for my breakfast, above twenty wafps, allured by the fmell, came flying into the room, humming louder than the drones of as many bag-pipes. Some of them feized my cake, and carried it piece-meal away; others flew about my head and face, confounding me with the noise, and putting me in the utmost terror of their ftings. However, I had the courage to rife and draw my hanger, and attack them in the air. I difpatched four of them, but the reft got away, and I prefently fhut my window. These infects were as large as partridges; I took out their ftings, found them an inch and a half long, and as fharp as needles. I carefully preferved them all, and having fince fhewn them with fome other curiosities in feveral parts of Europe, upon my return to England, L gave three of them to Gresham College, and kept the fourth for myself..

CHA P. IV.

The country defcribed. A propofal for correcting mo-" dern maps. The King's palace, and fome account of the metropolis. The author's way of travelling. The chief temple defcribed.

I

Now intend to give the reader a short defcription of this country, as far as I travelled in it, which was not above two thoufand miles round Lorbrulgrud, the metropolis. For the Queen, whom I always attended, never went farther when the accompanied the King in his progreffes, and there ftaid till his Majefty returned from viewing his frontiers. The whole extent of this Prince's dominions reacheth about fix thousand miles in length, and from three to five in breadth. From whence I cannot but conclude, that our geographers of Europe are in a great error, by fuppofing nothing but fea between Japan and California; for it was ever my opinion, that there must be a balance of earth to counterpoife the great continent of Tartary; and therefore they ought to correct their maps and charts, by joining this vast tract of land to the north-west parts of America, wherein I shall be ready to lend them my affiftance.

The kingdom is a peninsula, terminated to the northeaft by a ridge of mountains, thirty miles high, which are altogether impaffable, by reafon of the volcanoes upon the tops: neither do the most learned know what fort of mortals inhabit beyond thofe mountains, or whether they be inhabited at all. On the three other fides it is bounded by the ocean. There is not one fea-port in the whole kingdom, and thofe parts of the coafts into which the rivers iffue, are fo full of pointed rocks, and the fea generally fo rough, that there is no venturing with the fmalleft of their boats; fo that these people are wholly excluded from any commerce with the reft of the world. But the large rivers are full of veffels, and abound with excellent fish, for they feldom get any from the fea, because the fea-fish are of the fame fize with thofe in Europe, and confequently not worth catching; whereby it is manifest, that nature, in the production of plants and animals of fo extraordinary a bulk, is wholly confined to this continent, of which I leave the reasons to be determined by philofophers. However, now and then they take a whale, that happens to be dashed against the rocks, which the common people feed on heartily. These whales I have known fo large, that a man could hardly carry one upon his fhoulders; and fometimes for curiofity they are brought in hampers to Lorbrulgrud: I faw one of them in a difh at the King's table, which paffed for a rarity, but I did not obferve he was fond of it; for I think indeed the bignefs difgufted him, although I have feen one fomewhat larger in Greenland.

The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty one cities, near an hundred walled towns, and a great number of villages. To fatisfy my curious reader, it may be fufficient to defcribe Lorbrulgrud. This city ftands upon almost two equal parts on each fide the river that paffes through. It contains above eighty thousand houses, and about fix hundred thousand inhabitants. It is in length three glomglungs, (which make about fifty-four English miles) and two and a half in breadth, as I meafured it myself in the royal map made by the King's order, which was laid on the ground on purpose for me, and extended an hundred feet; I paced the diameter and circumference feveral

feveral times bare foot, and, computing by the fcale, measured it pretty exactly.

The King's palace is no regular edifice, but an heap of building about feven miles round: the chief rooms are generally two hundred and forty feet high, and broad and long in proportion. A coach was allowed to Glumdalclitch and me, wherein her governefs frequently took her out to see the town, or go among the fhops; and I was always of the party, carried in my box; although the girl, at my own defire, would often take me out, and hold me in her hand, that I might more conveniently view the houses and the people, as we paffed along the ftreets. I reckoned our coach to be about the fquare of Weftminster-hall, but not altogether fo high: however, I cannot be very exact. One day the governess ordered our coachman to ftop at feveral fhops, where the beggars, watching their opportunity, crowded to the fides of the coach, and gave me the most horrible spectacles that ever an European eye beheld. There was a woman with a cancer in her breaft, fwelled to a monftrous fize, full of holes, in two or three of which I could have easily crept, and covered my whole body. There was a fellow with a wen in his neck larger than five wooll-packs, and another with a couple of wooden legs, each about twenty feet high. But the most hateful fight of all was the lice crawling on their cloaths. I could fee diftinctly the limbs of these vermin with my naked eye, much better than thofe of an European foufe through a microfcope, and their fnouts with which they rooted like fwine. They were the first I had ever beheld, and I should have been curious enough to diffect one of them, if I had had proper inftruments (which I unluckily left behind me in the hip) although indeed the fight was fo naufcous, that it a perfectly turned my ftomach.

