I flept well, and as I conjecture at leaft fix hours, for I found the day broke in two hours after I awaked. It was a clear night. I eat my breakfaft before the fun was up; and heaving anchor, the wind being favourable, I fteered the fame courfe that I had done the day before, wherein I was directed by my pocket-compafs. My intention was to reach, if poffible, one of thofe islands which I had reason to believe lay to the north-eaft of Van Diemen'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 descried a fail steering to the fouth-eaft; my courfe was due east, I hailed her, but could get no anfwer; yet I found I gained upon her, for the wind flackened. Imade all the fail I could, and in half an hour the fpied me, then hung out her ancient, 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 hip 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 coatpockets, and got on board with all my little cargo of provifions. The veffel was an English merchant-man returning from Japan by the north and fouth-feas; the captain Mr. John Biddle, 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 sheep out of my pocket, which, after great aftonishment, 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 fheep 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 afhore, and set 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 beft 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 laft return I find the breed is confiderably increased, efpecially the fheep, which I hope will prove much to the advantage of the woollen manufacture by the fineness of the fleeces.

I ftayed 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 flock I carried with me, part in money and part in goods, in hopes to improve my fortunes. My eldeft uncle John had left me an eftate in land, near Epping, of about thirty pounds a-year; and I had a long leafe of the Black-Bull in FetterLane, 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 married, and has children) was then at her needle-work. I took leave of my wife, and boy and girl, with tears on both fides, and went on board the Adventure, a merchant-fhip of three hundred tons, bound for Surat, captain John Nicholas of Liverpool commander. But my account of this voyage must be deferred to the second part of my travels. Swift.

$149. A Voyage to Brobdingnag.
CHAP. I.

A great form defcribed, the long-beat fent to fetch water, the author goes with it to difcover

I was going to halloo after them, although it had been to little purpofe, when I obferved a huge creature walking after them in the fea, as fast as he could: he waded not much deeper than his knees, and took prodigious ftrides: but our men had the ftart of him half a league, and the fea thereabouts being full of fharp-pointed rocks, the moniter was not able to overtake the boat. This I was afterwards told, for I durft not flay to fee the iffue of the adventure; but ran as fast as I could the way I first went, and then climbed up a fteep hill, which gave me fome profpect of the country. I found it fully cultivated; but that which firft furprifed me was the length of the grafs, which, in thofe grounds that feemed to be kept for hay, was about twenty feet high.

I fell into a high road, for fo I took it to be, though it ferved to the inhabitants only as a foot-path through a field of barley. Here I walked on for fome time, but could fee little on either fide, it being now near harveft, and the corn rifling at least forty feet. I was an hour walking to the end of this field, which was fenced. in with a hedge of at least one hundred and twenty feet high, and the trees fo lofty that I could make no computation of their altitude. There was a file to pafs from this field into the next. It had four steps, and a flone to cross over when you came to the uppermoft. It was impoffible for me to climb this ftile, becaufe every step was fix feet high, and the upper ftone above twenty. I was endeavouring to find fome gap in the hedge, when I difcovered one of the inhabitants in the next field advancing towards the file, of the fame fize with him whom I faw in the fea pursuing our boat. He appeared as tall as an ordinary fpire fteeple, and took about ten yards at every firide, as near as I could guefs. I was ftruck with the utmost fear and aftonishment, and ran to hide myfelf in the corn, from whence I faw him at the top of the file looking back into the next field on the right hand, and heard him call in a voice many degrees louder than a fpeaking-trumpet; but the noife was fo high in the air, that at first I certainly thought it was thunder. Whereupon feven monsters, like hinfelf, came towards him with reaping-hooks in their hands, each hook about the largenefs of fix fcythes. Thefe people were not fo well clad as the first, whofe fervants or labourers they feemed to be: for, upon

