Yedo; where I was admitted to an audience, and delivered my letter, which was opened with great ceremony, and explained to the emperor by an interpreter; who then gave me notice, by his majesty's order, "That I should signify my request, and, whatever it were, it should be granted, for the sake of his royal brother of Luggnagg." This interpreter was a person employed to transact affairs with the Hollanders; he soon conjectured, by my countenance, that I was an European, and therefore repeated his majesty's commands in Low Dutch, which he spoke perfectly well. I answered, as I had before determined, "That I was a Dutch merchant, shipwrecked in a very remote country, whence I had travelled by sea and land to Luggnagg, and then took shipping for Japan; where I knew my countrymen often traded, and with some of these I hoped to get an opportunity of returning into Europe: I therefore most humbly entreated his royal favour, to give order that I should be conducted in safety to Nangasac." To this I added another petition, "That for the sake of my patron the King of Luggnagg, his majesty would condescend to excuse my performing the ceremony imposed on my countrymen, of trampling upon the crucifix ;*

* When the success of the Portuguese missionaries had excited the resentment of the Emperor of Japan, and given rise to a long and bloody persecution of their converts, it became the policy of the empire to prevent a renewal of such scenes, by excluding Christians from these countries. The Dutch are said to have preserved their liberty of trade, by denying their faith, and trampling upon the crucifix, the sign of adoration to the Portuguese. This story, though current, seems to be without foundation; but the Dutch, as we are informed by Raynal, submit to many other degradations, in order to retain their privilege to trade with Japan.

"Ever since the year 1641, they have been confined to the artificial island of Disnia, raised in the harbour of Nangasaque, &c.,

because I had been thrown into this kingdom by my misfortunes, without any intention of trading. When this latter petition was interpreted to the emperor, he seemed a little surprised; and said, He believed I was the first of my countrymen who ever made any scruple in this point; and that he began to doubt, whether I was a real Hollander or not; but rather suspected I must be a Christian. However, for the reasons I had offered, but chiefly to gratify the King of Luggnagg, by an uncommon mark of his favour, he would comply with the singularity of my humour; but the affair must be managed with dexterity, and his officers should be commanded to let me pass, as it were by forgetfulness. For he assured me, that if the secret should be discovered by my countrymen the Dutch, they would cut my throat in the voyage.' I returned my thanks, by the interpreter, for so unusual a favour; and some troops being at that time on their march to Nangasac, the commanding officer had orders to convey me safe thither, with particular instructions about the business of the crucifix.

On the 9th day of June, 1709, I arrived at Nangasac, after a very long and troublesome journey. I soon fell into the company of some Dutch sailors.

which has a communication with the city by a bridge. As soon as they arrive, their ships are stripped, and their powder, muskets, swords, guns, and eyen rudder, carried ashore. In this kind of imprisonment they are treated with a degree of contempt which is beyond conception; and can transact no business but with commissaries, appointed to regulate the price and the quantity of their merchandise. It is impossible that the tameness with which they have endured this treatment more than a century, should not have lessened them in the eyes of the nation who is witness of it; and that the love of gain should have produced such an extreme insensibility to insults, without tarnishing their character."-RAYNAL'S History of the Settlements in the Indies. Lond. 1776, vol. I. 148.

belonging to the Amboyna of Amsterdam, a stout ship of 450 tons. I had lived long in Holland, pursuing my studies at Leyden, and I spoke Dutch well. The seamen soon knew whence I came last; they were curious to inquire into my voyages and course of life. I made up a story as short and probable as I could, but concealed the greatest part. I knew many persons in Holland; I was able to invent names for my parents, whom I pretended to be obscure people in the province of Gelderland. I would have given the captain (one Theodorus Vangrult) what he pleased to ask for my voyage to Holland; but understanding I was a surgeon, he was contented to take half the usual rate, on condition that I would serve him in the way of my calling. Before we took shipping, I was often asked by some of the crew, "Whether I had performed the ceremony above mentioned?" I evaded the question by general answers; "That I had satisfied the emperor and court in all particulars." However, a malicious rogue of a skipper went to an officer, and, pointing to me, told him, "I had not yet trampled on the crucifix;" but the other, who had received instructions to let me pass, gave the rascal twenty strokes on the shoulders with a bamboo; after which I was no more troubled with such questions.

Nothing happened worth mentioning in this voyage. We sailed with a fair wind to the Cape of Good Hope, where we stayed only to take in fresh water. On the 10th of April, 1710, we arrived safe at Amsterdam, having lost only three men by sickness in the voyage, and a fourth, who fell from the foremast into the sea, not far from the coast of Guinea, From Amsterdam I soon after set sail for England, in a small vessel belonging to that city.

On the 16th of April we put in at the Downs. I landed next morning, and saw, once more, my native country, after an absence of five years and six months complete. I went straight to Redriff, where I arrived the same day at two in the afternoon, and found my wife and family in good health.

THE AUTHOR SETS OUT AS CAPTAIN OF A SHIP. HIS MEN CONSPIRE AGAINST HIM; CONFINE HIM A LONG TIME TO HIS CABIN; SET HIM ON SHORE IN AN UNKNOWN LAND. HE TRAVELS UP INTO THE COUNTRY. THE YAHOOS, A STRANGE SORT OF ANIMAL, DESCRIBED. THE AUTHOR MEETS TWO HOUYHNHNMS.

CONTINUED at home with my wife. and children about five months, in a very happy condition, if I could have learned the lesson of knowing when I

was well. I left my poor wife big with child, and accepted an advantageous offer made me to be captain of the Adventure, a stout merchant