ty, hiftory, poetry, and mathematics, wherein they must be allowed to excel. But the laft of thefe is wholly applied to what may be ufeful in life, to the improvement of agriculture, and all mechanical arts; fo that among us it would be little efteemed. And as to ideas, entities, abftractions, and tranfcendentals, I could never drive the leaft conception into their heads. No law of that country muft exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which confifts only in two and twenty. But indeed few of them extend even to that length. They are expreffed in the most plain and fimple terms, wherein thofe 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 decifion of civil caules, or proceedings against criminals, their precedents are fo few, that they have little reafon to boast of any extraordinary fkill in either. They have had the art of printing, as well as the Chinefe, time out of mind: but their libraries are not very large; for that of the king, which is reckoned the largest, doth not amount to above a thousand volumes, placed in a gallery of twelve hundred feet long, from whence I had liberty to borrow what books I 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 ftanding ladder, the steps were each fifty feet long: it was indeed a moveable pair of ftairs, the lowest end placed at ten feet diftance from the wall of the chamber. book I had a mind to read was put up leaning against the wall: I first mount ed to the upper ftep of the ladder, and turning my face towards the book, began at the top of the page, and fo walking to the right and left about eight or ten paces, according to the length of the lines, till I had gotten a little below the level of mine eyes, and then defcending gradually till I came to the bottom: after which I mounted again, and began the other page in the fame manner, and fo turned over the leaf, which I could easily The do with both my hands, for it was as thick and ftiff as a pafteboard, and in the largest folios not above eighteen or twenty feet long. Their ftyle is clear, mafculine, and fmooth, but not florid; for they avoid nothing more than multiplying unneceffary words, or ufing various expreffions. I have perufed many of their books, efpecially thofe in history and morality. Among the reft, I was much diverted with a little old treatife, which always lay in Glumdalclitch's bed-chamber, and belonged to her governefs, a grave elderly gentlewoman, who dealt in writings of morality and devotion. The book treats of the weakness of human kind, and is in little efteem, except among the women and the vulgar. However, I was curious to fee what an author of that country could fay upon fuch a fubject. This writer went through all the ufual topics of European moralifts, fhewing how diminutive, contemptible, and helpless an animal was man in his own nature; how unable to defend himself from inclemencies of the air, or the fury of wild beafts: how much he was excelled by one creature in ftrength, by another in fpeed, by a third in forefight, by a fourth in industry. He added, that nature was degenerated in thefe latter declining ages of the world, and could now produce only fmall abortive births, in comparison of thofe in ancient times. He faid it was very reasonable to think, not only that the fpecies of men were originally much larger, but also that there must have been giants in former ages; which, as it is afferted by hiftory and tradition, fo it hath been confirmed by huge bones and fkulls cafually dug up in feveral parts of the kingdom, far exceeding the common dwindled race of man in our days. He argued, that the very laws of nature abfolutely required we should have been made in the beginning of a fize more large and robuft, not fo liable to deftruction from every little accident of a tile falling from an houfe, or a ftone caft from the hand of a boy, or being drowned in a little brook. From this way of reafoning, the author drew feveral feveral moral applications ufeful in the conduct of life, but needlefs here to repeat. For my own part, I could not avoid reflecting how univerfally this talent was fpread, of drawing lectures in morality, or indeed rather matter of difcontent and repining, from the quarrels we raife with nature. And, I believe, upon a ftrict enquiry, thofe quarrels might be fhewn as ill-grounded among us, as they are among that people *. As to their military affairs, they boaft that the king's army confifts of an hundred and feventy-fix thousand foot, and thirty-two thoufand horfe: if that may be called an army, which is made up of tradefmen in the feveral cities, and farmers in the country, whofe commanders are only the nobility and gentry without pay or reward. They are indeed perfect enough in their exercifes, and under very good difcipline, wherein I faw no great merit; for how fhould it be otherwife, where every farmer is under the command of his own landlord, and every citizen under that of the principal men in his own city, chofen after the manner of Venice by ballot? I have often feen the militia of Lorbrulgrud drawn out to exercise in a great field near the city of twenty