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times I would put up my fail, and then my business was only to fteer, while the ladies gave me a gale with their fans; and when they were weary, fome of the pages would blow my fail forward with their breath, while I thewed my art by steering ftarboard or larboard, as I pleafed. When I had done, Glumdalclitch always carried back my boat into her closet, and hung it on a nail to dry.

In this exercife I once met an accident, which had like to have cost me my life: for one of the pages having put my boat into the trough, the governefs, who attended Glumdalclitch, very officiously lifted me up to place me in the boat, but I happened to flip through her fingers, and should infallibly have fallen down forty feet upon the floor, if, by the luckieft chance in the world, I had not been stopped by a corking-pin that ftuck in the good gentlewoman's ftomacher; the head of the pin paffed between my shirt and the waistband of my breeches, and thus I was held by the middle in the air, till Glumdalclitch ran to my relief.

Another time, one of the fervants, whofe office it was to fill my trough every third day with fresh water, was fo careless to let a huge frog (not perceiving it) flip out of his pail. The frog lay concealed till I was put into my boat, but then feeing a refting-place climbed up, and made it lean fo much on one fide, that I was forced to balance it with all my weight on the other to prevent overturning. When the frog was got in, it hopped at once half the length of the boat, and then over my head, backwards and forwards, daubing my face and clothes with its odious flime. The largenefs of its features made it appear the molt deformed animal that can be conceived. However, I defired Glumdalclitch to let me deal with it alone. I banged it a good while with one of my fculls, and at last forced it to leap out of the boat.

But the greatest danger I ever underwent in that kingdom, was from a monkey, who belonged to one of the clerks of the kitchen. Glumdalclitch had locked me up in her closet, while fhe went fomewhere upon business, or a vifit. The weather being very warm, the closetwindow was left open, as well as the windows and the door of my bigger box, in which I usually lived, because of its largenefs and conveniency. As I fat quietly mediVOL. IV. tating

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tating at my table, I heard fomething bounce in at the closet-window, and skip about from one fide to the other: whereat although I were much alarmed, yet I ventured to look out, but not stirring from my feat; and then I faw this frolicfome animal frifking and leaping up and down, till at last he came to my box, which he feemed to view with great pleasure and curiofity, peeping in at the door and every window. I retreated to the farther corner of my room, or box, but the monkey looking in at every fide put me into fuch a fright, that I wanted prefence of mind to conceal myself under the bed, as I might eafily have done. After fome time spent in peeping, grinning, and chattering, he at last espied me, and reaching one of his paws in at the door, as a cat does when he plays with a moufe, although I often fhifted place to avoid him, he at length feized the lappet of my coat (which, being made of that country filk, was very thick and strong) and dragged me out. He took me up in his right fore-foot, and held me as a nurse does a child fhe is going to fuckle, just as I have seen the fame fort of creature do with a kitten in Europe; and when I offered to struggle, he fqueefed me fo hard, that I thought it more prudent to fubmit. I have good reafon to believe, that he took me for a young one of his own fpecies, by his often froaking my face very gently with his other paw. In thefe diverfions he was interrupted by a noife at the closet-door, as if fomebody were opening it; whereupon he fuddenly leaped up to the window, at which he had come in, and thence upon the leads and gutters, walking upon three legs, and holding me in the fourth, till he clambered up to a roof that was next to ours. I heard Glumdalclitch give a fhreek at the moment he was carrying me out. The poor girl was almost distracted: that quarter of the palace was all in an uproar; the fervants ran for ladders; the monkey was feen by hundreds in the court, fitting upon the ridge of a building, holding me like a baby in one of his forepaws, and feeding me with the other, by cramming into my mouth fome victuals he had fqueefed out of the bag on one fide of his chaps, and patting me when I would not eat; whercat many of the rabble below could not forbear laughing; neither do I think they justly ought to be blamed, for without queftion the fight was ridiculous

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enough to every body but myfelf. Some of the people. threw up ftones, hoping to drive the monkey down; but this was ftrictly forbidden, or elfe very probably my brains had been dafhed out.

The ladders were now applied, and mounted by feveral men, which the monkey obferving, and finding himfelf almost encompassed; not being able to make speed enough with his three legs, let me drop on a ridge tyle, and made his escape. Here I fat for fome time, five hundred yards from the ground, expecting every moment to be blown down by the wind, or to fall by my own giddinefs, and come tumbling over and over from the ridge to the eves: but an honest lad, one of my nurse's footmen, climbed up, and putting me into his breeches-pocket brought me down fafe.

