hand twisted to a fufficient ftrength. When the ships came up, I ftript myself, and waded till I came within an hundred yards of the boat, after which I was forced to fwim till I got up to it. The feamen threw me the end of the cord, which I faftened to a hole in the fore-part of · the boat, and the other end to a man of war: but I found all my labour to little purpofe; for, being out of my depth, I was not able to work. In this neceffity, I was forced to fwim behind, and push the boat forwards as often as I could, with one of my hands; and the tide favouring me I advanced fo far, that I could just hold up my chin and feel the ground. I refted two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another shove, and fo on till the fea was no higher than my arm-pits; and now, the most laborious part being over, I took out my other cables, which were flowed in one of the fhips, and fastened them firft to the boat, and then to nine of the veffels which attended me; the wind being favourable, the feamen towed, and I fhoved till we arrived within forty yards of the fhore, and waiting till the tide was out, I got dry to the boat, and by the affiftance of two thousand men, with ropes and engines, I made a fhift to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but little damaged.. I fhall not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was under by the help of certain paddles, which coft me ten days making to get my boat to the royal port of Blefuscu, where a mighty concourfe of people appeared upon my arrival, full of wonder at the fight of fo prodigious a vesfel. I told the Emperor, that my good fortune had thrown this boat in my way to carry me to fome place, from whence I might return into my native country, and begged his Majelty's orders for getting materials to fit it up, together with his licence to depart, which, after fome kind expoftulations, he was pleafed to grant. I did very much wonder, in all this time, not to have heard of any exprefs relating to me from our Emperor to the court of Blefufcu. But I was afterwards given privately to understand, that his Imperial Majefty, never imagining I had the leaft notice of his defigns, believed I was only gone to Blefufcu in performance of my promise, according to the licence he had given me, which was well known at our conrt, and would return in a few days when when the ceremony was ended. But he was at laft in pain at my long abfence; and, after confulting with the trea furer and the reft of that cabal, a perfon of quality was dispatched with a copy of the articles against me. This ́envoy had inftructions to reprefent to the Monarch of Blefufcu, the great lenity of his mafter, who was content: to punish me no farther than with the lofs of mine eyes; that I had fled from juftice, and, if I did not return in two hours, I should be deprived of my title of Nardac, and declared a traitor. The envoy further added, that, in order to maintain the peace and amity between both empires, his master expected, that his brother of Blefufcu would give orders to have me fent back to Lilliput, bound hand and foot, to be punished as a traitor. THE Emperor of Blefufcu, having taken three days to confult, returned an answer confifting of many civilities and excufes. He said, that, as for fending me bound, his brother knew it was impoffible; that, altho' had deprived him of his fleet, yet he owed great obligations to me for many good offices I had done him in making the peace. That however both their Majefties would foon. be made eafy; for I had found a prodigious veffel on the fhore, able to carry me on the fea, which he had. given order to fit up with my own affiftance and directi on; and he hoped in a few weeks both empires would be freed from fo infupportable an incumbrance. WITH this answer the envoy returned to Lilliput, and the Monarch of Blefufcu related to me all that had past; offering me at the fame time (but under the strictest confidence) his gracious protection, if I would continue in his fervice; wherein altho' I believed him fincere, yet I refolved never more to put any confidence in princes or minifters, where I could poffibly avoid it; and therefore, with all due acknowledgments for his favourable intentions, I humbly begged to be excufed. I told him, that fince fortune, whether good or evil, had thrown a veffel in my way, I was refolved to venture my felf in the ocean, rather than be an occafion of difference between two fuch mighty monarchs. Neither did I find the Emperor at all displeased; and I discovered by a certain accident that he was very glad of my refolution, and so were moft of his miniiters. THESE 'THESE Confiderations moved me to haften my departure fomewhat fooner than I intended; to which the court, impatient to have me gone, very readily contributed. Five hundred workmen were employed to make two fails to my boat, according to my directions, by quilting thir teen fold of their ftrongest linen together. I was at the pains of making ropes and cables by twifting ten, twenty, or thirty of the thickest and strongest of theirs. A great ftone that I happened to find, after a long fearch by the fea-fhore, ferved me for an anchor. I had the tallow of three hundred cows for greafing my boat and other ufes. I was at incredible pains in cutting down fome of the largest timber-trees for oars and mafts, wherein I was however much affifted by his Majesty's fhip-carpenters, who helped me in smoothing them, after I had done the rough work. IN about a month, when all was prepared, I fent to receive his Majefty's commands, and to take my leave. The Emperor and royal family came out of the palace; I lay down on