taining me, although I had a very scanty allowance, being ་ too great for a narrow fortune, I was bound apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent furgeon in London, with whom I continued four years; and my father now and then fending me small fums of money, I laid them out in learning navigation, and other parts of the mathematics, ufeful to those who intend to travel, as I always believed it would be fome time or other my fortune to do. When I left Mr. Bates, I went down to my father; where, by the affiftance of him and my uncle John, and some o

while they produce fome particular qualities, are apt to check others. Fortitude of mind seldom attends a fedentary life: nor is the man whofe ambitious views are croffed, fcarce ever afterwards endued with benevolence of heart. The fame mind that is capable of exerting the greatest virtue, by fome defect in the firft fteps of education often degenerates into the greatest vice. These effects take their fource from causes almost mechanical The soul, in our present situation, is blended and inclosed with corporeal substance, and the matter of which our body is com posed, produces strange impulfes upon the mind.. -To cor reft vice, by shewing her deformity, in opposition to the beau ty of virtue, and to amend the false systems of philosophy, by pointing out the errors, and applying falutary means to avoid them, is a noble design, and was, I would fain flatter myself, the general intent of this hieroglyphic writer.Gulliver's travels are chiefly to be looked upon as an irregular essay of Swift's peculiar wit and humour. The inhabitants of Lilliput are reprefented, as if reflected from a concave mirror, by which every object is reduced to a despicable minutenefs. The inha bitants of Brobdingnag, by a contrary mirror, are enlarged to a shocking deformity. In Lilliput we behold a fet of puny infects, or animalcules in human shape, ridiculously engaged in affairs of importance. In Brobdingnag the monsters of enor mous fize are employed in trifles.In the two first parts there are many ridiculous adventures, even fuch as must have excited mirth from Heraclitus. Where indelicacies do not intervene, the narrative is very entertaining and humorous. In fome parts, Gulliver feems to have had particular incidents, if not particular persons in his view. His obfervations on education are useful: and so are his improvements on the inftitutions of Lycurgus. Orrery.

ther

ther relations, I got forty pounds, and a promise of thirty pounds a-year to maintain me at Leyden: there I ftudied phyfic two years and feven months, knowing it would be ufeful in long voyages.

Soon after my return from Leyden, I was recommended by my good mafter Mr. Bates to be furgeon to the Swallow, Captain Abraham Pannell, commander; with whom I continued three years and a half, making a voyage or two into the Levant, and fome other parts. When I came back, I refolved to fettle in London; to which Mr. Bates, my mafter, encouraged me, and by him I was recommended to feveral patients. I took part of a small houfe in the Old-Jury; and being advised to alter my condition, I married Mrs. Mary Burton, fecond daughter to Mr. Edmund Burton hofier in Newgate-ftreet, with whom I received four hundred pounds for a portion.

But, my good mafler Bates dying in two years after, and I having few friends, my business began to fail; for my confcience would not fuffer me to imitate the bad practice of too many among my brethren. Having therefore confulted with my wife, and fome of my acquaintance, I determined to go again to fea. I was furgeon fucceffively in two fhips, and made feveral voyages for fix years to the East and West Indies, by which I got fome addition to my fortune. My hours of leifure I spent in reading the best authors, antient and modern, being always provided with a good number of books; and when I was afhore,.in obferving the manners and difpofitions of the people, as well as learning their language, wherein I had a great facility by the strength of my memory.

The last of these voyages not proving very fortunate, I grew weary of the fea, and intended to stay at home. with my wife and family. I removed from the Old-Jury to Fetter-lane, and from thence to Wapping, hoping to get business among the failors; but it would not turn to account. After three years expectation that things would mend, I accepted an advantageous offer from Capt. William Prichard, mafter of the Antelope, who was making. a voyage to the South-Sea. We fet fail from Bristol, May 4. 1699; and our voyage at first was very profperous.

It would not be proper, for fome reasons, to trouble the reader with the particulars of our adventures in those.

