
 
 In the midst of dinner, my mistress' favorite cat 
 leaped into her lap. I heard a noise behind me like 
 that of a dozen stocking- weavers at work ; and turning 
 my head I found it proceeded from the purring of this 
 animal, who seemed to be three times larger than an ox, 
 as I computed by the view of her head and one of her 
 paws, while her mistress was feeding and stroking her. 
 The fierceness of this creature's countenance discom- 
 posed me ; though I stood at the further end of the 
 table, above fifty feet off ; and although my mistress 
 held her fast, for fear she might give a spring, and 
 seize me. But it happened there was no danger ; for 
 the cat took not the least notice of me when my master 
 placed me within three yards of her. And, as I have 
 been always told, that flying or showing fear before a 
 fierce animal is a certain way to make it pursue or at- 
 tack you, so I resolved, in this dangerous juncture, to 
 show no manner of concern. I walked without fear five 
 or six times before the very head of the cat, and came 
 within half a yard of her ; whereupon she drew herself 
 back, as if she were afraid of me. I had less fear of the 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 107 
 
 dogs, whereof three or four came into the room as it is 
 usual in farmers' houses ; one of which was a mastiff, 
 equal in bulk to four elephants, and a greyhound some- 
 what taller than the mastiff, but not so large. 
 
 When dinner was almost done, the nurse came in with 
 a child of a year old in her arms, who immediately spied 
 me, and began a squall that you might have heard from 
 London Bridge to Chelsea, after the usual oratory of in- 
 fants, to get me for a plaything. The mother took me 
 up, and put me towards the child, who presently seized 
 me by the middle, and got my head in his mouth, where 
 I roared so loud that the urchin was frighted, and let 
 me drop, and I should have broken my neck, if the 
 mother had not held her apron under me. The nurse, 
 to quiet her babe, made use of a rattle, which was a kind 
 of hollow vessel filled with great stones, and fastened by 
 a cable to the child's waist ; but all in vain, so that she 
 was forced to apply the last remedy by giving it suck. 
 No object ever disgusted me so much as the sight of her 
 monstrous breast, nor can I give the curious reader an 
 idea of its bulk, shape, and color. 
 
 This made me reflect upon the fair skins of our Eng- 
 lish ladies, who appear so beautiful to us, only because 
 they are of our own size, and their defects not to be seen 
 but through a magnifying glass ; where we find by ex- 
 periment, that the smoothest and whitest skins look 
 rough, and coarse, and ill-colored. 
 
 I remember when I was at Lilliput, the complexion of 
 those diminutive people appeared to me the fairest in the 
 world ; and talking upon this subject with a person of 
 
108 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 learning there, 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 confessed was 
 at first a very shocking sight. He said he could dis- 
 cover great holes in my skin ; that the stumps of my 
 beard were ten times stronger than the bristles of a boar, 
 and my complexion made up of several colors altogether 
 disagreeable : although I must beg leave to say for my- 
 self, that I am as fair as most of my sex and country, and 
 very little sun-burnt by all my travels. On the other 
 side, discoursing 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 distinguish. 
 
 When dinner was done, my master went out to his 
 laborers, and, as I could discover by his voice and ges- 
 ture, gave his wife a strict charge to take care of me. I 
 was very much tired, and disposed to sleep, which my 
 mistress perceiving, she put me on her own bed, and cov- 
 ered me with a clean white handkerchief, but larger and 
 coarser than the mainsail of a man-of-war. 
 
 I slept 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 mistress was gone about her household 
 affairs, and had locked me in. The bed was eight yards 
 from the floor. I wished to get down, but dared not 
 
110 Gulliver's travels 
 
 presume to call ; and if I had, it would have been in 
 vain, with such a voice as mine, at so great a distance 
 as from the room where I lay to the kitchen where the 
 family kept. Two rats crept up the curtains, and ran 
 smelling backwards and forwards on the bed. One of 
 
 them came up almost to my face, whereupon I rose in a 
 fright, and drew out my short broad-sword to defend 
 myself. These horrible animals had the boldness 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, seeing the fate of his 
 comrade, made his escape, but not without one good 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDINGNAG 111 
 
 wound on the back, which I gave him as he fled, and 
 made the blood run trickling from him. After this ex- 
 ploit, I walked gently to and fro on the bed, to recover 
 my breath and loss of spirits. These 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 sleep, I must have surely been torn to pieces and de- 
 
 voured. I measured the tail of the dead rat, and found 
 it to be two yards long, wanting an inch ; but it went 
 against my stomach to drag the carcass off the bed, where 
 it lay still bleeding ; I observed it had yet some life, 
 but with a slash across the neck, I thoroughly dispatched 
 it. 
 
 Soon after my mistress came into the room, who, see- 
 ing me all bloody, ran and took me up in her hand. I 
 pointed to the dead rat, smiling, and making other signs 
 
112 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 to show I was not hurt ; whereat she was very glad, call- 
 ing the maid to take up the dead rat with a pair of tongs, 
 and throw it out of the window. Then she set me on 
 a table, where I showed her my sword all bloody, and 
 wiping it on the lappet of my coat, returned it to the 
 scabbard. 
 
 The reader will excuse me for dwelling on these and 
 the like particulars, which, however insignificant they 
 may appear to groveling vulgar minds, yet will certainly 
 help a philosopher to enlarge his thoughts and imagina- 
 tion, and apply them to the benefit of public as well as 
 private life, which was my sole design in presenting this 
 and other accounts of my travels to the world ; wherein 
 I have been chiefly studious of truth, without affecting 
 any ornaments of learning or of style. But the whole 
 scene of this voyage made so strong an impression on 
 my mind, and is so de fixed in my memory, that, in 
 
 committing it to pap<^, I did not omit one material cir- 
 cumstance : however, upon a strict review, I blotted out 
 several passages of less moment, which were in my first 
 copy, for fear of being censured as tedious and trifling, 
 whereof travelers are often, perhaps not without justice, 
 accused. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 A Description of the Parmer's Daughter — The Author carried to a 
 Market-town, and then to the Metropolis — The Particulars of his 
 Journey. 
 
 My mistress had a daughter of nine years old, a child 
 of tractable parts for her age, very dexterous at her 
 needle, and skillful in dressing her doll. Her mother 
 and she contrived to fit up the doll's cradle for me against 
 night : the cradle was put into a small drawer of a cabi- 
 net, and the drawer placed upon a hanging shelf for fear 
 of the rats. This was my bed all the time I stayed with 
 those people, though made more convenient by degrees, 
 as I began to learn their language, and make my wants 
 known. This young girl was so handy, that, after I had 
 once or twice pulled off my clothes before her, she was 
 able to dress and undress me, though I never gave her 
 that trouble when she would let me do either myself. 
 She made me seven shirts and some other linen, of as 
 fine cloth as could be got, which indeed was coarser than 
 sackcloth ; and these she constantly washed for me with 
 her own hands. She was likewise my schoolmistress, 
 to teach me the language ; when I pointed to anything, 
 
 113 
 
114 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 she told me the name of it in her own tongue, so that in 
 a 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 (Mannikin), which the family took 
 up, and afterwards the whole kingdom. To her I 
 chiefly owe my preservation in that country : we never 
 parted while I was there ; I called her my Grlumdalclitch, 
 or little nurse, and I should be guilty of great ingrati- 
 tude if I omitted this honorable mention of her care and 
 affection towards me, which I heartily wish it lay in my 
 power to requite as she deserves, instead of being the 
 innocent, but unhappy, instrument of her disgrace, as 
 I have too much reason to fear. 
 
 It now began to be known and talked of in the neigh- 
 borhood, that my master had found a strange animal in 
 the field, but exactly shaped in every part like a human 
 creature ; which it likewise imitated in all its actions ; 
 seemed to speak in a little language of its own, had al- 
 ready learned several words of theirs, went erect upon 
 two legs, was tame and gentle, would come when it was 
 called, do whatever it was bid, had the finest limbs in 
 the world, and a complexion fairer than a nobleman's 
 daughter of three years old. Another farmer, who lived 
 near by, came on a visit on purpose to inquire into the 
 truth of this story. I was immediately produced, and 
 placed upon a table, where I walked as I was commanded, 
 drew my sword, put it up again, made my reverence to 
 my master's guest, asked him in his own language how 
 he did, and told him he was welcome, just as my little 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDIJSGNAG 115 
 
 nurse had instructed me. This man, who was old and 
 dim-sighted, put on his spectacles to behold me better, 
 at which I could not help laughing heartily, for his eyes 
 appeared like the full moon shining into a chamber at 
 two windows. Our people who discovered the cause of 
 my mirth, bore me company in laughing, at which the 
 old fellow was fool enough to be angry. He had the 
 character of a great miser ; and, to my misfortune, he 
 well deserved it, by the cursed advice he gave my mas- 
 ter, to show 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 house. I guessed there was some 
 mischief on foot, when I observed my master and his 
 friend whispering long together, sometimes pointing at 
 me ; and my fears made me fancy that I overheard and 
 understood some of their words. But the next morning 
 my little nurse told me the whole matter, which she had 
 cunningly picked out from her mother. The poor girl 
 laid me on her bosom, and fell weeping with shame and 
 grief. She feared some mischief would happen to me 
 from rude vulgar folks, who might squeeze me to death, 
 or break one of my limbs by taking me in their hands. 
 She had also observed how modest I was in my nature, 
 how nicely I regarded my honor, and what an indignity 
 I should conceive it, to be exposed for money as a pub- 
 lic spectacle to the meanest of the people. She said her 
 papa and mamma had promised that Grildrig should be 
 hers ; but now she found they meant to serve her as 
 they did last year, when they pretended to give her a 
 lamb, and yet, as soon as it was fat, sold it to a butcher. 
 
116 gulliver's travels 
 
 For my own part I was less concerned than my nurse. 
 I had a strong hope, which never left me, that I should 
 one day recover my liberty ; and as to the ignominy of 
 being carried about for a monster, I considered myself 
 to be a perfect stranger in the country, and that such a 
 misfortune could never be charged upon me as a re- 
 proach, if ever I should return to England ; since the 
 king of Great Britain himself, in my condition, must 
 have undergone the same distress. 
 
 My master carried me in a box the next market-day 
 to the neighboring town, and took along with him his 
 little daughter, my nurse, upon a pillion 1 behind him. 
 The box was close 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 so careful as to put the quilt of 
 her baby's bed into it, for me to lie down on. However, 
 I was terribly shaken in this journey, though it were 
 but of half an hour : for the horse went about forty feet 
 at every step, and trotted so high, that the agitation was 
 equal to the rising and falling of a ship in a great storm, 
 but much more frequent. Our journey was somewhat 
 further than from London to St. Albans. My master 
 alighted at an inn, and after consulting awhile with the 
 innkeeper, and making some necessary preparations, he 
 hired the crier, to give notice through the town of a 
 strange creature to be seen at the sign of the Green 
 Eagle, not so big as a splacnuoh (an animal in that 
 country, very finely shaped, about six feet long), and in 
 every part of the body resembling a human creature ; 
 1 A cushion for a woman to ride behind a man on horseback. 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDINGNAG 
 
 117 
 
 could speak several words, and perform a hundred di- 
 verting tricks. 
 
 I was placed upon a table in the largest room of the 
 inn, which might be nearly three hundred feet square. 
 My little nurse stood on a low stool close to the table, 
 
 to take care of me, and direct what I should do. My 
 master, to avoid a crowd, would suffer only thirty peo- 
 ple at a time to see me. I walked about 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 
 
118 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 several times to the company, paid my humble respects, 
 said they were welcome, and used some 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 sword, and flourished with 
 it after the manner of fencers in England. My nurse 
 gave me part of a straw, which I exercised as a pike, 
 having learned the art in my youth. I was that day 
 shown to twelve sets of company, and as often forced to 
 act over again the same fooleries, till I was half dead 
 with weariness and vexation : for those who had seen 
 me made such wonderful reports that the people were 
 ready to break down the doors to come in. My master 
 would not suffer any one to touch me except my nurse : 
 and, to prevent danger, benches were set round the 
 table at such a distance as put me out cf everybody's 
 reach. However, a mischievous schoolboy aimed a hazel- 
 nut directly at my head, which very narrowly missed me; 
 otherwise it came with so much violence that it would 
 have knocked out my brains, for it was almost as large as 
 a small pumpkin ; but I had the satisfaction to see the 
 young rogue well beaten and turned out of the room. 
 