fome words he spoke, they went to reap the corn in the field where I lay. I kept from them at as great a distance as I could, but was forced to move with extreme difficulty, for the ftalks of the corn were fometimes not above a foot diftant, fo that I could hardly fqueeze my body betwixt them. However I made a shift to go forward, till I came to a part of the field where the corn had been laid by the rain and wind. Here it was impoffible for me to advance a step; for the talks were fo interwoven that I could not creep thorough, and the beards of the fallen ears fo ftrong and pointed, that they pierced through my clothes into my flesh. At the fame time I heard the reapers not above an hundred yards behind me. Being quite 'difpirited with toil, and wholly overcome by grief and defpair, I lay down between two ridges, and heartily wished I might there end my days, I bemoaned my defolate widow, and fatherless children. I lamented my own folly and wilfulness in attempting a fecond voyage, against the advice of all my friends and relations. In this terrible agitation of mind I could not forbear thinking of Lilliput, whose inhabitants looked upon me as the greatest prodigy that ever appeared in the world: where I was able to draw an imperial fleet in my hand, and perform those other actions which will be recorded for ever in the chronicles of that empire, while pofterity thall hardly believe them, although attefted by millions. I reflected what a mortification it muft prove to me to appear as inconfiderable in this nation, as one fingle Lilliputian would be among us. But this I conceived was to be the least of my misfortunes: for, as human creatures are obferved to be more favage and cruel in proportion to their bulk, what could I expect but to be a morfel in the mouth of the first among these enormous barbarians, that fhould happen to feize me? Undoubtedly philofophers are in the right when they tell us, that nothing is great or little otherwife than by compariion. It might have pleafed fortune to have let the Lilliputians find fome nation, where the people were as diminutive with respect to them, as they were to me. And who knows but that even this prodigious race of mortals might be equally over-matched in fome diftant part of the world, whereof we have yet no discovery?

Scared and confounded as I was, I could not forbear going on with these reflections

tions, when one of the reapers, approaching within ten yards of the ridge where I lay, made me apprehend that with the next step I fhould be fquafhed to death under his foot, or cut in two with his reaping-hook. And therefore when he was again about to move, I fcreamed as loud as fear could make me. Whereupon the huge creature trod fhort, and looking round about under him for fome time, at lalt efpied me as I lay on the ground. He confidered me awhile, with the caution of one who endeavours to lay hold on a fmall dangerous animal in fuch a manner that it fhall not be able either to scratch or to bite him, as I myself have fometimes done with a weafel in England. At length he ventured to take me up behind by the middle between his fore-finger and thumb, and brought me within three yards of his eyes, that he might behold my fhape more perfectly. I gueffed his meaning, and my good fortune gave me fo much prefence of mind, that I refolved not to truggle in the leaft as he held me in the air above fixty feet from the ground, although he grievously pinched my fides, for fear I fhould flip through his fingers. All I ventured was to raife mine eyes towards the fun, and place my hands toge. ther in a fupplicating posture, and to fpeak fome words in an humble melancholy tone, fuitable to the condition I then was in. For I apprehended every moment that he would dafh me against the ground, as we ufually do any little hateful animal, which we have a mind to deftroy *. But my good ftar would have it, that he appeared pleafed with my voice and geftures, and began to look upon me as a curiofity, much wondering to hear me pronounce articulate words, although he could not underftand them. In the mean time I was not able to forbear groaning and fhedding tears, and turning my head towards my fides; letting him know, as well as I could, how cruelly I was hurt by the preffure of his thumb and finger. He feemed to apprehend my meaning; for, lifting up the lappet of his coat, he put me gently into it, and immediately ran along with me to his

Our inattention to the felicity of fenfitive beings, merely because they are fmall, is here forcibly reproved: many have wantonly crushed an infect, who would fhudder at cutting the throat of a dog: but it should always be remembered,

that the leaft of these

"In mortal fufferance feels a pang as great "As when a giant d'es.”

mafter, who was a fubftantial farmer, and the fame perfon I had first seen in the field.

The farmer having (as I fuppofe by their talk) received fuch an account of me as his fervant could give him, took a piece of a small straw, about the fize of a walking-ftaff, and therewith lifted up the lappets of my coat; which it feems he thought to be fome kind of covering that nature had given me. He blew my hairs afide to take a better view of my face. He called his hinds about him, and afked them (as I afterwards learned) whether they had ever seen in the fields any little creature that refembled me: he then placed me fofily on the ground upon all four, but I got immediately up, and walked flowly backwards and forwards to let thofe people fee I had no intent to run away. They all fat down in a circle about me, the better to obferve my motions. I pulled off my hat, and made a low bow towards the farmer. I fell on my knees, and lifted up my hands and eyes, and spoke several words as loud as I could: I took a purfe of gold out of my pocket, and humbly prefented it to him. He received it on the palm of his hand, then applied it close to his eye to fee what it was, and afterwards turned it feveral times with the point of a pin (which he took out of his fleeve) but could make nothing of it. Whereupon I made a fign that he should place his hand on the ground. I then took the purfe, and opening it, poured all the gold into his palm. There were fix Spanish pieces of four piftoles each, befides twenty or thirty fmaller coins. I faw him wet the tip of his little finger upon his tongue, and take up one of my largeft pieces, and then another, but he feemed to be wholly ignorant what they were. He made me a fign to put them again into my purfe, and the purfe again into my pocket, which, after offering it to him feveral times, I thought it beft to do.