feas,

feas. Let it fuffice to inform him, that, in our paffage from thence to the Eaft-Indies, we were driven by a vio lent ftorm to the north-west of Van Diemen's land. By an observation we found ourselves in the latitude of 30 degrees 2 minutes fouth. Twelve of our crew were dead by immoderate labour, and ill food; the reft were in a very weak condition. On the 5th of November, which was the beginning of fummer in those parts, the weather being very hazy, the feamen fpied a rock within half a cable's length of the fhip; but the wind was so strong, that we were driven directly upon it, and immediately fplit. Six of the crew, of whom I was one, having let down the boat into the fea, made a fhift to get clear of the fhip and the rock. We rowed by my computation about three leagues, till we were able to work no longer, being already spent with labour while we were in the ship. We therefore trufted ourselves to the mercy of the waves, and in about half an hour the boat was overset by a fudden flurry from the north. What became of my companions in the boat, as well as of thofe who escaped on the rock, or were left in the veffel, I cannot tell; but conelude they were all loft. For my own part, I fwam as fortune directed me, and was pushed forward by wind and tide. I often let my legs drop, and could feel no bottom: but when I was almost gone, and able to struggle no longer, I found myself within my depth; and by this time the storm was much abated. The declivity was fo small, that I walked near a mile before I got to the shore, which I conjectured was about eight o'clock in the evening. I then advanced forward near half a mile, but could not discover any sign of houses or inhabitants; at least I was in fo weak a condition, that I did not obferve them. I was extremely tired, and with that, and the heat of the weather, and about half a pint of brandy that I drank as I left the fhip, I found myself much inclined to fleep. I lay down on the grafs, which was very fhort and soft, where I flept founder than ever I remembered to have done in my life, and, as I reckoned, about nine hours; for when I awaked, it was juft day-light. I attempted to rife, but was not able to ftir: for as I happened to lie on my back, I found my arms and legs were ftrongly faftened on each fide to the ground; and my hair which was long

and

and thick, tied down in the fame manner, I likewise felt feveral flender ligatures acrofs my body, from my armpits to my thighs. I could only look upwards, the fun began to grow hot, and the light offended my eyes. I heard a confused noise about me; but, in the pofture I lay, could fee nothing except the sky. In a little time I felt fomething alive moving on my left leg, which advancing gently forward over my breast came almost up to my chin; when bending my eyes downward as much as I could, I perceived it to be a human creature not fix inches high, with a bow and arrow in his hands, and a quiver at his back. In the mean time, I felt at least forty more of the fame kind (as I conjectured) following the firft. I was in the utmost aftonishment, and roared fo loud, that they all ran back in a fright; and some of them, as I was afterwards told, were hurt with the falls they got by leaping from my fides upon the ground. However, they foon returned, and one of them, who ventured fo far as to get a full fight of my face, lifting up his hands and eyes by way of admiration, cried out in a fhrill but diftinct voice, Hekinah degul: the others repeated the fame words several times, but I then knew not what they meant. I lay all this while, as the reader may believe, in great uneafinefs; at length ftruggling to get loofe, I had the fortune to break the ftrings, and wrench out the pegs, that fastened my left arm to the ground; for, by lifting it up to my face, I discovered the methods they had taken to bind me, and at the same time with a violent pull, which gave me exceffive pain, I a lit tle loosened the strings that tied down my hair on the left side, so that I was juft able to turn my head about two inches. But the creatures ran off a fecond time be fore I could feize them; whereupon there was a great fhout in a very shrill accent, and after it ceased, I heard one of them cry aloud, Tolgo phonac; when in an instant I felt above an hundred arrows difcharged on my left hand, which pricked me like fo many needles; and befides, they shot another flight into the air, as we do bombs in Europe, whereof many, I fuppofe, fell on my body, (though I felt them not) and fome on my face, which I immediately covered with my left hand. When this fhower of arrows was over, I fell a groaning with grief and pain, and then striving again to get loose, they discharged

another

another volley larger than the firit, and fome of them attempted with fpears to ftick me in the fides; but by good luck I had on me a buff jerkin, which they could not pierce. I thought it the most prudent method to lie ftill, and my defign was to continue fo till night, when, my left hand being already loofe, I could eafily free myfelf: and as for < the inhabitants, I had reafon to believe I might be a match for the greateft army they could bring against me, if they were all of the fame fize with him, that I faw. But fortune difpofed otherways of me. When the people obferved I was quiet, they discharged no more arrows: but, by the noife I heard, I knew their numbers increased; and about four yards from me, over-against my right ear, [ heard a knocking for above an hour, like that of people at work: when turning my head that way, as well as the pegs and ftrings would permit me, I faw a ftage erected about a foot and a half from the ground, capable of holding four of the inhabitants, with two or three ladders to mount it: from whence one of them, who seemed to be a perfon of quality, made me a long fpeech, whereof I understood not one fyllable. But I should have mentioned, that before the principal perfon began his oration, he cried out three times Langro dehul fan: (these words and the former were afterwards repeated and explained to me). Whereupon immediately about fifty of the inhabitants came and cut the strings that fastened the left fide of my head, which gave me the liberty of turning it to the right, and of obferving the perfon and gesture of him that was to fpeak. He appeared to be of a middle age, and taller than any of the other three who attended him, whereof one was a page that held up his train, and feemed to be somewhat longer than my middle finger, the other two stood one on each side to fupport him. He acted every part of an orator, and I could obferve many periods of threatnings, and others of promifes, pity, and kindness. I answered in a few words, but in the most submissive manner, lifting up my left hand and both my eyes to the fun, as calling him for a witnefs; and being almoft famifhed with hunger, having not eaten a morfel for fome hours before I left the hip, I found the demands of nature fo ftrong upon me, that I could not forbear fhewing my impatience (perhaps against the strict rules of decency)

VOL. IV.

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