 My master gave public notice that he would show me 
 again the next market-day; and in the meantime he 
 prepared a more convenient vehicle for me, which he 
 had reason enough to do ; for I was so tired with my 
 first journey, and with entertaining company for eight 
 hours together, that I could hardly stand upon my legs 
 or speak a word. I was three days recovering my 
 strength ; and that I might have no ''est at home, all the 
 
120 Gulliver's travels 
 
 gentlemen from a hundred miles round, hearing of my 
 fame, came to see me at my master's own house. There 
 could not be fewer than thirty persons, with their wives 
 and children (for the country was very populous) ; and 
 my master demanded the rate of a full room whenever 
 he showed me at home, although it were only to a single 
 family : so that for some time I had but little ease every 
 day of the week (except Wednesday, which is their 
 Sabbath), although I were not carried to the town. 
 
 My master, finding how profitable I was like to be, 
 resolved to carry me to the most considerable cities of 
 the kingdom. Having therefore provided himself with 
 all things necessary for a long journey, and settled his 
 affairs at home, he took leave of his wife, and upon 
 August 17, 1703, about two months after my arrival, 
 we set out for the metropolis, situated near the middle 
 of that empire, and about three thousand miles distant 
 from our house. My master made his daughter ride 
 behind him. She carried me on her lap, in a box tied 
 about her waist. The girl had lined it on all sides with 
 the softest cloth she could get, well quilted underneath, 
 furnished it with her doll's bed, provided me with linen 
 and other necessaries, and made everything as comfort- 
 able as she could. We had no other company but a boy 
 of the house, who rode after us with the luggage. 
 
 My master's design was to show me in all the towns 
 by the way, and to step out of the road for fifty or a 
 hundred miles to any village or person of quality's house, 
 where he might expect custom. We made easy journeys 
 of not above seven or eight score miles a day : for 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 121 
 
 Glumdalclitch, on purpose to spare me, complained she 
 was tired with the trotting of the horse. She often 
 took me out of my box, at my own desire, to give me 
 air and show me the country, but always held me fast 
 by a leading string. We passed over five or six rivers 
 many degrees broader and deeper than the Nile or the 
 Ganges ; and there was hardly a rivulet so small as the 
 Thames at London Bridge. We were ten weeks in our 
 journey, and I was shown in eighteen large towns, be- 
 sides many villages and private families. 
 
 On October 26 we arrived at the metropolis, called in 
 their language the Pride of the Universe. My master 
 took a lodging in the principal street of the city, not far 
 from the royal palace, and put out bills in the usual form, 
 containing an exact description of my person and accom- 
 plishments. He hired a large room, provided a table 
 sixty feet in diameter, upon which I was to act my part, 
 and palisadoed it round three feet from the edge, and 
 as many high, to prevent my falling over. I was shown 
 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 spoken 
 to me. Besides, I had learned their alphabet, and could 
 make a shift to explain a sentence here and there ; for 
 my little nurse had been my instructor while we were 
 at home and at leisure hours during our journey. She 
 carried a little book in her pocket not much larger than 
 an Atlas ; it was a common treatise for the use of young 
 girls, giving a short account of their religion ; out of 
 this she taught me my letters and interpreted the words. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 The Author is sent for to Court — The Queen buys him of his Master 
 the Farmer, and presents him to the King — He disputes with his 
 Majesty's Great Scholars — An Apartment at Court provided for the 
 Author — He is in High Favor with the Queen — He stands up for the 
 Honor of his Own Country — His Quarrels with the Queen's Dwarf. 
 
 The frequent labors I underwent every day made in 
 a few weeks a very considerable change in my health ; 
 the more my master got by me, the more insatiable he 
 grew. I was almost reduced to a skeleton. The farmer 
 observed it, and concluding I soon must die, resolved to 
 make as much money out of me as he could. While he 
 was thus reasoning and resolving with himself, a gentle- 
 man-usher came from court, commanding my master to 
 carry me thither for the diversion of the queen and her 
 ladies. Some of the latter had already been to see me, 
 and reported strange things of my beauty, behavior, 
 and good sense. Her majesty, and those who attended 
 her, were beyond measure delighted with my demeanor. 
 I fell on my knees, and begged the honor of kissing her 
 imperial foot; but this gracious princess held out her 
 little finger towards me, after I was set on a table, which 
 I embraced in both my arms, and put the tip of it with 
 the utmost respect to my lips. She asked some ques- 
 tions about my country and my travels, which I answered 
 as distinctly, and in as few words as I could. She 
 
 122 
 
A VOYAGE TO BEOBDINGNAG 123 
 
 asked, Whether I would be content to live at court ? 
 I bowed down to the board of the table, and humbly 
 answered, That I was my master's slave ; but if I were 
 at my own disposal, I should be proud to devote my 
 life to her majesty's service. She then asked my mas- 
 ter, Whether he were willing to sell me at a good price ? 
 He, who thought I could not live a month, was ready 
 enough to part with me, and demanded a thousand 
 pieces of gold, which were ordered him on the spot. I 
 then said to the queen, Since I was now her majesty's 
 most humble creature and vassal, I must beg the favor 
 that my nurse, who had always tended me with so much 
 care and kindness, and understood to do it so well, 
 might be admitted into her service, and continue to be 
 my companion and instructor. 
 
 Her majesty agreed to my petition, and easily got the 
 farmer's consent, who was glad enough to have his 
 daughter preferred at court, and the poor girl herself 
 was not able to hide her joy. My late master withdrew, 
 bidding me farewell, and saying he had left me in a 
 good service : to which I replied not a word, only mak- 
 ing him a slight bow. 
 
 The queen observed my coldness, and when the 
 farmer was gone out of the apartment, asked me the 
 reason. I made bold to tell her majesty, that I owed 
 no other obligation to my late master than his not dash- 
 ing out the brains of a poor harmless creature, found by 
 chance in his field ; which obligation was amply recom- 
 pensed by the gain he had made in showing me through 
 half the kingdom, and the price he had now sold me 
 
124 gulliver's travels 
 
 for ; that the life I had since led was enough to kill an 
 animal of ten times my strength ; that my health was 
 much impaired by the continual drudgery of entertain- 
 ing the rabble every hour of the day ; and that if my 
 master had not thought my life in danger, her majesty 
 would not have got so cheap a bargain. But as I was 
 out of all fear of being ill-treated, under the protection 
 of so great and good an empress, the ornament of nature, 
 the darling of the world, the delight of her subjects, 
 the phoenix of the creation ; so, I hoped my late mas- 
 ter's fears would appear to be groundless ; for I already 
 found my spirits reviving by the influence of her most 
 august presence. 
 
 This was the sum of my speech, delivered with great 
 improprieties and hesitation. The latter part was alto- 
 gether framed in the style peculiar to that people, 
 whereof I learned some phrases from my nurse while 
 she was carrying me to court. 
 
 The queen was surprised at so much wit and good 
 sense in so diminutive an animal. She took me in her 
 own hands, and carried me to the king, who was then 
 retired to his cabinet. His majesty, a prince of much 
 gravity and austere countenance, not well observing my 
 shape at first view, asked the queen after a cold manner, 
 How long it was since she grew fond of a mannikin ? 
 for such, it seems, he took me to be, as I lay upon my 
 breast in her majesty's right hand. But this princess, 
 who hath a deal of wit and humor, set me gently on my 
 feet upon the writing-desk, and commanded me to give 
 his majesty an account of myself, which I did in a very 
 
A VOYAGE TO BBOBDINGNAG 125 
 
 few words; and Glumdalclitch, who attended at the 
 cabinet door, confirmed all that had passed from my 
 arrival at her father's house. 
 
 The king, although he was as learned a person as any 
 in his dominions, had been educated in the study of 
 philosophy, and particularly mathematics ; yet when he 
 observed my shape exactly, and saw me walk erect, be- 
 fore I began to speak, conceived I might be a piece of 
 clock-work, contrived by some ingenious artist. But 
 when he heard my voice, and found what I delivered to 
 be regular and rational, he could not conceal his aston- 
 ishment. He was by no means satisfied with the rela- 
 tion I gave him of the manner I came into his kingdom, 
 but thought it a story concerted between the girl and 
 her father, who had taught me a set of words, to make 
 me sell at a higher price. Thinking this, he put several 
 questions to me, and still received rational answers, no 
 otherwise defective, than by a foreign accent, and an 
 imperfect knowledge in the language, with some rustic 
 phrases which I had learned at the farmer's house, and 
 did not suit the polite style of a court. 
 
 His majesty sent for three great scholars, who were 
 then in their weekly attendance on the king, according 
 to the custom in that country. These gentlemen, after 
 they had awhile 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 preserving my life, either by swiftness, or 
 climbing of trees, or digging holes in the earth. They 
 
126 Gulliver's travels 
 
 observed by my teeth, which they viewed with great 
 exactness, that I was a carnivorous animal ; yet, most 
 quadrupeds being an overmatch for me, and field-mice, 
 with some others, too nimble, they could not imagine 
 how I should be able to support myself, unless I fed 
 upon snails and other insects, which they offered, by 
 many learned arguments, to show that I could not pos- 
 sibly do. One of these Scholars seemed to think that I 
 might be an embryo, or abortive birth. But this opin- 
 ion was rejected by the other two, who observed my 
 limbs to be perfect and finished ; and that I had lived 
 several years, as it was manifest from my beard, the 
 stumps whereof they plainly discovered through a mag- 
 nifying glass. They would not allow me to be a dwarf, 
 because my littleness was beyond all degrees of com- 
 parison ; for the queen's favorite dwarf, the smallest 
 ever known in that kingdom, was nearly thirty feet 
 high. After much debate, they concluded unanimously, 
 that I was a sport of nature ; or natural curiosity ; a 
 determination exactly agreeable to the modern philoso- 
 phy of Europe, whose professors, disdaining the old 
 evasion of occult causes, whereby the followers of Aris- 
 totle endeavor in vain to disguise their ignorance, have 
 invented this wonderful solution of all difficulties, to 
 the unspeakable advancement of human knowledge. 
 
 After this decisive conclusion, I entreated to be heard 
 a word or two. I assured his majesty that I came from 
 a country which abounded with several millions of both 
 sexes, and of my own stature ; where the animals, trees, 
 and houses were all in proportion, and where, by conse- 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 127 
 
 quence, I might be as able to defend myself and to 
 find sustenance as any of his majesty's subjects could do 
 here ; which I took for a full answer to those gentle- 
 men's arguments. To this they only replied with a 
 smile of contempt, saying, that the farmer had instructed 
 me very well in my lesson. The king, dismissing his 
 learned men, sent for the farmer, who, by good fortune, 
 was not yet gone out of town. Having first examined 
 him privately, and then confronted him with me and 
 the young girl, his majesty began to think that what we 
 told him might possibly be true. He desired the queen 
 to order that a particular care should be taken of me ; 
 and was of opinion that the girl should still continue 
 in her office of tending me, because he observed we had 
 a great affection for each other. An apartment was 
 provided for her at court ; she had a sort of governess 
 appointed to take care of her education, a maid to dress 
 her, and two other servants for menial offices ; but the 
 care of me was wholly appropriated to herself. The 
 queen commanded her own cabinet-maker to contrive a 
 box, that might serve me for a bed-chamber, after the 
 model that Glumdalclitch and I should agree upon. 
 This man was a most ingenious artist, and according to 
 my directions, in three weeks, finished for me a wooden 
 chamber, of sixteen feet square, and twelve high, with 
 sash-windows, a door, and two closets, like a London 
 bed-chamber. The board that made the ceiling was to 
 be lifted up and down by two hinges, to put in a bed, 
 ready furnished by her majesty's upholsterer, which the 
 girl took out every day to air, made it with her own 
 
128 gtjlliver's travels 
 
 hands, and letting it down at night, locked up the roof 
 over me. A workman, skilled in fine work, undertook 
 to make me two chairs, with backs and frames, of a sub- 
 stance not unlike ivory, and two tables, with a cabinet 
 to put my things in. The room was quilted on all sides, 
 as well as the floor and the ceiling, to prevent any acci- 
 dent from the carelessness of those who carried me, and 
 to break the force of a jolt, when I went in a coach. I 
 desired a lock for my door to prevent rats and mice from 
 coming in. The smith, after several attempts, made 
 the smallest that ever was seen 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 ordered the thinnest silks that could be gotten, 
 to make me clothes, not much thicker than an English 
 blanket, very cumbersome till I was accustomed to them. 
 They were after the fashion of the kingdom, partly 
 resembling the Persian, and partly the Chinese, and are 
 a very grave and decent habit. 
 