I was almost choaked with the filthy stuff the monkey had crammed down my throat; but my dear little purfe picked it out of my mouth with a fmall needle, and then I fell a vomiting, which gave me great relief. Yet I was fo weak, and bruifed in the fides with the fqueefes given me by this odious animal, that I was forced to keep my bed a fortnight. The King, Queen, and all the court, fent every day to enquire after my health, and her Majefty made me feveral vifits during my fickness. The monkey was killed, and an order made that no fuch animal fhould be kept about the palace.

When I attended the King after my recovery to return him thanks for his favours, he was pleafed to rally me a good deal upon this adventure. He asked me, what my thoughts and fpeculations were while I lay in the monkey's paw; how I liked the victuals he gave me ; his manner of feeding; and whether the fresh air on the roof had sharpened my stomach. He desired to know, what I would have done upon fuch an occafion in my own country. I told his Majesty, that in Europe we had no monkies, except fuch as were brought for curiofities from other places, and fo fmall, that I could deal with a dozen of them together, if they prefumed to attack me. And as for that monstrous animal with whom I was fo lately engaged (it was indeed as large as an elephant) if my fears had fuffered me to think fo far as to make use of my hanger (looking fiercely, and clapping my hand upon the hilt, as

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I fpoke)

I fpoke) when he poked his paw into my chamber, perhaps I fhould have given him fuch a wound, as would have made him glad to withdraw it with more haste than he put it in. This I delivered in a firm tone, like a person who was jealous left his courage fhould be called in queftion. However, my fpeech produced nothing else besides a loud laughter, which all the refpect due to his Majesty from thofe about him could not make them contain. This made me reflect, how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavour to do himself honour among thofe, who are out of all degree of equality or comparifon with him. And yet I have feen the moral of my own behaviour very frequent in England fince my return, where a little contemptible varlet, without the least title to birth, perfon, wit, or common fenfe, fhall prefume to look with im portance, and put himself upon a foot with the greatest perfons of the kingdom.

I was every day furnishing the court with fome ridiculous ftory; and Glumdalclitch, although she loved me to excefs, yet was arch enough to inform the Queen, whenever I committed any folly that the thought would be diverting to her Majefty. The girl, who had been out of order, was carried by her governefs to take the air a bout an hour's distance, or thirty miles from town. They alighted out of the coach near a small foot-path in a field, and Glumdalclitch fetting down my travelling-box, I went out of it to walk. There was a cow-dung in the path, and I must need try my activity by attempting to leap over it. I took a run, but unfortunately jumped fhort, and found myfelf juft in the middle up to my knees. I waded through with fome difficulty, and one of the footmen wiped me as clean as he could with his handker chief; for I was filthily bemired, and my nurfe confined me to my box, till we returned home; where the Queen was foon informed of what had paffed, and the footmen fpread it about the court; fo that all the mirth for fome days was at my expence.

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Several contrivances of the author to please the King and Queen. He fhews his skill in mufic. The King enquires into the fate of England, which the author relates to him. The King's obfervations thereon.

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Used to attend the King's levee once or twice a week,

and had often feen him under the barber's hand, which indeed was at first very terrible to behold for the razor was almost twice as long as an ordinary fcythe. His Majefty, according to the custom of the country, was only fhaved twice a week. I once prevailed on the barber to give me fome of the fuds 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 as

*In this chapter the author gives an account of the political state of Europe. His obfervations are delivered with his ufual fpirit of humour and severity. He appears most particu larly affected with the proceedings of the courts of judi. cature, and complains of being almost ruined by a chanceryfuit, which was determined in his favour with cofts. It must be confeffed, that inftances of this kind are too frequent in our courts of justice; and they leave us no room to boast of the execution of our prefent laws, however excellent the laws, in their own original foundation, may have been. Judgment, when turned into wormwood, is bitter; but delays, as Lord Bacon obferves, turn it into vinegar. It becomes fharp and corroding=" and certainly it is more eligible to die immediately by the wound of an enemy, than to decay lingering by poison, ad ministered from a feeming friend. Orrery. ›

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The Noble commentator is mistaken as to his first observation; for Gulliver has here given a political account of no Country but England. It is however a mistake to which any Commentator would have been liable, who had read little more than the titles or contents of the chapters, into which this work is divided; for the word Europe has, in fome English, and all the Irish editions, been printed in the title of this chapter, inftead of England. Hawkef.

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