the morning; and when I had gone about four leagues to the northward, the wind being at fouth-eaft, at fix in the evening I defcried a small island about half a league to the north-weft. I advanced forward, and caft anchor on the lee-fide of the island, which feemed to be uninhabit ed. I then took fome refreshment, and went to my rest. 1 flept well, and as I conjecture, at least fix hours, for I found the day broke in two hours after I awaked. It was a clear night. I eat my breakfast before the fun was up; and heaving anchor, the wind being favourable, I fteered the fame courfe that I had done the day before, where-in I was directed by my pocket-compafs. My intention was to reach, if poffible, one of those islands which I had reafon to believe lay to the north-east of Van Die- men's land. I difcovered nothing all that day; but upon the next, about three in the afternoon, when I had, by my computation, made twenty-four leagues from Blefufcu, I defcried a fail fteering to the fouth-east; my courfe was due east. I hailed her, but could get no anfwer; yet I found I gained upon her, for the wind flackened. I made all the fail I could, and in half an hour she fpied me, then hung out her antient, and difcharged a gun. It is not eafy to exprefs the joy I was in upon the unexpected hope of once more feeing my beloved country, and the dear pledges I left in it. The fhip flackened her fails, and I came up with her between five and fix in the evening, September 26; but my heart leapt within me to fee her English colours. I put my cows and fheep into my coat-pockets, and got on board with all my little car go of provifions. The veffel was an English merchantman returning from Japan, by the North and South-feas; the captain Mr. John Biddel of Deptford, a very civil man, and an excellent failor. We were now in the latitude of 30 degrees fouth, there were about fifty men in the fhip; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a good character to the captain. This gentleman treated me with kindness, and defired I would let him know what place I came from laft, and whither I was bound; which I did in few words, but he thought I was raving, and that the dangers I had underwent had disturbed my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and fheep out of my pocket, which, after

great

great astonishment, clearly convinced him of my veracity I then fhewed him the gold given me by the Emperor of Blefufcu, together with his Majefty's picture at full length, and fome other rarities of that country. I gave him two purfes of two hundred prugs each, and promifed, when we arrived in England, to make him a prefent of a cow and a sheep big with young.

I fhall not trouble the reader with a particular account of this voyage, which was very profperous for the most part. We arrived in the Downs on the 13th of April 1702. I had only one misfortune, that the rats on board carried away one of my fheep; I found her bones in a hole, picked clean from the flesh. The rest of my cattle I got fafe a-fhore, and fet them a grazing in a bowling-green at Greenwich, where the fineness of the grafs made them feed very heartily, though I had always feared the contrary: neither could I poffibly have preferved them in fo long a voyage, if the captain had not allowed me fome of his best bifcuit, which, rubbed to powder, and mingled with water, was their conftant food. The short time I continued in England, I made a confiderable profit by fhewing my cattle to many perfons of quality, and others and before I began my fecond voyage, I fold them for fix hundred pounds. Since my last return I find the breed is confiderably increafed, efpecially the fheep, which I hope will prove much to the advantage of the woollen manufacture, by the fineness of the fleeces.

I stayed but two months with my wife and family: for my infatiable defire of feeing foreign countries would fuffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen hundred pounds with my wife, and fixed her in a good houfe at Redriff. My remaining stock I carried with me, part in money and part in goods, in hopes to improve my fortune. My eldest uncle John had left me an estate in land, near Epping, of about thirty pounds a-year; and I had a long leafe of the Black-Bull in Fetter-Lane, which yielded me as much more: fo that I was not in any danger of leaving my family upon the parish. My fon Johnny, named fo after his uncle, was at the grammar-school, and a towardly child. My daughter Betty, (who is now

well

well married, and has children) was then at her needlework. I took leave of my wife, and boy and girl, with tears on both fides, and went on board the Adventure, a merchant-ship of 300 tons, bound for Surat, Capt. John Nicholas of Liverpool commander. But my account of this voyage must be referred to the second part of my travels.

TRAVELS

TRAVELS into feveral REMOTE NATIONS of the world.

PART II.

A VOYAGE to BROBDINGNAG.

CHAP. I.

A great ftorm defcribed, the long-boat fent to fetch water, the author goes with it to discover the country. He is left on fhore, is feized by one of the natives, and carried to a farmer's houfe. His reception, with Several accidents that happened there. A defcription of the inhabitants.

"AVING been condemned by nature and fortune

H

to an active and restless life, in two months after my return, I again left my native country, and took fhipping in the Downs on the 20th day of June 1702, in the Adventure, Capt. John Nicholas, a Cornish man, commander, bound for Surat. We had a very profperous gale till we arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, where we landed for fresh water, but difcovering a leak, we unfhipped our goods, and wintered there; for, the captain falling fick of an ague, we could not leave the Cape till the end of March. We then fet fail, and had a good voyage till we paffed the Streights of Madagascar; but having got northward of that island, and to about five degrees fouth latitude, the winds, which in thofe feas are obferved to blow a conftant equal gale between the north and weft, from the beginning of December to the beginning of May, on the 19th of April began to blow with much greater violence, and more wefterly than ufual, continuing fo for twenty days together, during which time, we were driven a little to the eaft of the Molucca islands, and about three degrees northward of the line, as our captain found by an obfervation he took the 2d

of

of May, at which time the wind ceafed, and it was a perfect calm, whereat I was not a little rejoiced. But he, being a man well experienced in the navigation of those feas, bid us all prepare against a ftorm, which accordingly happened the day following: for a fouthern wind, called the fouthern monfoon, began to fet in.

ous.

Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our spritfail, and ftood by to hand the fore-fail; but, making foul weather, we looked the guns were all faft, and handed the mizen. The fhip lay very broad off, fo we thought it better spooning before the fea, than trying or hulling. We reeft the fore-fail and fet him, and hawled aft the fore-fheet; the helm was hard-a-weather. The fhip wore bravely. We belayed the fore-down-hall; but the fail was split, and we hawled down the yard, and got the fail into the fhip, and unbound all the things clear of it. It was a very fierce storm; the sea broke ftrange and dangerWe hawled off upon the lanniard of the whip-ftaff, and helped the man at the helm. We would not get down our top-maft, but let all stand, because fhe fcudded before the fea very well, and we knew that, the top-mast being aloft, the fhip was the wholfomer, and made better way through the fea, feeing we had fea-room. When the ftorm was over, we fet fore-fail and main-fail, and brought the ship to. Then we fet the miffen, main-topfail, and the fore-top-fail. Our course was east-northeat, the wind was at fouth-west. We got the star-board tacks aboard, we call off our weather-braces and lifts; we fet in the lee-braces, and hawled forward by the weather-bowlings, and hawled them tight, and belayed them, and hawled over the mizen-tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as she would lie.

During this ftorm, which was followed by a ftrong wind weft-fouth-west, we were carried by my computation about five hundred leagues to the east, fo that the oldest failor on board could not tell in what part of the world we were. Our provifions held out well, our ship was ftaunch, and our crew all in good health; but we lay in the utmost distress for water. We thought it best to hold on the fame course, rather than turn more northerly, which might have brought us to the north-west parts of great Tartary, and into the frozen sea.

VOL. IV.

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On