 The queen became so fond of my company, that she 
 could not dine without me. I had a table placed upon 
 the same at which her majesty eat, just at her left elbow, 
 and a chair to sit on. Glumdalclitch stood upon a 
 stool on the floor near my table, to assist and take care 
 of me. I had an entire set of silver dishes and plates, 
 and other necessaries, which in proportion to those of 
 the queen, were not much bigger than what I had seen 
 of the same kind in a London toy-shop, for the furniture 
 of a baby-house: these my little nurse kept in her pocket 
 
130 Gulliver's travels 
 
 in a silver box, and gave me at meals as I wanted them, 
 always cleaning them herself. No person dined with 
 the queen but the two princesses royal, the elder sixteen 
 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 
 diversion was to see me eat in miniature ; for the queen 
 took up, at one mouthful, as much as a dozen English 
 farmers could eat at a meal, which to me was, for some 
 time, a very nauseous 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 in her mouth as big as two twelve- 
 penny loaves. She drank out of a golden cup about a 
 hogshead at a draught. Her knives were twice as long 
 as a scythe, set straight upon the handle. The spoons, 
 forks and other instruments were all in the same pro- 
 portion. I remember when Glumdalclitch carried me, 
 out of curiosity, to see some of the tables at court, where 
 ten or a dozen of those enormous knives and forks were 
 lifted up together, I thought I had never, till then, be- 
 held so terrible a sight. 
 
 It is the custom, that every Wednesday the king and 
 queen, with the royal issue of both sexes, dine together 
 in the apartment of his majesty, to whom I was now be- 
 come a great favorite ; 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 conversing 
 with me, inquiring into the manners, religion, laws, gov- 
 ernment, and learning of Europe ; wherein I gave him 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 131 
 
 the best account I was able. His apprehension was so 
 clear, and his judgment so exact, that he made very wise 
 reflections and observations upon all I said. But, I con- 
 fess, that, after 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 schisms in religion and parties in 
 the state, the prejudices of his education prevailed so 
 far, that he could not resist taking me up in his right 
 hand, and stroking me gently with the other, after a 
 hearty fit of laughing, asked me, Whether I were a Whig 
 or a Tory? Then turning to his first minister, who 
 waited behind him with a white staff, near as tall as the 
 mainmast of the Royal Sovereign, he observed, How con- 
 temptible a thing was human grandeur, which could be 
 mimicked by such diminutive insects as I ; and yet, said 
 he, I dare engage, these creatures have their titles and 
 distinctions of honor ; they contrive little nests and bur- 
 rows, that they call houses and cities ; they make a figure 
 in dress and equipage ; they love, they fight, they dis- 
 pute, they cheat, they betray ! And thus he continued 
 on, while my color came and went with indignation, to 
 hear our noble country, the mistress of arts and arms, 
 the scourge of France, the arbitress of Europe, the seat 
 of virtue, piety, honor, and truth, the pride and envy of 
 the world, so contemptuously treated. 
 
 But as I was not in a condition to resent injuries, I 
 began to doubt whether I was injured or no. For, after 
 having been accustomed several months to the sight and 
 converse of this people, and observed every object upon 
 which I cast my eyes to be of proportionable magnitude, 
 
132 
 
 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 the horror I had first conceived from their bulk and 
 aspect was so far worn off, that if I had then beheld a 
 
 company of English lords and ladies in their finery and 
 birthday clothes, acting their several parts in the most 
 courtly manner of strutting, and bowing, and prating ; 
 
A VOYAGE TO BUOBDINGNAG 133 
 
 to say the truth, I should have been strongly tempted 
 to laugh as much at them as the king and his grandees 
 did at me. Neither, indeed, could I help smiling at my- 
 self, when the queen used to place me upon her hand 
 towards a looking-glass, by which both our persons ap- 
 peared before me in full view together ; and there could 
 be nothing more ridiculous than the comparison : so that 
 I really began to imagine myself dwindled many degrees 
 below my usual size. 
 
 Nothing angered me so 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 
 ^igh), became so insolent at seeing a creature so much 
 beneath him, that he would always affect to swagger 
 and look big as he passed by me in the queen's ante- 
 chamber, while I was standing on some 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 revenge myself by calling him brother, 
 challenging him to wrestle, and such repartees as are 
 usual in the mouths of court pages. One day, at dinner, 
 this malicious little cub was so nettled with something I 
 had said to him, that, raising himself upon the frame of 
 her majesty's chair, he took me up by the middle, as I was 
 sitting down, not thinking any harm, and let me drop 
 into a large silver bowl of cream, and then ran away as 
 fast as he could. 1 fell over head and ears, and, if I had 
 not been a good swimmer, it might have gone very hard 
 with me ; for Glumdalclitch in that instant happened to 
 be at the other end of the room, and the queen was in 
 
134 
 
 gulliver's travels 
 
 such a fright, that she wanted presence of mind to assist 
 me. But my little nurse ran to my relief, and took me 
 out, after I had swallowed above a quart of cream. I 
 was put to bed : but I received no other damage than 
 the loss of a suit of clothes, which was utterly spoiled. 
 
 The dwarf was soundly whipped, and, as a further pun- 
 ishment, forced to drink up the bowl of cream into which 
 he had thrown me : neither was he ever restored to favor; 
 for soon after the queen bestowed him on a lady of high 
 quality ; so that I saw him no more. 
 
A VOYAGE TO BEOBDHSTGNAG 135 
 
 He had before served me a scurvy trick, which set 
 the queen laughing, although at the same time she was 
 heartily vexed, and would have immediately cashiered 
 him, if I had not been so generous as to intercede. Her 
 majesty had taken a marrow-bone upon her plate, and, 
 after knocking out the marrow, placed the bone again 
 in the dish erect, as it stood before ; the dwarf, watch- 
 ing his opportunity while Glumdalclitch was gone to the 
 sideboard, mounted the stool she stood on to take care 
 of me at meals, took me up in both hands, and squeez- 
 ing my legs together, wedged them into the marrow- 
 bone above my waist, where I stuck for some time, 
 and made a very ridiculous figure. I believe it was 
 nearly a minute before any one knew what was become 
 of me ; for I thought it below me to cry out. But, as 
 princes seldom get their meat hot, my legs were not 
 scalded, only my stockings and breeches in a sad con- 
 dition. The dwarf, at my entreaty, had no other pun- 
 ishment than a sound whipping. 
 
 I was frequently rallied by the queen upon account 
 of my fearfulness ; and she used to ask me whether the 
 people of my country were as great cowards as myself ? 
 The occasion was this : The kingdom is much pestered 
 with flies in summer ; and these odious insects, each of 
 them as big as a common skylark, hardly gave me any 
 rest while I sat at dinner, with their continual hum- 
 ming and buzzing about my ears. They would some- 
 times alight upon my victuals, and sometimes they 
 would fix upon my nose or forehead, where they stung 
 me to the quick. I had much ado to defend myself 
 
136 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 against these detestable animals, and could not help 
 starting when they came on my face. It was the com- 
 mon practice of the dwarf to catch a number of these 
 insects in his hand, as schoolboys do among us, and let 
 them out suddenly under my nose, 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 dexterity was much admired. 
 
 I remember, one morning, when Glumdalclitch had 
 set me in my box upon a window, as she usually did in 
 fair days to give me air, after I had lifted up one of my 
 sashes, and sat down at my table to eat a piece of sweet 
 cake for my breakfast, above twenty wasps, allured by 
 the smell, came flying into the room, humming louder 
 than the drones of as many bagpipes. Some of them 
 seized my cake, and carried it piecemeal away ; others 
 flew about my head and face, confounding me with the 
 noise, and putting me in the utmost terror of their 
 stings. However, I had the courage to rise and draw 
 my sword and attack them in the air. I dispatched 
 four of them, but the rest got away, and I presently 
 shut my window. These creatures were as large as 
 partridges ; I took out their stings, found them an inch 
 and a half long, and as sharp as needles. I carefully 
 preserved them all ; and having since shown them, with 
 some other curiosities, in several parts of Europe, upon 
 my return to England I gave three of them to Gresham 
 College, and kept the fourth for myself. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 The Country described — A Proposal for correcting Modern Maps — 
 The King's Palace, and Some Account of the Metropolis — The 
 Author's Way of traveling — The Chief Temple described. 
 
 I now intend to give the reader a short description 
 of this country, as far as I traveled in it, which was 
 not above two thousand miles round the metropolis ; 
 for the queen, whom I always attended, never went 
 further when she accompanied the king in his progresses, 
 and there stayed till his majesty returned from viewing 
 his frontiers. The whole extent of this prince's do- 
 minions reached about six thousand miles in length, 
 and from three to five in breadth : from whence, I can- 
 not but conclude, that our geographers of Europe are 
 in a great error, by supposing nothing but sea between 
 Japan and California ; for, it was ever my opinion, that 
 there must be a balance of earth to counterpoise the 
 great continent of Tartary ; and therefore they ought 
 to correct their maps and charts, by joining this vast 
 tract of land with the northwest parts of America, 
 wherein I shall be ready to lend them my assistance. 
 
 The kingdom is a peninsula, ending at the northeast 
 by a ridge of mountains thirty miles high, which are 
 altogether impassable, by reason of the volcanoes upon 
 the tops : neither do the most learned know what sort 
 of mortals inhabit beyond those mountains, or whether 
 
 137 
 
138 gulliver's travels 
 
 they are inhabited at all. On the three other sides it 
 is bounded by the ocean. There is not one seaport in 
 the whole kingdom : and those parts of the coasts into 
 which the rivers issue are so full of pointed rocks, and 
 the sea generally so rough, that there is no venturing 
 with the smallest of their boats ; so that these people 
 are wholly excluded from any commerce with the rest 
 of the world. But the large rivers are full of vessels 
 and abound with excellent fish ; for they seldom get 
 any from the sea, because the sea-fish are of the same 
 size with those in Europe, and consequently not worth 
 catching ; whereby it is manifest, that nature, in the 
 production of plants and animals of so extraordinary a 
 bulk, is wholly confined to this continent, of which I 
 leave the reasons to be determined by philosophers. 
 However, now and then, they take a whale that hap- 
 pens to be dashed against the rocks, which the common 
 people feed on heartily. These whales I have known 
 so large, that a man could hardly carry one upon his 
 shoulders ; and sometimes, for curiosity, they are 
 brought in hampers to the capital : I saw one of them 
 in a dish at the king's table, which passed for a rarity, 
 but I did not observe he was fond of it ; for I think, 
 indeed, the bigness disgusted him, although I have seen 
 a larger one in Greenland. 
 
 The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty- 
 one cities, nearly a hundred walled towns, and a great 
 number of villages. The capital city stands upon al- 
 most two equal parts, on each side the river that passes 
 through. It contains above eighty thousand houses, 
 
140 gulliveh's travels 
 
 and about six hundred thousand inhabitants. It is in 
 length about fifty-four English miles, and two and a 
 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 a hundred 
 feet : I paced the diameter and circumference several 
 times barefoot, and, commuting by the scale, measured 
 it pretty exactly. 
 
