cluded I had loft my wits. This I mention as an instance 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 fhould never go to fea any more; although my evil destiny so ordered, that he had not power to hinder me, as the reader may know hereafter. In the mean time, I here conclude the fecond part of my unfortunate voyages

From the whole of these two voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag, arifes one general remark, which, however obvious, has been overlooked by those who confider them as little more than the sport of a wanton imagination. When human actions are ascribed to pigmies and giants, there are few that do not excite either contempt, disgust, or horror. To ascribe them therefore to fuch beings, was perhaps the most probable method of engaging the mind to examine them with attention, and judge of them with impartiality, by suspending the fascination of habit, and exhibiting familiar objects in a new light, The use of the fable then is not less apparent, than important and extenfive; and that this ufe was intended by the author, can be doubted only by those who are difpofed to affirm, that order and regularity are the effects of chance. Hawkes.

Upon reading over the two first parts of these travels, I think that I can discover a very great refemblance between certain paffages in Gulliver's voyage to Lilliput, and the voyage of Cyrano de Bergerac to the fun and moon. -Cyrano de Bergerac is a French author of a fingular character, who had a ve ry peculiar turn of wit and humour, in many respects resembling that of Swift. He wanted the advantages of learning, and a regular education. His imagination was lefs guarded and correct, but more agreeably extravagant. He has introduced into his philofophical romance, the system of Descartes, (which was then much admired) intermixed with feveral fine ftrokes of just fatire on the wild and immechanical enquiries of the philofophers and aftronomers of that age; and in many parts he has evidently directed the plan which the Dean of St. Patrick's has purfued. Orrery.

TRAVELS

TRAVELS into feveral REMOTE NA TIONS of the world.

PART III.

A VOYAGE to LAPUTA, BALNIBARBI, LUGGNAGG, GLUBBDUBDRIB, and JAPAN*.

CHA P. I.

The author fets out on his third Voyage, is taken by ty rates. The malice of a Dutchman. His arrival at an Ifland. He is received into Laputa.

HAD not been at home above ten days, when captain William Robinfon a Cornish man, commander

came to my house. I had formerly been furgeon of another fhip, where he was mafter and a fourth part owner,

in

The third part is in general written against chymists, mathematicians, mechanicks, and projectors of all kinds.

Swift was little acquainted with mathematical knowledge, and was prejudiced against ít, by obferving the strange effects it produced in those who applied themselves entirely to that fscience. No part of human literature has given greater ftrength to the mind, or has produced greater benefits to mankind, than the feveral branches of learning that may pass under the general denomination of mathematics. But the abuses of this study, the idle, thin, immechanical refinements of it, are just subjects of fatire. The real ufe of knowledge is to invigorate, not to enervate the faculties of reafon. Learning degenerates into a fpecies of madness, when it is not superior to what it poffeffeth

The

in a voyage to the Levant; he had always treated me more like a brother, than an inferior officer, and hearing of my arrival, made me a vifit, as I apprehended, only out of friendship; for nothing paffed more than what is ufual

The scientific powers are most evident, when they are capable of exerting themfelves in the focial duties of life; when they wear no chains, but can freely difengage themselves, and, like a sound constitution of body, rife chearful, and more vigorous by the food they have acquired, being neither oppressed, nor rendered ftupid by the labours of digestion.

Lord Bacon has juftly expofed the vain pursuits of oftentatious pedants in the different parts of learning; and their unaccountable temerity in deducing general rules from arbitrary maxims, or few experiments: he has likewise fixed upon a fure and certain bafis, the procedure and limits of the human understanding. Swift has purfued the fame plan in a different manner, and has placed the imaginary schemes of all pretenders, in a more ludicrous, and therefore in a more proper light. Ridiculum acri

Fortius ac melius, magnas plerumque fecat res.

He cannot be fuppofed to condemn ufeful experiments, or the right application of them: but he ridicules the vain attempts and irregular productions of those rafh men, who, like Ixion, embracing a cloud instead of a goddess, plagued the world with Centaurs; whilft Jupiter from the embraces of a Juno, and an Alcmena, blessed the earth with an Hebe, and an Hercules. Orrery.