miles quare. They were in all not above twenty-five thousand foot, and fix thoufand horfe; but it was impoffible for me to compute their number, confidering the space of ground they took up. A cavalier, mounted on a large fteed, might be about ninety feet high. I have feen this whole body of horfe, upon a word of command, draw their fwords at once, and brandifh them in the air. Imagination can figure nothing fo grand, fo furprifing, and fo afonishing! it looked as if ten thoufand flashes of lightning were darting at the fame time from every quarter of the fky. The author's zeal to juftify Providence has before been remarked; and thefe quarrels with nature, or in other words with God, could not have been more forcibly reproved than by fhewing, that the complaints upon which they are founded would be equally fpecious among beings of fuch astonishing fuperiority of ftature and ftrength. I was curious to know how this prince, to whofe dominions there is no accefs from any other country, came to think of armies, or to teach his people the practice of military difcipline. But I was foon informed, both by converfation and reading their hiftories: for in the courfe of many ages they have been troubled with the fame difease to which the whole race of mankind is fubject; the nobility often contending for pow er, the people for liberty, and the king for abfolute dominion. All which, however happily tempered by the laws of that kingdom, have been fometimes violated by each of the three parties, and have more than once occafioned civil wars, the laft whereof was happily put an end to by this prince's grandfather in a general compofition; and the militia, then fettled with common confent, hath been ever fince kept in the ftricteft duty. CHAP. VIII. The king and queen make a progress to the frontiers. The author attends them. The manner in which he leaves the country very particularly related. returns to England. He I had always a strong impulfe, that I fhould fome time recover my liberty, though it was impoffible to conjecture by what means, or to form any project with the leaft hope of fucceed ing. The fhip in which I failed was the firft ever known to be driven within fight of that coaft, and the king had given ftrict orders, that, if at any time another appeared, it should be taken afhore, and with all its crew and paffengers brought in a tumbril to Lorbrulgrud, He was ftrongly bent to get me a woman of my own fize, by whom I might propagate the breed: but I think i fhould rather have died, than undergone the difgrace of leaving a pofterity to be kept in cages like tame canary birds, and perhaps in time fold about the kingdom to perfons of quality for curiofities. I was indeed treated with much kindnefs: I was the favourite of a great king and queen, and the delight of the whole court; but it was upon fuch a foot, as ill became the dignity dignity of human kind. I could never forget thofe domestic pledges I had left behind me. I wanted to be among people with whom I could converfe upon even terms, and walk about the ftreets and fields, without being afraid of being trod to death like a frog, or young puppy. But my deliverance came fooner than I expected, and in a manner not very common: the whole ftory and circumftances of which I fhall faithfully relate. I had now been two years in this country; and about the beginning of the third Glumdalclitch and I attended the king and queen in a progrefs to the fouth coast of the kingdom. I was carried as ufual in my travelling-box, which, as I have already deferibed, was a very convenient clofet of twelve feet wide. And I had ordered a hammock to be fixed by filken ropes from the four corners at the top, to break the jolts, when a fervant carried me before him on horfeback, as I fometimes defired, and would often fleep in my hammock while we were upon the road. On the roof of my clofet, not directly 'over the middle of the hammock, I or. dered the joiner to cut out a hole of a foot fquare, to give me air in hot weather, as I flept; which hole I shut at pleafure with a board, that drew backwards and forwards through a groove. When we came to our journey's end, the king thought proper to pafs a few days at a palace he hath near Flanflafnic, a city within eighteen English miles of the fea-fide. Glumdalclitch and I were much fatigued: I had got ten a small cold, but the poor girl was fo ill as to be confined to her chamber. I longed to fee the ocean, which must be the only fcene of my efcape, if ever it fhould happen. I pretended to be worse than I really was, and defired leave to take the fresh air of the fea with a page whom I was very fond of, and who had fometimes been trufted with me. I fhall never forget with what unwillingness Glumdalclitch confented, nor the ftrict charge fhe gave the page to be careful of me, burfing at the fame time into a flood of tears, as if fhe had fome foreboding of what was to happen. The boy took me out in Be my box about half an hour's walk from the palace towards the rocks on the fea-fhore. I ordered him to fet me down, and lifting up one of my fafhes, cat many a willful melancholy look towards the fea. 