 The king's palace is no regular edifice, but a heap of 
 buildings, about seven miles round : the chief rooms are 
 generally two hundred and forty feet high, and broad 
 and long in proportion. A coach was allowed to Glum- 
 dalclitch and me, wherein her governess frequently took 
 her out to see the town, or go among the shops ; and I 
 was always of the party, carried in my box; although 
 the girl, at my own desire, would often take me out and 
 hold me in her hand, that I might more conveniently 
 view the houses and the people, as we passed along the 
 streets. I reckoned our coach to be about the square of 
 Westminster Hall, but not altogether so high. One day 
 the governess ordered our coachman to stop at several 
 shops, where the beggars, watching their opportunity, 
 crowded to the sides of the coach, and presented the 
 most horrible spectacles that ever an English eye beheld. 
 
 Beside the large box in which I was usually carried, the 
 queen ordered a smaller one to be made for me, of about 
 twelve feet square, and ten high, for the convenience of 
 traveling : because the other was somewhat too large for 
 Glumdalclitch's lap, and cumbersome in the coach ; it 
 was made by the same artist, whom I directed in the 
 
A VOYAGE TO BBOBDINGNAG 141 
 
 whole contrivance. This traveling closet was an exact 
 square, with a window in the middle of three of the 
 squares, and each window was latticed with iron wire on 
 the outside, to prevent accidents in long journeys. On 
 the fourth side, which had no window, two strong staples 
 were fixed, through which the person that carried me, 
 when I had a mind to be on horseback, put in a leathern 
 belt, and buckled it about his waist. This was always 
 the office of some grave, trusty servant in whom I could 
 confide, whether I attended the king and queen in their 
 progresses, or were disposed to see the gardens, or pay 
 a visit to some great lady or minister of state in the 
 court, when Glumdalclitch happened to be not in her 
 usual health ; for I soon began to be known and esteemed 
 among the greatest officers ; I suppose more upon account 
 of their majesties' favor, than any merit of my own. In 
 journeys, when I was weary of the coach, a servant on 
 horseback would buckle on my box, and place it upon a 
 cushion before him ; and there I had a full prospect of 
 the country on three sides, from my three windows. I 
 had, in this closet, a field-bed and a hammock hung from 
 the ceiling, two chairs and a table, neatly screwed to the 
 floor, to prevent being tossed about by the agitation of 
 the horse or the coach. And having been long used to 
 sea voyages, those motions, although sometimes very 
 violent, did not much disturb me. 
 
 Whenever I had a mind to see the town, it was always 
 in my traveling closet, 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 
 
142 GULLIVEIl's TRAVELS 
 
 in the queen's livery. The people were very curious to 
 crowd about the sedan, and the girl was complaisant 
 enough to make the bearers stop and oo take me in her 
 hand, that I might be more conveniently seen. 
 
 I was very desirous to see the chief temple, and par- 
 ticularly the tower belonging to it, which is reckoned 
 the highest in the kingdom. Accordingly one day my 
 nurse carried me thither, but I may truly say 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 difference between the 
 size of those people and us in Europe, is no great matter 
 for admiration. But, not to detract from a nation, to 
 which, during my life, I shall acknowledge myself ex- 
 tremely 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 nearly a hundred feet 
 thick, built of hewn stone, whereof each is about forty 
 feet square 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 ringer which 
 had fallen down from one of these statues, and found it 
 exactly four feet and an inch in length. Glumdalclitch 
 wrapped it up in a 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, vaulted 
 at top, and about six hundred feet high. The great oven 
 is not so wide as the cupola at St. Paul's ; for I meas- 
 ured the latter on purpose, after my return. But if I 
 
A VOYAGE TO BEOBDINGNA0- 
 
 143 
 
 should describe the kitchen-grate, the prodigious pots 
 and kettles, the joints of meat turning on the spits, with 
 many other particulars, perhaps I should be hardly be- 
 lieved. To avoid which censure I fear I have run too 
 much into the other extreme ; and that, if this treatise 
 should happen to be translated into the language of Brob- 
 dingnag (which is the general name of that kingdom), 
 and transmitted thither, the king and his people would 
 have reason to complain that I had done them an injury, 
 by a false and diminutive representation. 
 
 His majesty seldom keeps above six hundred horses 
 in his stables : they are generally from fifty-four to sixty 
 feet high. But when he goes abroad on solemn days, 
 he is attended by a militia guard of five hundred horse. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 Several Adventures that happened to the Author — The Execution of 
 a Criminal — The Author shows his Skill in Navigation. 
 
 I should have lived happy enough in that country 
 if my littleness had not exposed me to several trouble- 
 some accidents, some of which I shall venture to relate. 
 Glumdalclitch often carried me into the gardens of the 
 court in my smaller box, and would sometimes take me 
 out of it, and hold me in her hand, or set me down to 
 walk. I remember, before the dwarf left the queen, he 
 followed us one day into those gardens, and my nurse 
 having set me down, he and I being close together near 
 some dwarf apple-trees, I must needs show my wit by 
 a silly allusion between him and the trees, which hap- 
 pens to hold in their language as it does in ours. 
 Whereupon the malicious rogue shook one of them 
 directly over my head, by which a dozen apples, each of 
 them nearly 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 desire, because I had given the provocation. 
 
 Another day Glumdalclitch left me on a smooth grass- 
 plot to divert myself while she walked at some distance 
 with her governess. In the meantime there suddenly 
 fell such a violent shower of hail, that I was, by the 
 
 144 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 145 
 
 force of it, struck to the ground : and when I was down 
 the hailstones gave me such 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-side of a border of 
 lemon-thyme, but so bruised 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, ob- 
 serving the same proportion through all her operations, 
 a hailstone is near eighteen hundred times as large as 
 one in Europe; which I can assert upon experience, 
 having been so curious as to weigh and measure them. 
 But a more dangerous accident happened to me in the 
 same garden, when my little nurse, believing she 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 gardens, with her governess 
 and some ladies of her acquaintance. While she was 
 absent, and out of hearing, a small white spaniel got by 
 accident into the garden and happened to range near 
 the place where I lay ; the dog following the scent, came 
 directly up, and taking me in his mouth, ran straight to 
 his master, wagging his tail, and set me gently on the 
 ground. By good fortune, he had been so well taught 
 that I was carried between his teeth without the least 
 hurt, or even tearing my clothes. But the poor gardener, 
 who knew me well, was in a terrible fright : he gently 
 took me up in both his hands and asked me how I did ? 
 but I was so amazed and out of breath that I could not 
 
146 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 speak a word. In a few minutes I came to myself, and 
 he carried me safe to my little nurse, who by this time had 
 returned to the place where she had left me, and was in 
 cruel agonies when I did not appear nor answer when 
 she called. She severely reprimanded the gardener on 
 account of his dog. But the thing was hushed up, for 
 the girl was afraid of the queen's anger ; and truly, as 
 to myself, I thought it would not be for my reputation 
 that such a story should go about. 
 
 This accident 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 some 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 resolutely drawn my sword and run under a 
 thick espalier, he would have certainly 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 
 some lie to excuse myself for spoiling my clothes. I 
 likewise broke my right shin against the shell of a 
 snail, which I happened to stumble over, as I was walk- 
 ing alone, and thinking on poor England. 
 
 I cannot tell whether I were more pleased or morti- 
 fied to observe, in those solitary walks, that the smaller 
 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 securit}^ 
 as if no creature at all were near them. I remember, a 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDINGNAG 
 
 147 
 
 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 these birds, they would boldly turn against 
 me ; and then they would turn 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 
 
148 gulliver's travels 
 
 strength so luckily at a linnet, that I knocked him 
 down, and seizing him by the neck with both my hands, 
 ran with him in triumph to my nurse. However, the 
 bird, who had only been stunned, recovering himself, 
 gave me so many boxes with his wings on both sides of 
 my head and body, though I held him at arm's length, 
 and was out of the reach of his claws, that I was twenty 
 times thinking to let him go. But I was soon 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 com- 
 mand. This linnet seemed to be somewhat larger than 
 an English swan. 
 
 The maids of honor often invited Glumdalclitch to 
 their apartments, and desired she would bring me along 
 with her, on purpose to have the pleasure of seeing and 
 touching me. They would often lay me in their bosoms, 
 wherewith I was much disgusted ; because, to say the 
 truth, a very offensive smell came from their skins. 
 Upon this point I cannot forbear doing justice to the 
 queen my mistress, and Glumdalclitch my nurse, whose 
 persons were as sweet as that of any lady in England. 
 
 One day, a young gentleman, who was nephew to my 
 nurse's governess, came and pressed them both to see 
 an execution. It was of a man who had murdered one 
 of that gentleman's intimate acquaintance. Glumdal- 
 clitch was prevailed on to be of the company very much 
 against her inclination, for she was naturally tender- 
 hearted : and as for myself my curiosity tempted me to 
 see something that I thought must be extraordinary. 
 The malefactor was fixed in a chair upon a scaffold 
 
150 
 
 GULLIVER S TRAVELS 
 
 erected for the purpose, and his head cut off at a blow, 
 with a sword of about forty feet long. The veins and 
 arteries spouted up such a prodigious quantity of blood, 
 and so high in the air, that the great jet-dfeau at Ver- 
 sailles was not equal for the time it lasted ; and the head, 
 
 when it fell on the scaffold floor, gave such a bounce as 
 made me start, although I was at least half an English 
 mile distant. 
 
 The queen, who often used to hear me talk of my sea 
 voyages, and took all occasions to divert me when I was 
 melancholy, asked me whether I understood how to 
 handle a sail or an oar, and whether a little exercise of 
 
A VOYAGE TO BliOBDINGNAG 151 
 
 rowing might not be good 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 see how this 
 could be done in their country, where the smallest 
 wherry was equal to a first-rate man-of-war among us ; 
 and such a boat as I could manage would never live in 
 any of their rivers. Her majesty said, if I would con- 
 trive a boat, her own joiner should make it, and she 
 would provide a place for me to sail in. The fellow 
 was an ingenious workman, and by my instructions, in 
 ten days finished a pleasure-boat, with all its tackling, 
 able conveniently to hold eight Europeans. When it 
 was finished, the queen was so delighted that she ran 
 with it in her lap to the king, who ordered it to be put 
 into 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 con- 
 trived another project. 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 bot- 
 tom to let out the water, when it began to grow stale ; 
 and two servants could easily fill it in half an hour. 
 Here I often used to row for my own diversion, as well 
 as that of the queen and her ladies, who thought them- 
 selves well entertained with my skill and agility. 
 Sometimes I would put up my sail, and then my busi- 
 
152 
 
 GULLIVER S TRAVELS 
 
 ness was only to steer, while the ladies gave me a gale 
 with their fans ; and, when they were weary, some of 
 their pages would blow my sail forward with their 
 
 breath, while I showed my art by steering 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. 
 
A VOYAGE TO BEOBDINGNAG 153 
 
 In this exercise I once met an accident, which had 
 like to have cost me my life ; for, one of the pages hav- 
 ing put my boat into the trough, the governess who at- 
 tended Glumdalclitch very officiously lifted me up, to 
 place me in the boat ; but I happened to slip through 
 her fingers, and should 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 stuck in 
 the good gentlewoman's stomacher ; the head of the pin 
 passed between my shirt and the waistband of my 
 breeches, and thus I was held by the middle in the air 
 till Glumdalclitch ran to my relief. 
 