The farmer by this time was convinced I must be a rational creature. He spoke often to me, but the found of his voice pierced my ears like that of a water-mill, yet his words were articulate enough. I answered as loud as I could in feveral languages, and he often laid his ear within two yards of me, but all in vain, for we were wholly unintelligible to each other. He then fent his fervants to their work, and taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he doubled and fpread it on his

left

left hand, which he placed flat on the ground, with the palm upwards, making me a fign to ftep into it, as I could eafily do, for it was not above a foot in thicknefs. I thought it my part to obey, and, for fear of falling, laid myself at full length upon the handkerchief, with the remainder of which he lapped me up to the head for farther fecurity, and in this manner carried me home to his houfe. There he called his wife, and fhewed me to her; but fhe fcreamed and ran back, as women in England do at the fight of a toad or a fpider. However, when he had a while feen my behaviour, and how well I obferved the figns her husband made, fhe was foon reconciled, and by degrees grew extremely tender of me.

It was about twelve at noon, and a fervant brought in dinner. It was only one fubftantial dish of meat (fit for the plain condition of an husbandman) in a dish of about four-and-twenty feet diameter. The company were the farmer and his wife, three children, and an old grandmother: when they were fat down, the farmer placed me at fome diftance from him on the table, which was thirty feet high from the floor, I was in a terrible fright, and kept as far as I could from the edge for fear of falling. The wife minced a bit of meat, then crumbled fome bread on a trencher, and placed it before me. I made her a low bow, took out my knife and fork, and fell to eat, which gave them exceeding delight. The miftrefs fent her maid for a fmall dram-cup, which held about two gallons, and filled it with drink; I took up the veffel with much difficulty in both hands, and in a most respectful manner drank to her ladyfhip's health, expreffing the words as loud as I could in English, which made the company laugh fo heartily, that I was almost deafened with the noife. This liquor tafted like a small cyder, and was not unpleafant. Then the mafter made me a fign to come to his trencher-fide; but as I walked on the table, being in great furprize all the time, as the indulgent reader will eafily conceive and excufe, I happened to ftumble against a cruft, and fell flat on my face, but received no hurt. I got up immediately, and obferving the good people to be in much concern, I took my hat (which I held under my arm out of good manners) and, waving it over my head, made three huzzas to fhew I had got no mifchief by my fall. But advancing forwards toward my mafter (as I fhall

henceforth call him) his youngest fon, whe fat next him, an arch boy of about ten years old, took me up by the legs, and held me fo high in the air, that I trembled every limb; but his father fnatched me from him, and at the fame time gave him fuch a box on the left ear, as would have felled an European troop of horfe to the earth, ordering him to be taken from the table. But being afraid the boy might owe me a fpite, and well remembering how mischievous all children among us naturally are to sparrows, rabbits, young kittens, and puppydogs, I fell on my knees, and pointing to the boy, made my master to understand, as well as I could, that I defired his fon might be pardoned. The father complied, and the lad took his feat again; whereupon I went to him and kiffed his hand, which my mafter took, and made him stroke me gently with it.

In the midst of dinner, my miftrefs's favourite cat leaped into her lap. I heard a noife behind me like that of a dozen ftocking-weavers at work; and, turning my head, I found it proceeded from the purring of that animal, who feemed to be three times larger than an ox, as I computed by the view of her head, and one of her paws, while her miftrels was feeding and itroking her. The fierceness of this creature's countenance altogether difcompofed me, though I ftood at the further end of the table, above fifty feet off, and although my mistress held her fast, for fear the might give a fpring, and feize me in her talons. But it happened there was no danger; for the cat took not the leaft notice of me, when my mafter placed me within three yards of her. And as I have been always told, and found true by experience in my travels, that flying or difcovering fear before a fierce animal is a certain way to make it pursue or attack you, fo I refolved in this dangerous juncture to fhew no manner of concern. I

walked with intrepidity five or fix times before the very head of the cat, and came within half a yard of her; whereupon the drew herfelf back, as if the were more afraid of me. I had lefs apprehenfion concerning the dogs, whereof three or four came into the room, as it is ufual in farmers houfes; one of which was a mastiff equal in bulk to four elephants, and a greyhound fomewhat taller than the mastiff, but not fo large.

When dinner was almost done, the nurse came in with a child of a year old in her

arms,