The design of Gulliver in his voyage to Laputa, is to ridicule the vain pretenfions of chymifts, mathematicians, projectors, and the rest of that speculative tribe, who spend their time in aerial ftudies, by no means calculated to improve the faculties of the mind, or to enlarge the number of ideas; mathematicians (I mean thofe only who are entirely devoted to their circles, their telescopes, and their laboratory) being a race of men so very abstracted from all fublunary affairs, that scarce one in twenty of them can give you a rational answer. However, indeed, a certain degree of mathematical knowledge is, without difpute, extremely neceffary in the purfuit of the Afculapian science, architecture, and other fpecies of mechanics. But when the foul rambles after a thousand chimæras, and the

ufual after long abfences. But repeating his vifits often, expreffing his joy to find me in good health, afking whether I were now settled for life; adding, that he intended a voyage to the Eaft-Indies in two months; at last he plainly invited me, though with fome apologies, to be furgeon of the fhip; that I fhould have another furgeon under me, belides our two mates; that my salary should be double to the ufual pay; and that having experienced my knowledge in fea affairs to be at least equal to his, he would enter into any engagement to follow my advice, as... much as if I had fhared in the command..

He said fo many other obliging things, and I knew him to be fo honeft a man, that I could not reject his propofal; the thirst I had of feeing the world, notwithstand-› ing my past misfortunes, continuing as violent as ever. The only difficulty that remained, was to perfuade my wife, whofe confent however I at last obtained by the profpect of advantage the propofed to her children:.

We fet out the 5th day of August 1706, and arrived at Fort St. George the 11th of April 1707. We stayed there three weeks to refresh our crew, many of whom were fick. From thence we went to Tonquin, where the captain refolved to continue some time, because many of the goods he intended to buy were not ready, nor could he expect to be difpatched in feveral months. Therefore, in hopes to defray fome of the charges he must be at, he bought a floop, loaded it with feveral

brain is wholly absorbed in the confideration of the feveral powers of attraction, repulfion, and the circulation of the heavenly bodies; or when a projector with footy hands and face, is employed in his laboratory in producing a confiderable degree of cold, in order to refrigerate the air, and qualify the raging of the dog star,, which exactly answers to the project of extracting fun-beams out of cucumbers; fuch follies and extravagancies are certainly the objects of derifion. And accordingly Dr. Swift has laughed egregiously in the voyage to Laputa, and exerted a vein of humour, not against the whole tribe of chymifts, projectors, and mathematicians in general; but against thofe, and those only, who defpife the useful branches of science, and waste their lives in the purfuit of aerial vanities and extravagancies. Swift.

forts

forts of goods, wherewith the Tonquinefe ufually trade to the neighbouring islands, and putting fourteen men on board, whereof three were of the country, he appointed me mafter of the floop, and gave me power to traffic, while he tranfacted his affairs at Tonquin.

We had not failed above three days, when, a great ftorm arifing, we were driven five days to the north-northeaft, and then to the east; after which we had fair wea ther, but still with a pretty ftrong gale from the west. Upon the tenth day we were chaced by two pyrates, who foon overtook us; for my floop was fo deep laden, that the failed very flow, neither were we in a condition 10 defend ourselves.

We were boarded about the fame time by both the pyrates, who entered furioufly at the head of their men ; but finding us all proftrate upon our faces (for fo I gave order) they pinioned us with ftrong ropes, and, fetting a guard upon us, went to fearch the loop.

I obferved among them a Dutchman, who seemed to be of fome authority, though he was not commander of either fhip. He knew us by our countenances to be Englishmen, and jabbering to us in his own language, fwore we fhould be tied back to back, and thrown into the fea. I spoke Dutch tolerably well; I told him who we were, and begged him, in confideration of our being chriftians and protestants of neighbouring countries in strict alliance, that he would move the captains to take fome pity on us. This inflamed his rage, he repeated his threatenings, and turning to his companions, spoke with great vehemence in the Japanese language, as I fuppofe, often ufing the word chriftianos.

The largest of the two pyrate fhips was commanded by a Japanese captain, who spoke a little Dutch, but very imperfectly. He came up to me, and after feveral queftions, which I anfwered in great humility, he faid we fhould not die. I made the captain a very low bow, and then turning to the Dutchman faid, I was forry to find more mercy in an heathen, than in a brother chriftian. But I had foon reason to repent those foolish words: for that malicious reprobate, having often endeavoured in vain to perfuade both the captains that I might be thrown into the fea (which they would not yield to after the pro

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