 Another time, one of the servants, whose office it was 
 to fill my trough every third day with fresh water, was 
 so careless as to let a huge frog slip out of his pail. 
 The frog lay concealed till I was put into my boat, but 
 then, seeing a resting-place, climbed up, and made it 
 lean so much on one side that I was forced to balance 
 it with all my weight on the other, to prevent overturn- 
 ing. When the frog was got in it hopped at once half 
 the length of the boat ; and then over my head, back- 
 wards and forwards, daubing my face and clothes with 
 its odious slime. The largeness of its features made it 
 appear the most deformed animal that can be conceived. 
 I banged it a good while with one of my sculls, and 
 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 locked 
 me up in her closet, while she went somewhere upon 
 
154 
 
 GULLIVER S TRAVELS 
 
 business or a visit. The weather being very warm, the 
 closet window was left open, as well as the windows 
 •and the door of my bigger box, in which I usually lived, 
 because of its largeness and conveniency. As I sat 
 
 <"/< 
 
 quietly meditating at my table, I heard something 
 bounce in at the closet window, and skip about from 
 one side to the other : whereat, I ventured to look out, 
 
A VOYAGE TO BI1013DINGNAG 155 
 
 but not stirring from my seat ; and then I saw this 
 frolicsome animal frisking and leaping up and down, 
 till at last he came to my box, which he seemed to view 
 with great pleasure and curiosity, peeping in at the 
 door and every window. I retreated to the farther 
 corner of my room or box ; but the monkey, looking in 
 at every side, put me into such a fright, that I wanted 
 presence of mind to conceal myself under the bed, as I 
 might easily have done. After some time spent in 
 peeping, grinning, and chattering, he at last espied me ; 
 and reaching one of his paws in at the door, caught hold 
 of the skirt of my coat (which being made of that 
 country cloth, was very thick and strong), and dragged 
 me out. He took me up in his right forefoot, and held 
 me as a nurse does a child she is going to suckle, just 
 as I have seen the same sort of a creature do with a 
 kitten in Europe ; and when I offered to struggle, he 
 squeezed me so hard, that I thought it more prudent to 
 submit. He was interrupted by a noise at the closet 
 door, whereupon he suddenly 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 Glumclalclitch give a shriek at the mo- 
 ment he was carrying me out. The poor girl was al- 
 most distracted ; that quarter of the palace was all in an 
 uproar ; the servants ran for ladders ; the monkey was 
 plainly seen by hundreds in the court sitting upon the 
 ridge of a building holding me like a baby in one of his 
 forepaws, and feeding me with the other, by cramming 
 
156 Gulliver's travels 
 
 into my mouth some victuals he had squeezed out of 
 th° bag on one side of his cheek-pouches and patting 
 me when I would not eat ; whereat many of the rabble 
 below could not help laughing. Some of the people 
 threw up stones, hoping to drive the monkey down ; but 
 this was strictly forbidden, or else, very probably, my 
 brains had been dashed out. 
 
 The ladders were now applied, and mounted by sev- 
 eral men, which the monkey observing, and finding 
 himself almost encompassed, not being able to make 
 speed enough with his three legs, let me drop on a 
 ridge tile, and made his escape. Here I sat for some 
 time, three hundred yards from the ground, expecting 
 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 eaves : but an honest lad, one of 
 my nurse's footmen, climbed up, and, putting me in his 
 breeches-pocket, brought me down safe. 
 
 I was so weak and bruised in the sides with the squeezes 
 given me by this odious animal, that I was forced to 
 keep my bed a fortnight. The king, queen, and all the 
 court, sent every day to inquire after my health ; and 
 her majesty made me several visits during my sickness. 
 The monkey was killed, and an order made that no such 
 animal should be kept about the palace. 
 
 When I attended the king after my recovery, to re- 
 turn him thanks for his favors, he was pleased to rally 
 me a good deal upon this adventure. He asked me 
 what my thoughts and speculations were, while I lay in 
 the monkey's paw ; how I liked the victuals he gave me ; 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 157 
 
 his manner of feeding ; and whether the fresh air on the 
 roof had sharpened my stomach ? He desired to know 
 what I would have done upon such an occasion in my 
 own country. I told his majesty that in Europe we had 
 no monkeys, except such as were brought for curiosities 
 from other places, and so small, that I could deal with a 
 dozen of them together, if they presumed to attack me. 
 And as for that monstrous animal, with whom I was so 
 lately engaged (it was indeed as large as an elephant), if 
 my fears had suffered me to think so far as to make use 
 of my sword, when he poked his paw into my chamber, 
 perhaps I should have given him such a wound as would 
 have made him glad to withdraw it with more haste 
 than he put it in. This I delivered in a firm tone, like 
 a person who was jealous lest his courage should be 
 called in question. My speech produced a loud laughter, 
 which all the respect due to his majesty from those about 
 him could not make them contain. 
 
 This made me reflect how vain an attempt it is, for a 
 man to endeavor doing himself honor among those who 
 are out of all degree of equality or comparison with him. 
 And yet I have seen the moral of my own behavior very 
 frequent in England since my return, where a little 
 contemptible varlet, without the least title to birth, per- 
 son, wit, or common sense, shall presume to look with 
 importance and put himself upon a foot with the great- 
 est persons of the kingdom. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 Several Contrivances of the Author to please the King and Queen — ■ 
 He shows his Skill in Music — The King inquires into the State of 
 England, which the Author relates to him — The King's Observa- 
 tions thereon. 
 
 I used to attend the king's levee once or twice a 
 week, and had often seen him under the barber's hand, 
 which, indeed, was at first very terrible to behold ; for 
 the razor was almost twice as long as an ordinary 
 scythe. His majesty, according to the custom of the 
 country, was only shaved twice a week. I once prevailed 
 on the barber to give me some 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, making several holes in it at 
 equal distance with as small a needle as I could get from 
 Glumdalclitch. I fixed in the' stumps so artificially, 
 scraping and sloping them with my knife towards the 
 points, that I made a very tolerable comb ; which was a 
 seasonable supply, my own being so much broken in the 
 teeth that it was almost useless. 
 
 And this puts me in mind of an amusement, wherein 
 I spent many of my leisure hours. I desired the queen's 
 woman to save for me the combings of her majesty's 
 hair, whereof in time I got a good quantity ; and con- 
 sulting with my friend the cabinetmaker, who had re- 
 ceived general orders to do little jobs for me, I directed 
 
 158 
 
160 gullivbr's travels 
 
 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 those parts where I designed 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 show them for curiosities, as indeed they 
 were the wonder of everyone that beheld them. The 
 queen would have had me sit upon one of these chairs, 
 but I absolutely refused to obey her. Of these hairs I 
 likewise made a neat little purse, about five feet long, 
 with her majesty's name deciphered in gold letters, 
 which I gave to Glumdalclitch by the queen's consent. 
 To say the truth, it was more for show than use, being 
 not of strength to bear the weight of the larger coins, 
 and therefore she kept nothing in it but some little toys 
 that girls are fond of. 
 
 The king, who delighted in music, had frequent con- 
 certs at court, to which I was sometimes carried, and set 
 in my box on a table to hear them : but the noise was 
 so great that I could hardly distinguish the tunes. I 
 am confident that all the drums and trumpets of a royal 
 army, beating and sounding together just at your ears, 
 could not equal it. My practice was to have my box 
 removed from the places where the performers sat as far 
 as I could, then to shut the doors and windows of it, and 
 draw the window-curtains; after which I found their 
 music not disagreeable. 
 
 I had learned in my youth to play a little upon the 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDINGNAG 161 
 
 spinet, a kind of early form of the piano. Glumdalclitch 
 kept one in her chamber, and a master attended twice a 
 week to teach her : I call it a spinet, because it some- 
 what resembled that instrument, and was played upon 
 in the same manner. A fancy came into my head that 
 I would entertain the king and queen with an English 
 tune upon this instrument. But this appeared extremely 
 difficult : for the spinet was nearly sixty feet long, each 
 key being almost a foot wide, so that with my arms ex- 
 tended I could not reach to above five keys, and to press 
 them down required a good smart stroke with my fist, 
 which would be too great a labor, and to no purpose. 
 The method I contrived was this : I prepared two round 
 sticks about the bigness of common cudgels ; they were 
 thicker at one end than the other, and I covered the 
 thicker ends with a piece of a mouse's skin, that by rap- 
 ping 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 sidelong upon it, that way 
 and this, as fast as I could, banging the proper keys with 
 my two sticks, and made a shift to play a jig, to the great 
 satisfaction of both their majesties ; but it was the most 
 violent exercise I ever underwent ; and yet I could not 
 strike above sixteen keys, nor consequently play the bass 
 and treble together, as other artists do ; which was a 
 great disadvantage to my performance. 
 
 The king, who, as I before observed, was a prince of 
 excellent understanding, would frequently order that I 
 should be brought in my box, and set upon the table in 
 
162 Gulliver's travels 
 
 his closet : lie would then command me to bring one of 
 my chairs out of the box, and sit down within three 
 yards' distance upon the top of the cabinet, which 
 brought me almost to a level with his face. In this 
 manner I had several conversations with him. I one 
 day took the freedom to tell his majesty, that the con- 
 tempt he showed towards Europe, and the rest of the 
 world, did not seem answerable to those excellent quali- 
 ties of mind that he was master of ; that reason did not 
 extend itself with the bulk of the body : on the contrary, 
 we observed in our country, that the tallest persons were 
 usually least provided with it ; that among other ani- 
 mals, bees and ants had the reputation of more industry, 
 art, and sagacity, than many of the larger kinds ; and 
 that, as inconsiderable as he took me to be, I hoped I 
 might live to do his majesty some signal service. The 
 king heard me with attention, and began to conceive a 
 much better opinion of me than he had ever before. He 
 desired I would give him as exact an account of the gov- 
 ernment of England as I possibly could ; because, as fond 
 as princes commonly are of their own customs, he should 
 be glad to hear of anything that might deserve imitation. 
 
 Imagine, courteous reader, how often I then wished 
 for the tongue of Demosthenes 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 discourse by informing his majesty, that 
 our dominions consisted of two islands which composed 
 three mighty kingdoms, under one sovereign, besides our 
 colonies in America. I dwelt long upon the fertility of 
 
A VOYAGE TO BUOBDINGNAG 163 
 
 our soil, and the temperature of our climate. I then 
 spoke at large upon the constitution of an English par- 
 liament : partly made up of an illustrious body, called 
 the House of Peers ; persons of the noblest blood, and 
 of the most ancient and ample patrimonies. I described 
 that extraordinary care always taken of their education 
 in arts and arms, to qualify them for being counsellors 
 both to the king and kingdom ; to have a share in the 
 legislature ; to be members of the highest court of judi- 
 cature, from whence there can be no appeal ; and. to be 
 champions always ready for the defense of their prince 
 and country, by their valor, conduct, and fidelity. 1 That 
 these were the ornament and bulwark of the kingdom, 
 worthy followers of their most renowned ancestors, 
 whose honor had been the reward of their virtue, from 
 which their posterity were never once known to degen- 
 erate. To these were joined several holy persons, as 
 part of that assembly, under the title of bishops, whose 
 peculiar business it is to take care of religion, and of 
 those who instruct the people therein. These were 
 searched and sought out through the whole nation, by 
 the prince and his wisest counsellors, among such of 
 the priesthood as were most deservedly distinguished 
 by the sanctity of their lives and the depth of their eru- 
 dition ; who were indeed the spiritual fathers of the 
 clergy and the people. 
 
 That the other part of the parliament consisted of an 
 assembly called the House of Commons, who were all 
 
 1 This and most of Gulliver's account of the British institutions is 
 of course meant by Swift ^o be understood ironically. 
 
164 gulliver's travels 
 
 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 that these two bodies made up the most 
 august assembly in Europe ; to whom, in conjunction 
 with the prince, the whole legislature is committed. 
 
 I then descended to the courts of justice ; over which 
 the judges, those venerable sages and interpreters of the 
 law, presided, for determining the disputed rights and 
 properties of men, as well as for the punishment of vice 
 and protection of innocence. I mentioned the prudent 
 management of our treasury ; the valor and achieve- 
 ments 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 sports and pastimes, 
 or any other particular which I thought might redound 
 to the honor of my country. And I finished all with a 
 brief historical account of affairs and events in England 
 for about a hundred years past. 
 