my face to kifs his hand, which he very graciously gave me; fo did the Emprefs, and young Princes of the blood. His Majefty prefented me with fifty purfes of two hundred prugs a piece, together with his picture at full length, which I put immediately into one of my gloves to keep it from being hurt. The cere monies at my departure were too many to trouble the reader with at this time. I ftored the boat with the carcafes of an hundred oxen, and three hundred fheep, with bread and drink proportionable, and as much meat ready dreffed as four hundred cooks could provide. I took with me fix cows and two bulls alive, with as many ews and rams, intending to carry them into my own country, and propagate the breed. And to feed them on board I had a good bundle of hay, and a bag of corn I would gladly have taken a dozen of the natives, but this was a thing the Emperor would by no means permit; and befides a diligent fearch into my pockets, his Majefty engaged my honour not to carry away any of his fubjects, altho' with their own confent and defire. HAVING thus prepared all things as well as I was able, I fet fail on the 24th day of September 1701, at fix in the the morning; and when I had gone about four leagues to the north ward, the wind being at fouth-east, at fix in the evening I defcried a small island about half a league to the north-weft. I advanced forward and caft anchor on the lee-fide of the island, which feemed to be uninhabited. I then took fome refreshment, and went to my reft. I flept well, and as I conjecture at least fix hours, for I found the day broke in two hours after I awaked. It was a clear night. I eat my breakfast before the fun was up; and heaving anchor, the wind being favourable, I fteered the fame courfe that I had done the day before, wherein I was directed by my pocket-compafs. My intention was to reach, if poffible, one of those islands which I had reason to believe lay to the north-east of Van Diemen's land. I discovered nothing all that day; but upon the next, about three in the afternoon, when I had by my computation made twenty four leagues from Blefufcu, I defcried a fail fteering to the fouth-eaft; my course was due eaft. I hailed her, but could get no answer ; yet I found I gained upon her, for the wind flackened. I made all the fail I could, and in half an hour she spied me, then hung out her antient, and difcharged a gun. It is not eafy to exprefs the joy I was in upon the unexpected hope of once more feeing my beloved country, and the dear pledges I left in it. The fhip flackened her $ fails, and I came up with her between five and fix in the evening, September 26; but my heart leapt within me to fee her English colours. I put my cows and fheep into my coat-pockets, and got on board with all my little cargo of provifions. The veffel was an English merchant3 man, returning from Japan by the North and South feas; the captain Mr. John Biddel of Deptford, a very civil man, and an excellent failor. We were now in the latitude of 30 degrees fouth, there were about fifty men in the fhip; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a good character to the captain. This gentleman treated me with kindness, and defired I would let him know what place I came from laft, and whither I was bound; which I did in few words; but he thought I was raving, and that the dangers I had underwent had disturbed my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and fheep out of my pocket, which, after great great aftonishment, clearly convinced him of my veracity. I then shewed him the gold given me by the Emperor of Blefufcu, together with his Majefty's picture at full length, and fome other rarities of that country. I gave him two purfes of two hundred sprugs each, and promised, when we arrived in England, to make him a prefent of a cow and a sheep big with young. I fhall not trouble the reader with a particular account of this voyage, which was very profperous for the most part. We arrived in the Downs on the 13th of April 1702. I had only one misfortune, that the rats on board carried away one of my sheep; I found her bones in a hole, picked clean from the flesh. The rest of my cattle I got fafe a fhore, and fet them a grazing in a bowling-green at Greenwich, where the fineness of the grafs made them feed very heartily, tho' I had always feared the contrary: neither could I poffibly have preferved them in fo long a voyage, if the captain had not allowed me fome of his best bifket, which rubbed to powder, and mingled with water, was their conftant food. The fhort time I continued in England, I made a confiderable profit by fhewing my cattle to many perfons of quality, and others: and before I began my fecond Voyage, Í fold them for fix hundred pounds. Since my last return I find the breed is confiderably increased, especially the sheep, which I hope will prove much to the advantage of the woollen manufacture by the fineness of the fleeces. I ftaid but two months with my wife and family; for my insatiable defire of seeing foreign countries would fuffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen hundred pounds with my wife, and fixed her in a good houfe at Redriff. My remaining flock I carried with me, part in money and part in goods, in hopes to improve my fortunes. My eldest uncle John had left me an estate in land, near Epping, of about thirty pounds a year; and I had a long leafe of the Black-Bull in Fetter-Lane, which yielded me as much more: fo that I was not in any danger of leaving my family upon the parish. My fon Johnny, named fo after his uncle, was at the grammar-fchool, and a towardly child. My daughter Betty, (who is now well |