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 fhut the window clofe down to keep out the cold. I foon fell asleep, and all I can conjecture is, that while I flept, the page, thinking no danger could happen, went among the rocks to look for birds eggs, having before obferved him from my window fearching about, and picking up one or two in the clefts. that as it will, I found myself fuddenly awaked with a violent pull upon the ring, which was faftened at the top of my box for the conveniency of carriage. I felt my box raifed very high in the air, and then borne forward with prodigious fpeed. The first jolt had like to have fhaken me out of my hammock, but afterwards the motion was eafy enough. I called out feveral times, as loud as I could raife my voice, but all to no purpofe. I looked towards my windows, and could fee nothing but the clouds and fky. I heard a noife juft over my head like the clapping of wings, and then began to perceive the woful condition I was in, that fome eagle had got the ring of my box in his beak with an intent to let it fall on a rock like a tortoife in a fhell, and then pick out my body, and devour it for the fagacity and fell of this bird enabled him to difcover his quarry at a great diftance, though better concealed than I could be within a two-inch board. In a little time I obferved the noife and flutter of wings to increase very fat, and my box was toffed up and down like a fign in a windy day. I heard feveral bangs or buffets, as I thought, given to the eagle (for fuch I am certain it must have been that held the ring of my box in his beak) and then all on a fudden felt myfelf falling perpendicularly down for above a minute, but with fuch incredible fwiftnefs that I almost lost my breath. My My fall was topped by a terrible fquafh, that founded louder to my ears than the cataract of Niagara; after which I was quite in the dark for another minute, and then my box began to rife fo high that I could fee light from the tops of the windows. I now perceived that I was fallen into the fea. My box, by the weight of my body, the goods that were in, and the broad plates of iron fixed for ftrength at the four corners of the top and bottom, floated about five feet deep in water. I did then, and do now fuppofe, that the eagle which flew away with my box was purfued by two or three others, and forced to let me drop while he defended himfelf against the reft, who hoped to fhare in the prey. The plates of iron faftened at the bottom of the box (for those were the ftrongeft) preferved the balance while it fell, and hindered it from being broken on the furface of the water. Every joint of it was well grooved and the door did not move on hinges, but up and down like a fafh, which kept my clofet fo tight that very little water came in. I got with much difficulty out of my hammock, having first ventured to draw back the flip-board on the roof already mentioned, contrived on purpofe to let in air, for want of which I found myfelf almoft ftifled. How often did I then with myfelf with my dear Glumdalclitch, from whom one fingle hour had fo far divided me! And I may fay with truth, that in the midst of my own misfortunes I could not forbear lamenting my poor nurse, the grief fhe would fuffer for my lofs, the difpleafure of the queen, and the ruin of her fortune. Perhaps many travellers have not been under greater difficulties and diftrefs than I was at this juncture, expecting every moment to fee my box dafhed to pieces, or at least overlet by the first violent blast or rifing wave. A breach in one fingle pane of glafs would have been immediate death: nor could any thing have preferved the Niagara is a fettlement of the French in North America, and the cataract is produced by the fall of a conflux of water (formed of the four vat lakes of Canada) from a rocky precipice, the perpendicular height of which is one hundred and thirty-feven feet; and it is faid to have been heard Afteen leagues. windows but the ftrong lattice-wires placed on the outfide against accidents in travelling. I faw the water ooze in at feveral crannies, although the leaks were not confiderable, and I endeavoured to ftop them as well as I could. I was not able to lift up the roof of my closet, which otherwife I certainly fhould have done, and fat on the top of it, where I might at least preferve my felf fome hours longer than by being fhut up (as I may call it) in the hold. Or if I escaped thefe dangers for a day or two, what could I expect but a miferable death of cold and hunger? I was four hours under thefe circumftances, expecting, and indeed wishing every moment to be my laft. I have already told the reader, that there were two ftrong ftaples fixed upon that fide of my box which had no window, and into which the fervant who ufed to carry me on horfeback would put a leathern belt, and buckle it about his waift. Being in this difconfolate ftate, I heard, or at least thought I heard, fome kind of grating noife on that fide of my box where the ftaples were fixed, and foon after I began to fancy, that the box was pulled or towed