 When I had put an end to these long discourses, his 
 majesty, consulting his notes, proposed 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 assembly, when any noble family became extinct? 
 What qualifications were necessary in those who are to 
 be created new lords ; whether the humor of the prince, 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 165 
 
 a sum of money to a court lady or a prime minister, or a 
 design of strengthening a party opposite to the public 
 interest, ever happened to be motives in those advance- 
 ments ? What share of knowledge these lords had in 
 the laws of their country, and how they came by it, 
 so as to enable them to decide the properties of their 
 fellow-subjects in the last resort ? Whether they were 
 always so free from avarice, partialities, or want, that a 
 bribe, or some other sinister view, could have no place 
 among them? Whether these holy lords I spoke of 
 were always promoted to that rank upon account of 
 their knowledge of religious matters, and the sanctity 
 of their lives ; had never been compilers with the times, 
 while they were common priests ; or slavish prostitute 
 chaplains to some nobleman, whose opinions they con- 
 tinued servilely to follow, after they were admitted into 
 that assembly ? 
 
 He then desired to know what arts were practiced 
 in electing those whom I called commoners ; whether 
 a stranger, with a strong purse, might not influence 
 the vulgar voters to choose him before their own land- 
 lord, or the most considerable gentleman in the neigh- 
 borhood? How it came to pass that people were so 
 violently bent upon getting into this assembly, with- 
 out any salary or pension ; because this appeared such 
 an exalted strain of virtue and public spirit, that his 
 majesty seemed to doubt it might possibly not be 
 always sincere. And he desired to know whether such 
 zealous gentlemen could have any views of refunding 
 themselves for the charges and trouble they were at, by 
 
166 gullivbr's travels 
 
 sacrificing the public good to the designs of a weak and 
 vicious prince, in conjunction with a corrupted ministry. 
 He multiplied his questions, and sifted me thoroughly 
 upon every part of this head, proposing numberless in- 
 quiries and objections. 
 
 Upon what I said in relation to our courts of justice, 
 his majesty desired to be satisfied in several points : 
 and this I was the better able to do, having been for- 
 merly almost ruined by a long suit in the Chancery, 
 which was decreed for me, with costs. He asked what 
 time was usually spent in determining between right 
 and wrong, and what degree of expense? Whether 
 advocates had liberty to plead in causes manifestly 
 known to be unjust, vexatious, or oppressive ? Whether 
 party, in religion or politics, were observed to be of any 
 weight in scale of justice ? Whether those pleaders 
 were the persons educated in the general knowledge of 
 equity, or only in provincial, national, and other local 
 customs ? Whether they or their judges had any part 
 in penning those laws, which they assumed the liberty 
 of interpreting at their pleasure ? Whether they had 
 ever, at different times, pleaded for and against the 
 same cause, and cited precedents to prove contrary 
 opinions ? Whether they were a rich or a poor corpo- 
 ration ? Whether they received any pecuniary reward 
 for pleading or delivering their opinions ? And par- 
 ticularly, whether they were ever admitted as members 
 in the lower senate ? 
 
 He fell next upon the management of our treasury ; 
 and said he thought my memory had failed me, because 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 167 
 
 I computed our taxes at about five or six millions a 
 year, and when I came to mention the Payments and 
 acknowledgments of indebtedness, he found they some- 
 times 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 con- 
 duct might be useful to him, and he could not be 
 deceived in his calculations. But, if what I told him 
 were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could 
 run out of its estate, like a private person. He asked 
 me who were our creditors, and where we found money 
 to pay them ? He wondered to hear me talk of such 
 chargeable and expensive wars. That certainly we 
 must be a quarrelsome people, or live among very bad 
 neighbors, and that our generals must needs be richer 
 than our kings. He asked what business we had out 
 of our own islands, unless upon the score of trade, or 
 treaty, or to defend the coast with our fleet ? Above all, 
 he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary standing 
 army in the midst of peace and among a free people. 
 He said if we were governed by our own consent, in 
 the persons of our representatives, he could not imagine 
 of whom we were afraid, or against whom we were to 
 fight ; and would hear my opinion, whether a private 
 man's house might not better be defended by himself, 
 his children and family, than by half a dozen rascals, 
 picked up at a venture in the streets for small wages, 
 who might get an hundred times more by cutting their 
 throats. 
 
 He laughed at my odd kind of .arithmetic, as he was 
 
168 gulliver's travels 
 
 pleased to call it, in reckoning the numbers of our people, 
 by a computation drawn from the several sects among 
 us in religion and politics. He said he knew no reason 
 why those who entertain opinions prejudicial to the 
 public should be obliged to change, or should not be 
 obliged to conceal them. And, as it was tyranny in 
 any government to require the first, so it was weakness 
 not to enforce the second ; 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 diversions of our no- 
 bility and gentry, I had mentioned gaming : he desired 
 to know at what age this entertainment was usually 
 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, vicious people, 
 by their dexterity in that art, might not arrive at great 
 riches, and sometimes keep our very nobles in depend- 
 ence, as well as habituate them to vile companions ; 
 wholly take them from the improvement of their minds, 
 and force them, by the losses they have received, to 
 learn and practice that infamous dexterity upon others ? 
 
 He was perfectly astonished with the historical ac- 
 count I gave him of our affairs during the last century ; 
 protesting, it was only a heap of conspiracies, rebellions, 
 murders, massacres, revolutions, banishments, the very 
 worst effects that avarice, faction, hypocrisy, p6rfidi- 
 ousness, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, lust, 
 malice, or ambition could produce. 
 
 His majesty, in another audience, was at the pains 
 
170 gulliver's travels 
 
 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 stroking me gently, 
 delivered himself in these words, which I shall never 
 forget, nor the manner he spoke them in : " My little 
 friend, you have made a most admirable panegyric upon 
 your country ; you have clearly proved that ignorance, 
 idleness, and vice are the proper ingredients for qualify- 
 ing a legislator ; the laws are best explained, inter- 
 preted, and applied, by those whose interests and abilities 
 lie in perverting, confounding, and eluding them. I 
 observe among you some lines of an institution, which, 
 in its original, might have been tolerable, but these half 
 erased, and the rest wholly blurred and blotted by cor- 
 ruptions. It doth not appear, from all you have said, 
 how any one perfection is required, towards the pro- 
 curement of any one station among you ; much less, 
 that men are ennobled on account of their virtue ; that 
 priests are advanced for their piety or learning ; sol- 
 diers, for their conduct or valor ; judges, for their in- 
 tegrity ; senators, for the love of their country ; or 
 counsellors, for their wisdom. As for yourself," con- 
 tinued the king, " who have spent the greatest part of 
 your life in traveling, I am well disposed 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 extorted from you, I 
 cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the 
 most pernicious race of little odious vermin that Nature 
 ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth." 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 The Author's Love of his Country — He makes a Proposal of Much AcU 
 vantage to the King, which is rejected — The King's Great Igno- 
 rance in Politics — The Learning of that Country very Imperfect 
 and Confined — Their Laws, and Military Affairs, and Parties in 
 the State. 
 
 Nothing but an extreme love of truth could have 
 hindered, me from concealing this part of my story. It 
 was in vain to discover my resentments, which were 
 always turned into ridicule ; and I was forced to rest 
 with patience, while my noble and most beloved coun- 
 try was so injuriously treated. I am as heartily sorry 
 as any of my readers can possibly be that such an occa- 
 sion was given : but this prince happened to be so cu- 
 rious and inquisitive upon every particular, that it could 
 not consist either with gratitude or good manners, to 
 refuse giving him what satisfaction I was able. Yet 
 this much I may be allowed to say in my own vindica- 
 tion, that I artfully eluded many of his questions, and 
 gave to every point a more favorable turn, by many 
 degrees, than the strictness of truth would allow ; for 
 I have always borne that laudable partiality to my own 
 country, which Dionysius Halicarnassensis, with so 
 much justice, recommends to a historian : I would hide 
 the frailties and deformities of my political mother, and 
 place her virtues and beauties in the most advantageous 
 
 171 
 
172 gulliver's travels 
 
 light. This was my sincere endeavor, although it un- 
 fortunately failed of success. 
 
 But great allowances should be given to a king, who 
 lives wholly secluded from the rest of the world, and 
 must, therefore, be altogether unacquainted with the 
 manners and customs that most prevail in other nations : 
 the want of which knowledge will ever produce many 
 prejudices, and a certain narrowness of thinking, from 
 which we, and the politer countries of Europe, are wholly 
 exempted; and it would be hard, indeed, if so 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 said, and further to show 
 the miserable effects of a confined education, I shall here 
 insert a passage that will hardly obtain belief. In 
 hopes to ingratiate myself further into his majesty's 
 favor, I told him of an invention, discovered about four 
 hundred years ago, to make a certain powder, into a 
 heap of which the smallest spark of fire falling would 
 kindle the whole in a moment, although 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 hol- 
 low tube of brass or iron, according to its bigness, would 
 drive a ball of iron or lead with such violence and speed 
 as nothing was able to sustain its force. That the larg- 
 est balls, thus discharged, would not only destroy whole 
 ranks of an army at once, but batter the strongest walls 
 to the ground, sink clown ships, with a thousand men in 
 each, to the bottom of the sea ; and, when linked to- 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 173 
 
 gether by a chain, would cut througn masts and rigging, 
 divide hundreds of bodies in the middle, and lay all 
 waste before them. That we often put this powder into 
 large hollow balls of iron, and discharged them by an 
 engine into some city we were besieging, which would 
 rip up the pavements, tear the houses to pieces, burst 
 and throw splinters on every side, dashing out the brains 
 of all who came near. That I knew the ingredients very 
 well, and 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 maj- 
 esty'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 a few hours, or destroy the whole metropo- 
 lis, if ever it should pretend to dispute his absolute com- 
 mands. This I humbly offered to his majesty, as a small 
 tribute of acknowledgment, in return of so many marks 
 that I had received of his royal favor and protection. 
 
 The king was struck with horror at the description I 
 had given of those terrible engines, and the proposal I 
 had made. He was amazed how so impotent and grovel- 
 ing an insect as I (these were his expressions) could en- 
 tertain such inhuman ideas, and in so familiar a manner, 
 as to appear wholly unmoved at all the scenes of blood 
 and desolation which I had painted, as the common 
 effects of those destructive machines : whereof, he said, 
 some evil genius, enemy to mankind, must have been the 
 first contriver. As for himself, he protested, that al- 
 
174 gulliver's travels 
 
 though few things delighted him so much as new dis- 
 coveries in art or in nature, yet he would rather lose 
 half his kingdom than be privy to such a secret ; which 
 
 he commanded me, as I valued my life, never to men- 
 tion any more. 
 
 A strange effect of narrow principles and short views ! 
 that a prince possessed of every quality which procures 
 veneration, love, and esteem ; of strong parts, great wis- 
 
A VOYAGE TO BE.OBDINGNAG 175 
 
 dom, and profound learning, endued with admirable 
 talents for government, and almost adored by his sub- 
 jects, should, from a nice, unnecessary scruple, whereof 
 in Europe we can have no conception, let slip an oppor- 
 tunity put into his hands, that would have made him 
 absolute master of the lives, the liberties, and the for- 
 tunes of his people ! I remember very well, in a dis- 
 course one day with the king, when I happened to say 
 there were several thousand books among us written 
 upon the art of government, it gave him (directly con- 
 trary to my intention) a very mean opinion of our 
 understandings. He professed both to despise all mys- 
 tery, refinement, and intrigue, either in a prince or a 
 minister. He could not tell what I meant by secrets 
 of state, where an enemy, or some rival nation, were not 
 in the case. He confined the knowledge of governing 
 within very narrow bounds, to common sense and rea- 
 son, to justice and lenity, to the speedy determination 
 of civil and criminal causes ; with some other obvious 
 topics, which are not worth considering. And, he gave 
 it for his opinion, that, whoever could make two ears of 
 corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of 
 ground where only one grew before, would deserve bet- 
 ter of mankind, and do more essential service to his 
 country, than the whole raee of politicians put together. 
 The learning of this people is very defective ; con- 
 sisting 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 use- 
 ful in life, to the improvement of agriculture, and all 
 
176 Gulliver's travels 
 
 mechanical arts ; so that, among us, it would be little 
 esteemed. 
 