Befide the large box in which I was ufually carried, the Queen ordered a smaller one to be made for me of about twelve feet fquare, and ten high, for the convenience of travelling, because the other was fomewhat too large for Glumdalclitch's lap, and cumbersome in the coach: it was made by the fame artist, whom I directed in the whole contrivance. This travelling-clofet was an exact fquare with a window in the middle of three of the squares,

and each window was latticed with iron wire on the outfide, to prevent accidents in long journeys. On the fourth fide, which had no window, two strong staples were fixed, through which the perfon that carried me, when I had a mind to be on horfeback, put a leathern belt, and buckled it about his waift. This was always the office of fome grave trusty servant in whom I could confide, whether I attended the King and Queen in their progreffes, or were difpofed to fee the gardens, or pay a visit to fome great lady or minister of state in the court, when Glum dalclitch happened to be out of order: for I foon began to be known and esteemed among the greatest officers, I fuppofe more upon account of their Majefties favour than any merit of my own. In journeys, when I was weary of the coach, a fervant on horfeback would buckle on my box, and place it upon a cufhion before him; and there I had a full profpect of the country on three fides from my three windows. I had in this closet a field-bed, and a hammock hung from the cieling, two chairs and a table, neatly fcrewed to the floor, to prevent being tossed about by the agitation of the horfe or the coach. And having been long used to fea voyages, thofe motions, although fometimes very violent, did not much discompofe me.

Whenever I had a mind to fee the town, it was always in my travelling-clofet, which Glumdalclitch held in her lap in a kind of open fedan, after the fashion of the country, borne by four men, and attended by two others in the Queen's livery. The people, who had often heard of me were very curious to crowd about the fedan, and the girl was complaisant enough to make the bearers ftop, and to take me in her hand, that I might be more conveniently feen.

I was very defirous to fee the chief temple, and particularly the tower belonging to it, which is reckoned the highest in the kingdom. Accordingly one day my nurse carried me thither, but I may truly fay I came back difappointed; 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 fize of those people and us in Europe, is no great matter for admiration, nor at all equal in proportion (if I rightly remember) to Salisbury steeple. But, not to detract

from

from a nation to which during my life I fhall acknowledge myfelf extremely obliged, it must be allowed that whatever this famous tower wants in height is amply made up in beauty and strength. For the walls are near an hundred feet thick, built of hewn stone, whereof each is about forty feet fquare, and adorned on all- fides with ftatues of Gods and Emperors, cut in marble larger than the life, placed in their several niches. I measured a little finger which had fallen down from one of these statues, and lay unperceived among fome rubbish, and found it exactly four feet and an inch in length. Glumdalclitch wrapped it up in her handkerchief; and carried it home in her pocket to keep among other trinkets, of which the girl was very fond, as children at her age ufually are.

The King's kitchen is indeed a noble building, vaulted at top, and about fix hundred feet high. The great oven is not fo wide by ten paces as the cupola at St. Paul's t for I measured the latter on purpose after my return. But if I fhould defcribe the kitchen-grate, the prodigious pots and kettles, the joints of meat turning on the fpits, with many other particulars, perhaps I fhould be hardly be lieved; at least a fevere critic would be apt to think I enlarged a little, as travellers are often fufpected to do. To avoid which cenfure, I fear I have run too much into the other extream; and that if this treatife should happen to be tranflated into the language of Brobdingnag (which is the general name of that kingdom) and tranf mitted thither, the King and his people would have reafon to complain, that I had done them an injury by a falfe and diminutive representation.

His Majefty feldom keeps above fix hundred horfes in his ftables: they are generally from fifty-four to fixty feet high. But, when he goes abroad on folemn days, he is attended for state by a militia guard of five hun dred horfe, which indeed I thought was the most fplendid fight that could be ever beheld, till I faw part of his army in battalia, whereof I shall find another occafion to fpeak..

CHAP