along in the fea; for I now and then felt a fort of tugging, which made the waves rife near the tops of my windows, leaving me almoft in the dark. This gave me fome faint hopes of relief; although I was not able to imagine how it could be brought about. I ventured to unfcrew one of my chairs, which were always faftened to the floor; and having made a hard fhift to fcrew it down again directly under the flipping-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 faftened my hand. kerchief to a flick I ufually carried, and thrufting it up the hole, waved it feveral times in the air, that if any boat or fhip were near, the feamen might conjecture fome unhappy mortal to be fhut up in the box. I found no effect from all I could do, but plainly perceived my closet to be moved along; and in the fpace of an hour, or better, that fide of the box where the ftaples were, and had no win dow, ftruck again ft fomething that was hard. I apprehended it to be a rock, and found myself toffed more than ever. I plainly heard a noife upon the cover of my closet like that of a cable, and the grating of it as it paffed through the ring. I then found myfelf hoifted up by degrees at least three feet higher than I was before. Whereupon I again thruft up my flick and handkerchief, calling for help, till I was almost hoarse. In return to which, I heard a great fhout repeated three times, giving me fuch tranfports of joy as are not to be conceived but by thofe who feel them. I now heard a trampling over my head, and somebody calling through the hole with a loud voice in the English tongue, If there be any body below, let them fpeak. I answered, I was an English man, 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 dun geon I was in. The voice replied, I was fafe, for my box was fattened to their fhip; and the carpenter fhould immediately come and law a hole in the cover large enough to pull me out. I answered, that was needlefs, and would take up too much time, for there was no more to be done, but let one of the crew put his finger into the ring, and take the box out of the fea into the fhip, and fo into the captain's cabin. Some of them upon hearing me talk fo wildly thought I was mad; others laughed; for indeed it never came into my head that I was now got among people of my own ftature and ftrength. The carpenter came, and in a few minutes fawed a paffage about four feet fquare, then let down a small ladder, upon which I mounted, and from thence was taken into the fhip in a very weak condition. The failors were all in amazement, and asked me a thoufand questions, *There are feveral little incidents which fhew the author to have had a deep knowledge of human nature; and I think this is onc. Although the principal advantages enumerated by Gulliver in the beginning of this chapter, of mingling again among his countrymen, depended on their being of the fame fize with himfelt, yet this is forgotten in his ardour to be delivered: and he is afterwards betrayed into the fame abfurdity, by his zeal to preferve his furniture. which I had no inclination to anfwer. I was equally confounded at the fight of fo many pigmies, for fuch I took them to be, after having fo long accuftomed mine eyes to the monstrous objects I had left. But the captain, Mr. Thomas Wilcocks, an honest worthy Shropshireman, obferving 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, advifing me to take a little reft, of which I had great need. Before I went to fleep, I gave him to understand that I had fome valuable furniture in my box too good to be lost; a fine hammock, an handfome field-bed, two chairs, a table, and a cabinet. That my clofet was hung on all fides, or rather quilted, with filk and cotton: that if he would let one of the crew bring my clofet into his cabin, I would open it there before him and fhew him my goods. The captain hearing me utter thefe abfurdities concluded I was raving: however (I fuppofe to pacify me) he promised to give order as I defired, and going upon deck, fent fome of his men down into my clofet, from whence (as I afterwards found) they drew up all my goods, and ftripped off the quilting; but the chairs, cabinet, and bedstead, being fcrewed to the floor, were much damaged by the ignorance of the feamen, who tore them up by force. Then they knocked off fome of the boards for the use of the fhip, and when they had got all they had a mind for, let the hull drop into the fea, which by reafon of many breaches made in the bottom and fides funk to rights. And indeed I was glad not to have been a fpectator of the havock they made; because I am confident it would have fenfibly touched me, by bringing former paffages into my mind, which I had rather forget. I flept fome hours, but perpetually disturbed with dreams of the place I had left, and the dangers I had efcaped. However, upon waking I found myself much recovered. It was now about eight o'clock at night, and the captain ordered fupper immediately, thinking I had already fafted too long. He entertained me with great kindness, obferving me not to look wildly, or talk inconfiftently; and, when we were left alone, |