 No law of that country must exceed in words the 
 number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only 
 of two-and-twenty. But, indeed, few of them extend 
 even to that length. They are expressed in the most 
 plain and simple terms, wherein those people are not 
 mercurial enough to discover above one interpretation : 
 and to write a comment upon any law is a capital crime. 
 As to the decision of civil eauses, or proceedings against 
 criminals, their precedents are so few that they have 
 little reason to boast of any extraordinary skill in either. 
 
 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 ihe king, which is reckoned the 
 biggest, does not amount to above a thousand volumes, 
 placed in a gallery of twelve hundred feet long, whence 
 I had liberty to borrow what books I pleased. The 
 queen's joiner had contrived, in one of Glumdalclitch's 
 rooms, a kind of wooden machine, five-and-twenty feet 
 high, formed like a standing ladder : the steps were 
 each fifty feet long : it was, indeed, a movable 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 against the wall : I first mounted 
 to the upper step of the ladder, and turning my face 
 towards the book, began at the top of the page, and so 
 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 my eyes, and then descending 
 
A VOYAGE TO BBOBDINGNAG 177 
 
 gradually till I came to the bottom ; after which I 
 mounted again, and began the other page in the same 
 manner, and so turned over the leaf, which I could eas- 
 ily do with both my hands, for it was as thick and stiff 
 as a pasteboard, and in the largest folios not above eigh- 
 teen or twenty feet long. 
 
 Their style is clear, masculine, and smooth, but not 
 florid. I have perused many of their books, especially 
 those in history and morality. Among the rest, I was 
 much diverted with a little old treatise, which always 
 lay in Glumdalclitch's bedchamber, and belonged to her 
 governess, 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 esteem, ex- 
 cept among the women and the vulgar. However, I 
 was curious to see what an author of that country could 
 say upon such a subject. This writer went through all 
 the usual topics of European moralists, showing " 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 
 beasts ; how much he was excelled by one creature in 
 strength, by another in speed, by a third in foresight, by 
 a fourth in industry." He added, " that nature was de- 
 generated in these latter declining ages of the world, 
 and could now produce only small abortive births, in 
 comparison of those in ancient times." He said, "it 
 was very reasonable to think, not only that the 
 species of man were originally much larger, but also that 
 there must have been giants in former ages ; which, as 
 
178 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 it is asserted by history and tradition, so it hath been 
 confirmed by huge bones and skulls, casually dug up in 
 several parts of the kingdom, far exceeding the common, 
 dwindled race of men in our days." He argued, " that 
 the very laws of nature absolutely required we should 
 have been made, in the beginning, of a size more large 
 and robust ; not so liable to destruction from every 
 little accident, of a tile falling from a house, or a stone 
 cast from the hand of a boy, or of being drowned in a 
 little brook." From this way of reasoning, the author 
 drew several moral applications, useful in the conduct 
 of life, but needless here to repeat. For my own part, 
 I could not avoid reflecting how universally this talent 
 was spread, of drawing lectures on morality, or indeed 
 rather matter of discontent and repining, from the quar- 
 rels we raise with nature. And I believe, upon a strict 
 inquiry, those quarrels might be shown as ill-grounded 
 among us as they are among that people. 
 
 As to their military affairs, they boast that the king's 
 army consists of a hundred and seventy-six thousand 
 foot and thirty-two thousand horse : if that may be 
 called an army, which is made up of tradesmen in the 
 several cities and farmers in the country, whose com- 
 manders are only the nobility and gentry, without pay 
 or reward. They are indeed perfect enough in their 
 exercises and under very good discipline, wherein I saw 
 no great merit ; for how should it be otherwise where 
 every farmer is under the command of his own landlord 
 and every citizen under that of the principal men in his 
 own city, chosen after the manner of Venice, by ballot ? 
 
gulliveb's travels 179 
 
 I have often seen the militia drawn out to exercise in 
 a great field near the city, of twenty miles square. They 
 were in all not above twenty-five thousand foot and 
 six thousand horse ; but it was impossible for me to 
 compute their number, considering the space of ground 
 they took up. A cavalier, mounted on a large steed, 
 might be about ninety feet high. I have seen this 
 whole body of horse, upon a word of command, draw 
 their swords at once and brandish them in the air. 
 Imagination can figure nothing so grand, so surprising, 
 and so astonishing ! it looked as if ten thousand flashes 
 of lightning were darting at the same time from every 
 quarter of the sky. 
 
 I was curious to know how this prince, to whose do- 
 minions there is no access from any other country, came 
 to think of armies, or to teach his people the practice 
 of military discipline. But I was soon informed, both 
 by conversation and reading their histories ; for, in the 
 course of many ages, they have been troubled with the 
 same disease to which many other governments are sub- 
 ject ; the nobility often contending for power, the peo- 
 ple for liberty, and the king for absolute dominion. All 
 which, however, happily tempered by the laws of that 
 kingdom, have been sometimes violated by each of the 
 three parties, and have once or more occasioned civil 
 wars ; the last whereof was happily put an end to by 
 this prince's grandfather, by a general composition ; and 
 the militia, then settled with common consent, has been 
 ever since kept in the strictest duty. 
 
CHAPTER 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 strong impulse that I should some 
 time recover my liberty, though it was impossible to 
 conjecture by what means, or to form any project with 
 the least hope of succeeding. The ship in which I sailed 
 was the first ever known to be driven within sight of 
 that coast, and the king had given strict orders that if 
 at any time another appeared, it should be taken ashore, 
 and, with all its crew and passengers, brought to the 
 capita?.. I was treated with much kindness ; I was the 
 favorite of a great king and queen, and the delight of 
 the whole court ; but it was upon such a foot as ill be- 
 came the dignity of human kind. I could never forget 
 those domestic pledges I had left behind me. I wanted 
 to be among people with whom I could converse upon 
 even terms, and walk about the streets and fields with- 
 out fear of being trod to death like a frog or a young 
 puppy. But my deliverance came sooner than I ex- 
 
 180 
 
Gulliver's travels 181 
 
 pected, and in a manner not very common ; the whole 
 story and circumstances of which I shall faithfully 
 relate. 
 
 I had now been two years in the 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 usual, in my travel- 
 ing box. And I had ordered a hammock to be fixed, 
 by silken ropes, from the four corners at the top, to break 
 the jolts when a servant carried me before him on horse- 
 back, as I sometimes desired ; and would often sleep in 
 my hammock while we were upon the road. On the 
 roof of my closet, not directly over the middle of the 
 hammock, I ordered the joiner to cut out a hole of a 
 foot square, to give me air in hot weather as I slept ; 
 which hole I shut 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 pass a few days at a palace he had near a city 
 within eighteen English miles of the seaside. Glum- 
 dalclitch and I were much fatigued: I had gotten a 
 small cold, but the poor girl was so 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 should happen. 
 I pretended to be worse than I really was, and desired 
 leave to take the fresh air of the sea, with a page whom 
 I was very fond of, and who had sometimes been trusted 
 with me. I shall never forget with what unwillingness 
 Glumdalclitch consented, nor the strict charge she gave 
 the page to be careful of me, bursting at the same time 
 
182 A VOYAGE TO BIIOBDINGNAG 
 
 into a flood of tears, as if she had some foreboding of 
 what was to happen. The boy took me out in my box 
 towards the rocks on the seashore. I ordered him to 
 set me down, and lifting up one of my sashes, cast many 
 a wistful look towards the sea. I found myself not 
 very well, and told the page that I had a mind to take 
 a nap in my hammock, which I hoped would do me 
 good. I got in, and the boy shut the window close 
 down, to keep out the cold. I soon fell asleep, and all 
 I can conjecture is, that while I slept, the page, thinking 
 no danger could happen, went among the rocks to look 
 for birds' eggs, having before observed him from my 
 window searching about, and picking up one or two in 
 the clefts. Be that as it will, I found myself suddenly 
 awaked with a violent pull upon the ring, which was 
 fastened at the top of my box for the conveniency of 
 carriage. I felt my box raised very high in the air, 
 and then borne forward with prodigious speed. The 
 first jolt had like to have shaken me out of my ham- 
 mock, but afterwards the motion was easy enough. I 
 called out several times as loud as I could raise my 
 voice, but all to no purpose. I looked towards my win- 
 dows, and could see nothing but the clouds and sky. 
 I heard a noise just over my head, like the clapping of 
 wings, and then began to perceive the woeful condition 
 I was in ; that some eagle had got the ring of my box 
 in his beak, with an intent to let it fall on a rock, like 
 a tortoise in a shell, and then pick out my body, and de- 
 vour it : for the sagacity and smell of this bird enabled 
 him to discover his quarry at a great distance, though 
 
GULLIVER S TRAVELS 
 
 183 
 
 better concealed than I could be within a two-inch 
 board. 
 
 In a little time, I observed the noise and flutter of 
 wings to increase very fast, and my box was tossed up 
 
 and down, like a sign in a windy day. I heard several 
 bangs or buffets, as I thought, given to the eagle (for 
 such, I am certain, it must have been that held the ring 
 
184 A VOYAGE TO BllOBDINGNAG 
 
 of my box in his beak), and then, all on a sudden, felt 
 myself falling perpendicularly down for above a minute, 
 but, with such incredible swiftness that I almost lost my 
 breath. My fall was stopped by a terrible squash, that 
 sounded 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 so high, that I could see 
 light from the tops of my windows. I now perceived 
 that I was fallen into the sea. My box, by the weight 
 of my body, the goods that were in it, and the broad 
 plates of iron fixed for strength at the four corners of 
 the top and bottom, 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 defend- 
 ing 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 bal- 
 ance 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 so tight 
 that very little water came in. I got with much diffi- 
 culty out of my hammock, having first ventured to draw 
 back the slip-board on the roof, already mentioned, con- 
 trived on purpose to let in air, for want of which I found 
 myself almost stifled. 
 
 How often did I then wish myself with my dear Glum- 
 dalclitch, from whom one single hour had so far divided 
 me ! And I may say with truth, that I could not help 
 
GULLIVER S TRAVELS 185 
 
 lamenting my poor nurse, the grief she would suffer for 
 my loss, the displeasure of the queen, and the ruin of 
 her fortune. Perhaps many travelers have not been 
 under greater difficulties and distress than I was at this 
 juncture, expecting every moment to see my box dashed 
 in pieces, or, at least, overset by the first violent blast, 
 or a rising wave. A breach in one single pane of glass 
 would have been immediate death : nor could any thing- 
 have preserved the windows, but the strong lattice wires, 
 placed on the outside, against accidents in traveling. I 
 saw the water ooze in at several crannies, although the 
 leaks were not considerable, and I endeavored to stop 
 them as well as I could. I was not able to lift up the 
 roof of my closet, which otherwise I certainly should 
 have done, and sat on the top of it ; where I might at 
 least preserve myself some hours longer, than by being 
 shut up (as I may call it) in the hold. Or, if I escaped 
 these dangers for a day or two, what could I expect but 
 a miserable death of cold and hunger ? I was four hours 
 under these circumstances, expecting, and indeed wish- 
 ing, every moment to be my last. 
 
