CHA P. III.

The author fent for to court. The queen buys him of his mafter the farmer, and prefents him to the king. He difputes with his majesty's great fcholars. An apartment at court provided for the author. He is in high favour with the queen. He ftands up for the honour of his own country. His quarrels with the queen's dwarf.

my

a

HE frequent labours I underwent every TH day, made in few weeks a very confiderable change in health the more my master got by me, the more infatiable he grew. I had quite loft my ftomach, and was almost reduced to a skeleton. The farmer obferved it, and concluding I muft foon die, refolved to make as good a hand of me as he could. While he was thus reasoning and refolving with himself, a fardral, or gentleman-ufher, came from court, commanding my mafter to carry me immediately thither for the diverfion of the queen and her ladies. Some of the latter had already been to fee me, and reported strange things of my beauty, behaviour, and good fenfe. Her majefty, and those who attended her, were beyond measure delighted with my demeanour. I fell on my knees, and begged the honour of kiffing her imperial foot; but this gracious princess held out her little finger towards me (after I was fet on a table) which I embraced

5

embraced in both my arms, and put the tip of it with the utmost respect to my lip. She made me fome general queftions about my country, and my travels, which I answered as diftinctly, and in as few words as I could. She asked, whether I would be content to live at court. I bowed down to the board of the table, and humbly answered that I was my mafter's flave; but if I were at my own difpofal, I should be proud to devote my life to her majefty's fervice. She then afked my master, whether he were willing to fell me at a good price. He, who apprehended I could not live a month, was ready enough to part with me, and demanded a thoufand pieces of gold, which were ordered him on the spot, each piece being about the bignefs of eight hundred moydores; but, allowing for the proportion of all things between that country and Europe, and the high price of gold among them, was hardly fo great a fum as a thoufand guineas would be in England, I then faid to the queen, fince I was now her majesty's most humble creature and vaffal, I muft beg the favour, that Glumdalclitch, who had, always tended me with fo much care and kindness, and understood to do it fo well, might be admitted into her service, and continue to be my nurse and inftructor. Her majefty agreed to my petition, and easily got the farmer's confent, who was glad enough to have his daughter preferred at court, and the poor girl herself was not able to hide her joy my late mafter withdrew, bidding me farewel,

farewel, and faying he had left me in a good service; to which I replied not a word, only making him a flight bow.

The queen obferved my coldness, and, when the farmer was gone out of the apartment, afked me the reafon. I made bold to tell her majesty, that I owed no other obligation to my late mafter, than his not dashing out the brains of a poor harmless creature found by chance in his field; which obligation was amply recompensed by the gain he had made in fhewing me through half the kingdom, and the price he had now fold me for. That the life I had fince led, was laborious enough to kill an animal of ten times my ftrength. That my health was much impaired by the continual drudgery of entertaining the rabble every hour of the day, and that, if my master had not thought my life in danger, her majesty would not have got fo cheap a bargain. But as I was out of all fear of being ill treated under the protection of fo great and good an emprefs, the ornament of nature, the darling of the world, the delight of her fubjects, the phoenix of the creation; fo, I hoped my late mafter's apprehenfions would appear to be groundless, for I already found my spirits to revive by the influence of her moft august prefence.

This was the fum of my fpeech, delivered with great improprieties and hesitation; the latter part was altogether framed in the ftyle peculiar to that people, whereof I learned fome phrafes

phrafes from Glumdalclitch, while she was carrying me to court.

The queen, giving great allowance for my defectiveness in fpeaking, was however furprised at fo much wit and good fense in so diminutive an animal. She took me in her own hand, and carried me to the king, who was then retired to his cabinet. His majesty, a prince of much gravity and auftere countenance, not well obferving my shape at first view, afked the queen after a cold manner, how long it was fince fhe grew fond of a Splacnuck; for fuch it seems he took me to be, as I lay upon my breast in her majesty's right hand. But this princess, who hath an infinite deal of wit and humour, fet me gently on my feet upon the fcrutore, and commanded me to give his majefty an account of myself, which I did in a very few words; and Glumdalclitch, who attended at the cabinet door, and could not endure I should be out of her fight, being admitted, confirmed all that had paffed from my arrival at her father's house.

The king, although he be as learned a perfon as any in his dominions, had been educated in the ftudy of philofophy, and particularly mathematics; yet when he observed my shape exactly, and faw me walk erect, before I began to fpeak, conceived I might be a piece of clock-work (which is in that country arrived to a very great perfection) contrived by fome ingenious artift. But when he heard my voice, and found what I delivered to be regular and

rational,

rational, he could not conceal his astonishment. He was by no means fatisfied with the relation I gave him of the manner I came into his kingdom, but thought it a story concerted between Glumdalclitch and her father, who had taught me a fett of words to make me fell at a better price. Upon this imagination he put feveral other questions to me, and still received rational answers, no otherwise defective than by a foreign accent, and an imperfect knowledge in the language, with fome ruftic phrafes which I had learned at the farmer's houfe, and did not fuit the polite ftyle of a court.

His majesty sent for three great scholars, who were then in their weekly waiting according to the custom in that country. These gentlemen, after they had a while examined my shape with much nicety, were of different opinions concerning me. They all agreed, that I could not be produced according to the regular laws of nature, because I was not framed with a capacity of preferving my life either by swiftnefs, or climbing of trees, or digging holes in the earth. They obferved by my teeth, which they viewed with great exactness, that I was a carnivorous animal; yet moft quadrupeds being an overmatch for me, and field-mice with fome others too nimble, they could not imagine how I fhould be able to fupport myself, unless I fed upon fnails and other infects, which they offered, by many learned arguments, to evince that I

could