did once prefer any perfon of merit, unless by mistake, or treachery of fome minister in whom they confided: neither would they do it if they were to live again; and they fhewed with great strength of reason, that the royal throne could not be fupported without corruption, because that pofitive, confident, reftive temper, which virtue infused into a man, was a perpetual clog to public bufinefs.

I had the curiofity to enquire in a particular manner, by what method great numbers had procured to themselves high titles of honour and prodigious eftates; and I confined my enquiry to a very modern period, however without grating upon prefent times, because I would be fure to give no offence even to foreigners; for I hope the reader need not to be told, that I do not in the leaft intend my own country in what I fay upon this occafion. A A great number of perfons concerned were called up, and upon a very flight examination discovered fuch a fcene of infamy, that I cannot reflect upon it without fome ferioufnefs. Perjury, oppreffion, fubornation, fraud, pandarism, and the like infirmities were amongst the most excufable arts they had to mention; and for thefe I gave, as it was reafonable, great allowance. But when fome confeffed they owed their greatness and wealth to fodomy, or inceft; others to the prostituting of their own wives and daughters; others to the betraying their country or their prince; fome to poisoning, more to the perverting of

3

justice

juftice in order to deftroy the innocent: I hope I may be pardoned, if these discoveries inclined me a little to abate of that profound veneration, which I am naturally apt to pay to perfons of high rank, who ought to be treated with the utmost refpect due to their fublime dignity by us their inferiors.

I had often read of fome great fervices done to princes and ftates, and defired to fee the perfons, by whom thofe fervices were performed. Upon enquiry I was told, that their names were to be found on no record, except a few of them, whom hiftory hath reprefented as the vileft rogues and traitors. As to the reft, I had never once heard of them. They all appeared with dejected looks, and in the meanest habit, moft of them telling me they died in poverty and difgrace, and the rest on a fcaffold or a gibbet.

Among others there was one perfon, whofe cafe appeared a little fingular. He had a youth about eighteen years old ftanding by his fide. He told me he had for many years been commander of a fhip; and in the fea fight at Actium, had the good fortune to break through the enemies great line of battle, fink three of their capital hips, and take a fourth, which was the fole caufe of Anthony's flight, and of the victory that enfued; that the youth standing by him, his only fon, was killed in the action. He added, that upon the confidence of fome merit, the war being at an end, he went to Rome, and follicited at the court of Auguftus

Auguftus to be preferred to a greater fhip, whofe commander had been killed; but without any regard to his pretenfions it was given to a boy, who had never feen the sea, the fon of Libertina, who waited on one of the emperor's mistreffes. Returning back to his own. veffel he was charged with neglect of duty, and the ship given to a favourite page of Publicola, the vice-admiral; whereupon he retired, to a poor farm at a great diftance from Rome, and there ended his life. I was fo curious to know the truth of this ftory, that I defired Agrippa might be called, who was admiral in that fight. He appeared, and confirmed the whole account, but with much more advantage to the captain, whofe modesty had extenuated or concealed a great part of his me

rit.

I was surprised to find corruption grown fo high and fo quick in that empire, by the force of luxury fo lately introduced, which made me less wonder at many parallel cafes in other countries, where vices of all kinds have reigned fo much longer, and where the whole praife, as well as pillage, hath been engroffed by the chief commander, who perhaps had the least title to either.

As every perfon called up made exactly the fame appearance he had done in the world, it gave me melancholy reflections to obferve, how much the race of human kind was degenerated among us within thefe hundred years past. How the pox under all its confequen

ces

ces and denominations had altered every lineament of an english countenance: fhortened the fize of bodies, unbraced the nerves, relaxed the finews and mufcles, introduced a fallow complexion, and rendered the flesh loofe and rancid.

I defcended fo low as to defire, that fome english yeomen of the old ftamp, might be fummoned to appear; once fo famous for the fimplicity of their manners, diet, and drefs; for juftice in their dealings; for their true fpirit of liberty; for their valour and love of their country. Neither could I be wholly unmoved, after comparing the living with the dead, when I confidered how all thefe pure native virtues were proftituted for a piece of money by their grand-children, who in felling their votes, and managing at elections, have acquired every vice and corruption that can poffibly be learned in a court.

CHA P. ix.

The author returns to Maldonada. Sails to the kingdom of Luggnagg. The author confined. He is fent for to court. The manner of his admittance. The king's great lenity to his fubjects.

TH

HE day of our departure being come, I took leave of his highness, the governor of Glubbdubdribb, and returned with my two companions to Maldanada, where after a fortnight's waiting, a fhip was ready to fail for Luggnagg. The two gentlemen, and fome others,

thers, were fo generous and kind as to furnish me with provifions, and fee me on board. I was a month in this voyage. We had one violent storm, and were under a neceffity of steer ing westward to get into the trade-wind, which holds for above fixty leagues. On the 21ft of April, 1708, we failed into the river of Clumegnig, which is a fea-port town, at the foutheaft point of Luggnagg. We caft' anchor within a league of the town, and made a fignal for a pilot. Two of them came on board in less than half an hour, by whom we were guided between certain fhoals and rocks, which are very dangerous in the paffage, to a large bafin, where a fleet may ride in fafety within a cable's length of the town wall.

Some of our failors, whether out of treachery or inadvertence, had informed the pilots that I was a stranger and a great traveller ; whereof these gave notice to a custom-houfe officer, by whom I was examined very ftrictly upon my landing. This officer spoke to me in the language of Balnibarbi, which by the force of much commerce is generally underflood in that town, efpecially by fea-men, and thofe employed in the customs. I gave him a short account of fome particulars, and made my story as plaufible and confiftent as I could; but I thought it neceffary to disguise my country, and call myself an Hollander, because my intentions were for Japan, and I knew the Dutch were the only Europeans permitted to enter into that kingdom. I there

fore