 I have already told the reader that there were two 
 strong staples fixed upon that side of my box which had 
 no window, and into which the servant, who used to 
 carry me on horseback, would put a leathern belt, and 
 buckle it about his waist. Being in this disconsolate 
 state, I heard, or at least thought I heard, some kind of 
 grating noise on that side of my box where the staples 
 were fixed ; and soon after I began to fancy that the 
 box was pulled or towed along in the sea ; for I now 
 
186 A VOYAGE TO BEOBDINGNAG 
 
 and then felt a sort of tugging, which made the waves 
 rise near the tops of my windows, leaving me almost in 
 the dark. This gave me some faint hopes of relief, al- 
 though I was not able to imagine how it could be brought 
 <ibout ; I ventured to unscrew one of my chairs, which 
 ^ere always fastened to the floor ; and having made a 
 hard shift to screw it down again, directly under the 
 slipping-board that I had lately 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 handker- 
 chief to a stick I usually carried, and, thrusting it up 
 the hole, waved it several times in the air, that, if any 
 boat or ship were near, the seamen might conjecture some 
 unhappy mortal to be shut up in this 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 windows, struck against something that was hard. 
 I apprehended it to be a rock, and found myself tossed 
 more than ever. I plainly heard a noise upon the cover 
 of my closet like that of a cable, and the grating of 
 it as it passed through the ring. I then found myself 
 hoisted up, by degrees, at least three feet higher than I 
 was before. Whereupon I again thrust up my stick and 
 handkerchief, calling for help till I was almost hoarse. 
 In return to which, I heard a great shout repeated three 
 times, giving me such transports of joy as are not to be 
 conceived but by those who feel them. I now heard a 
 trampling over my head, and somebody calling through 
 
Gulliver's travels 187 
 
 the hole with a loud voice, in the English tongue, if 
 there be anybody below, let them speak. I answered, 
 I was an Englishman, drawn, by ill fortune, into the 
 greatest calamity that ever any creature underwent, and 
 begged, by all that was moving, to be delivered out of 
 the dungeon I was in. The voice replied, I was safe, 
 for my box was fastened to their ship, and the carpenter 
 should immediately come and saw a hole in the cover, 
 large enough to pull me out. I answered, that was 
 needless, 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 so into the captain's cabin. Some of them, 
 upon hearing me talk so 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 a few minutes, 
 sawed a passage about four feet square, then let down 
 a small 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 
 answer. I was equally confounded at the sight of so 
 many pigmies, for such I took them to be, after having 
 so long accustomed my eyes to the monstrous objects I 
 had left. But the captain, an honest worthy Shrop- 
 shireman, observing I was ready to faint, took me into 
 his cabin, gave me a cordial to comfort me, and made 
 me turn in upon his own bed, advising me to take a 
 little rest, of which I had great need. Before I went 
 
188 gulliver's travels 
 
 to sleep, I gave him to understand, that I had some 
 valuable furniture in my box, too good to be lost ; a 
 fin« hammock — a 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 closet into his 
 cabin, I would open it there before him, and show him 
 my goods. The captain, hearing me utter these absurdi- 
 ties, concluded I was raving ; however (I suppose to 
 pacify me), he promised to give order as I desired, and 
 going upon deck, sent some of his men down into my 
 closet, from whence (as I afterwards found) they drew 
 up all my goods, and stripped off the quilting ; but the 
 chairs, cabinet, and bedstead, being screwed to the floor, 
 were much damaged by the ignorance of the seamen, 
 who tore them up by force. Then they knocked off 
 some of the boards for the use of the ship, and when 
 they had got all they had a mind for, let the hull drop 
 into the sea, which, by reason of many breaches made 
 in the bottom and sides, sunk at once. And, indeed, I 
 was glad not to have been a spectator of the havoc they 
 made, because I am confident it would have sensibly 
 touched me, by bringing former passages into my mind, 
 which I had rather forget. 
 
 I slept some 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 fasted too long. He entertained me with great 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDINGNAG 189 
 
 kindness, observing me not to look wildly, or talk incon- 
 sistently ; and when we were left alone, desired I would 
 give him a relation of my travels, and by what accident 
 I came to be set adrift in that monstrous wooden chest. 
 He said, that about twelve o'clock at noon, as he was 
 looking through his glass, he spied 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 
 some biscuit, his own beginning to fall short. That, 
 upon coming nearer, and finding his error, he sent out 
 his long-boat to discover what it was ; that his men came 
 back in a fright, swearing they had seen a swimming 
 house. That he laughed at their folly, and went himself 
 in the boat, ordering his men to take a strong cable along 
 with them. That the weather being calm, he rowedround 
 me several times, observed my windows, and the wire 
 lattices that defended them. That he discovered two 
 staples upon one side, which was all of boards, without 
 any passage for light. He then ordered his men to row 
 up to that side, and fastening another 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 fasten another cable to the ring fixed in the cover, and 
 to raise up my chest with pulleys, which all the sailors 
 were not able to do above two or three feet. He said, 
 they saw my stick and handkerchief thrust out of the 
 hole, and concluded that some unhappy man must be 
 shut up in the cavity. I asked, whether he or the crew 
 had seen any prodigious birds in the air about the time 
 he first discovered me ? To which he answered, that dis- 
 
190 Gulliver's travels 
 
 coursing this matter with the sailors while I was asleep, 
 one of them said, he had observed three eagles flying 
 towards the north, but remarked nothing of their being 
 larger than the usual size; which, I suppose, must be 
 imputed to the great height they were at ; and he could 
 not guess the reason of my question. I then asked the 
 captain how far he reckoned we might be from land ? 
 He said we were, at least, a hundred leagues. I assured 
 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 dropped 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 cabin 
 he had provided. I assured him I was well refreshed 
 with his good entertainment, and as much in my senses 
 as ever I was in my life. He then grew serious, and 
 desired to ask me freely, whether I were not troubled 
 in mind by the consciousness of some enormous crime, 
 for which I was punished, at the command of some prince, 
 by exposing me in that chest ; as great criminals, in other 
 countries, have been forced to sea in a leaky vessel, with- 
 out provisions : for although he should be sorry to have 
 taken so ill a man into his ship, yet he would engage his 
 word to set me safe on shore in the first port where we 
 arrived. He added, that his suspicions were much in- 
 creased by some very absurd speeches I had delivered at 
 first to the sailors, and afterwards to himself, in relation 
 to my closet or chest, as well as by my odd looks and be- 
 havior while I was at supper. 
 
 I begged his patience to hear me tell my story, which 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 
 
 191 
 
 I faithfully did, from the last time I left England, to the 
 moment he first discovered me. And, as truth always 
 forces its way into rational minds, so this honest worthy 
 gentleman, who had some tincture of learning and very 
 good sense, was immediately convinced of my candor 
 and veracity. But, further to confirm all I had said, 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 disposed of my closet. 
 I opened it in his own pres- 
 ence, and showed him the 
 small collection of rarities I 
 made in the country from 
 whence I had been so strangely 
 delivered. There was the 
 comb I had contrived out of 
 the stumps of the king's 
 beard, and another of the 
 same materials, but fixed into 
 
 a paring of her majesty's thumb-nail, which served for 
 the back. There was a collection of needles and pins, 
 from a foot to half a yard long ; four wasps' stings, like 
 joiners' tacks ; some combings of the queen's hair ; a gold 
 ring, which one day she made me a present of, in a most 
 obliging manner, taking it from her little finger, and 
 throwing it over my head like a collar. I desired the 
 captain would please to accept this ring in return of his 
 
192 Gulliver's travels 
 
 £ 
 civilities, which he absolutely refused. I showed him a 
 
 corn that I had cut off, with my own hand, from a maid 
 
 of -honor's toe ; it was about the bigness of a Kentish 
 
 pippin, and grown so hard, that, when I returned to 
 
 England, I got it hollowed into a cup, and set in silver. 
 
 Lastly, I desired him to see the breeches I had then on, 
 
 which were made of a mouse's skin. 
 
 I could force nothing on him but a footman's tooth, 
 which I observed him to examine with great curiosity, 
 and found he had a fancy for it. He received it with 
 abundance of thanks, more than such a trifle could de- 
 serve. It was drawn by an unskillful surgeon, in a mis- 
 take, from one of Glumdalclitch's men, who was afflicted 
 with the toothache, but it was as sound as any in his 
 head. I got it cleaned, and put it into my cabinet. It 
 was about a foot long and four inches in diameter. 
 
 The captain was very well satisfied with this plain re- 
 lation I had given him, and said, he hoped, when we re- 
 turned to England, I would oblige the world by putting 
 it on paper and making it public. My answer was, that 
 I thought we were already overstocked with books of 
 travels : that nothing could now pass which was not ex- 
 traordinary ; that my story could contain little beside 
 common events, without those ornamental descriptions 
 of strange plants, trees, birds, and other animals ; or of 
 the barbarous customs and idolatry of savage people, 
 with which most writers abound. However, I thanked 
 him for his good opinion, and promised to take the matter 
 into my thoughts. 
 
 He said he wondered at one thing very much, which 
 
A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG 193 
 
 was, to hear me speak so loud ; asking me whether 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 past, and that I wondered as much at the voices 
 
 of him and his men, who seemed to me only to whisper, 
 and yet I could hear them well enough. But, when I 
 spoke 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 per- 
 
194 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 son's hand. I told him I had likewise observed another 
 thing, that, when I first got into the ship, and the sailors 
 stood all about me, I thought they were the most con- 
 temptible little creatures I had ever beheld. For indeed, 
 while I was in that prince's country, I could never endure 
 to look in a glass after my eyes had been accustomed to 
 such prodigious objects, because the comparison gave 
 me so despicable a conceit of myself. The captain said, 
 that, while we were at supper, he observed me to look at 
 everything with a sort of wonder, and that I often seemed 
 hardly able to contain my laughter, which he imputed to 
 some disorder in my brain. I answered, it was very true : 
 and I wondered how I could help it, when I saw his dishes 
 of the size of a silver threepence, a leg of pork hardly a 
 mouthful, a cup not so big as a nutshell ; and so I went 
 on, describing the rest of his household-stuff and pro- 
 visions, after the same manner. For, although the queen 
 had ordered a little equipage of all things necessary for 
 me, while I was in her service, yet my ideas were wholly 
 taken up with what I saw on every side of me, and I 
 winked at my own littleness, as people do at their own 
 faults. The captain understood my raillery very well, 
 and merrily replied with the old English proverb, that 
 he doubted my eyes were bigger than my belly, for he 
 did not observe my stomach so good, although I had 
 fasted all day ; and, continuing in his mirth, protested, 
 he would have gladly given a hundred pounds to have 
 seen my closet in the eagle's bill, and afterwards in its 
 fall from so great a height into the sea ; which would 
 certainly have been a most astonishing object, worthy to 
 
A VOYAGE TO BKOBDINGNAG 195 
 
 have the description of it transmitted to future ages : 
 and the comparison of Phaeton was so obvious, that he 
 could not forbear applying it, although I did not much 
 admire the conceit. 
 
 The captain having been at Tonquin, was, in his re- 
 turn to England, driven north-eastward. But meeting 
 a trade -wind two days after I came on board him, we 
 sailed southward a long time, and coasting New Holland, 
 kept our course west-southwest, and then south-south- 
 west, till we doubled the Cape of Good Hope. Our 
 voyage was very prosperous, but I shall not trouble the 
 reader with a journal of it. The captain called in at 
 one or two ports, and sent in his boat for provisions and 
 fresh water; but I never went out of the ship till we 
 came into the Downs, which was on June 3, 1706, about 
 nine months after my escape. I offered to leave my 
 goods in security for payment of my freight ; but the 
 captain would not receive one farthing. We took kind 
 leave of each other, and I made him promise he would 
 come to see me at my house in Redriff. I hired a horse 
 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 trampling on 
 every traveler I met, and often called aloud to have them 
 stand out of the way, so that I had like to have gotten 
 one or two broken heads for my impertinence. 
 
 When I came to my own house, for which I was forced 
 to inquire, one of the servants opening the door, I bent 
 
196 
 
 Gulliver's travels 
 
 down to go in (like a goose under a gate), for fear of strik- 
 ing my head. My wife ran out to embrace me, but I 
 stooped lower than her knees, thinking she could other- 
 wise never be able to reach my mouth. My daughter 
 kneeled to ask my blessing, but I could not see her till 
 she arose, having been so long used to stand with my head 
 and eyes erect to above sixty feet ; and then I went to 
 take her up with one hand by the waist. I looked down 
 upon the servants, 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 
 short, I behaved myself so unaccountably, that they were 
 all of the captain's opinion when he first saw me, and 
 concluded I had lost my wits. This I mention as an in- 
 stance 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 protested I should 
 never go to sea any more. 
 
•* •