: have furprifed the world; how a whore can govern the back-ftairs, the back-ftairs a council, and the council a fenate. A general confeffed in my prefence, that he got: a victory purely by the force of cowardice and ill conduct and an admiral, that for want of proper intelligence he beat the enemy, to whom he intended to betray the fleet. Three kings protefted to me, that in their whole reigns they never did once prefer any person of merit, unless by mistake, or treachery of fome minifter in whom they confided; neither would they do it if they were to live again: and they fhewed with great ftrength 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 inquire, in a particular manner, by what method great numbers had procured to themfelves high titles of honour and prodigious eftates; and I confined my inquiry 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 least intend my own country in what I fay upon this occafion. A great number of perfons concerned were called up, and upon a very flight examination difcovered fuch a fcene of infamy, that I cannot reflect upon it without fome ferioufnefs. Perjury, oppreffion, fubornation, fraud, pandarifm, and the like infirmities, were amongst the most excufable arts they had to mention; and for these 1 gave, as it was reasonable, great allowance. But when fome confeffed they owed their greatnefs and wealth to fodomy, or inceft; others to the profituting of their own wives and daughters; others to the betraying their country or their prince; fome to poisoning, more to the perverting of juftice in order to destroy the innocent: I hope I may be pardoned, if these difcoveries 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 states, and defired to fee the perfons, by whom those fervices were performed. Upon inquiry I was told, that their names were to be found on no record, except a few of them, whom history 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 meaneft habit, most of them telling me they died in poverty and difgrace, and the reft on a scaffold or a gibbet. AMONG others there was one perfon, whofe cafe appeared a little fingular. He had a youth about eighteen years old standing by his fide. He told me he had for many years been commander of a ship; and in the feafight at Actium had the good fortune to break thro' the enemy's great line of battle, fink three of their capital fhips, and take a fourth, which was the fole cause 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 folicited at the court of 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 fea, the son 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 fhip given to a favourite page of Publicola the vice-admiral; whereupon he retired to a poor farm at a great distance from Rome, and there ended his life. I was fo curious to know the truth of this story, 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, whose modefty had extenuated or concealed a great part of his merit. I was furprised to find corruption grown fo high and fo quick in that empire, by the force of luxury fo lately introduced, which made me lefs 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 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 these hundred years paft. How the pox under all its confequences 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 these 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. СНАР. Sails to the kingdom The author returns to Maldonada. The King's of Luggnagg. The author confined. He is fent for 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 Maldonada, where after a fortnight's waiting, a fhip was ready to fail for Luggnagg. The two gentlemen, and fome others, 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 fteering weftward to get into the trade-wind, which holds for above fixty leagues. On the 21st of April, 1708, we failed into the river of Clumegnig, which is a fea-port town at the fouth-east 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 townwall. SOME of our failors, whether out of treachery or inadvertence, had informed the pilots that I was a ftranger and a great traveller; whereof these gave notice to a cuftom-house officer, by whom I was examined very ftrictly upon my landing. This officer fpoke to me in the language of Balnibarbi, which by the force of much commerce is generally understood in that town, especially by feamen, and thofe employed in the customs. I gave him a fhort account of fome particulars, and made my ftory as plaufible and confiftent as I could; but I thought it neceffary to disguise my country, and call myfelf an Hollander, because my intentions were for Japan, and I knew the Dutch were the only Europeans permit ted ted to enter into that kingdom. I therefore told the officer, that having been fhipwrecked on the coaft of Balnibarbi, and caft on a rock, I was received up into Laputa, or the flying island (of which he had often heard) and was now endeavouring to get to Japan, from whence I might find a convenience of returning to my own country. The officer faid, I must be confined till he could receive orders from court, for which he would write immediately, and hoped to receive an answer in a fortnight. I was carried to a convenient lodging with a centry placed at the door; however I had the liberty of a large garden, and was treated with humanity enough, being maintained all the time at the King's charge. I was invited by feveral perfons, chiefly out of curiofity, because it was reported that I came from countries very remote, of which they had never heard. I hired a young man, who came in the fame fhip, to be an interpreter; he was a native of Luggnagg, but had lived fome years at Maldonada, and was a perfe& master of both languages. By his affiftance I was able to hold a converfation with those who came to visit me; but this confifted only of their questions and my answers. THE dispatch came from court about the time we expected. It contained a warrant for conducting me and my retinue to Traldragdubh or Trildrogdrib, for it is pronounced both ways, as near as I can remember, by a party of ten horfe. All my retinue was that poor lad for an interpreter, whom I perfuaded into my fervice, and at my humble request we had each of us a mule to ride on. A meffenger was difpatched half a day's journey before us to give the King notice of my approach, and to defire that his Majefty would please to appoint a day and hour, when it would be his gracious pleasure, that I might have the honour to lick the duft before his footstool. This is the court style, and I found it to be more than matter of form. For, upon my admittance two days after my arrival, I was commanded to crawl upon my belly, and lick the floor as I advanced; but on account of my being a ftranger care was taken to have it made so clean, that the duft was not offenfive, However, this was a peculiar grace, not allowed to any but perfons of the higheft rank, |