Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World
thick and stiff as a pasteboard, and in the largest folios not above
eighteen or twenty feet long.
Their style is clear, masculine, and smooth, but not florid; for they
avoid nothing more than multiplying unnecessary words, or using various
expressions. I have perused many of their books, especially those in
history and morality. Among the rest, I was much diverted with a little
old treatise, which always lay in Glumdalclitch’s bed chamber, and
belonged to her governess, a grave elderly gentlewoman, who dealt in
writings of morality and devotion. The book treats of the weakness of
humankind, and is in little esteem, except among the women and the
vulgar. However, I was curious to see what an author of that country
could say upon such a subject. This writer went through all the usual
topics of European moralists, showing “how diminutive, contemptible,
and helpless an animal was man in his own nature; how unable to defend
himself from inclemencies of the air, or the fury of wild beasts: how
much he was excelled by one creature in strength, by another in speed,
by a third in foresight, by a fourth in industry.” He added, “that
nature was degenerated in these latter declining ages of the world, and
could now produce only small abortive births, in comparison of those in
ancient times.” He said “it was very reasonable to think, not only that
the species of men were originally much larger, but also that there
must have been giants in former ages; which, as it is asserted by
history and tradition, so it has been confirmed by huge bones and
skulls, casually dug up in several parts of the kingdom, far exceeding
the common dwindled race of men in our days.” He argued, “that the very
laws of nature absolutely required we should have been made, in the
beginning of a size more large and robust; not so liable to destruction
from every little accident, of a tile falling from a house, or a stone
cast from the hand of a boy, or being drowned in a little brook.” From
this way of reasoning, the author drew several moral applications,
useful in the conduct of life, but needless here to repeat. For my own
part, I could not avoid reflecting how universally this talent was
spread, of drawing lectures in morality, or indeed rather matter of
discontent and repining, from the quarrels we raise with nature. And I
believe, upon a strict inquiry, those quarrels might be shown as
ill-grounded among us as they are among that people.
As to their military affairs, they boast that the king’s army consists
of a hundred and seventy-six thousand foot, and thirty-two thousand
horse: if that may be called an army, which is made up of tradesmen in
the several cities, and farmers in the country, whose commanders are
only the nobility and gentry, without pay or reward. They are indeed
perfect enough in their exercises, and under very good discipline,
wherein I saw no great merit; for how should it be otherwise, where
every farmer is under the command of his own landlord, and every
citizen under that of the principal men in his own city, chosen after
the manner of Venice, by ballot?
I have often seen the militia of Lorbrulgrud drawn out to exercise, in
a great field near the city of twenty miles square. They were in all
not above twenty-five thousand foot, and six thousand horse; but it was
impossible for me to compute their number, considering the space of
ground they took up. A cavalier, mounted on a large steed, might be
about ninety feet high. I have seen this whole body of horse, upon a
word of command, draw their swords at once, and brandish them in the
air. Imagination can figure nothing so grand, so surprising, and so
astonishing! It looked as if ten thousand flashes of lightning were
darting at the same time from every quarter of the sky.
I was curious to know how this prince, to whose dominions there is no
access from any other country, came to think of armies, or to teach his
people the practice of military discipline. But I was soon informed,
both by conversation and reading their histories; for, in the course of
many ages, they have been troubled with the same disease to which the
whole race of mankind is subject; the nobility often contending for
power, the people for liberty, and the king for absolute dominion. All
which, however happily tempered by the laws of that kingdom, have been
sometimes violated by each of the three parties, and have more than
once occasioned civil wars; the last whereof was happily put an end to
by this prince’s grandfather, in a general composition; and the
militia, then settled with common consent, has been ever since kept in
the strictest duty.
CHAPTER VIII.
The king and queen make a progress to the frontiers. The author attends
them. The manner in which he leaves the country very particularly
related. He returns to England.
I had always a strong impulse that I should some time recover my
liberty, though it was impossible to conjecture by what means, or to
form any project with the least hope of succeeding. The ship in which I
sailed, was the first ever known to be driven within sight of that
coast, and the king had given strict orders, that if at any time
another appeared, it should be taken ashore, and with all its crew and
passengers brought in a tumbril to Lorbrulgrud. He was strongly bent to
get me a woman of my own size, by whom I might propagate the breed: but
I think I should rather have died than undergone the disgrace of
leaving a posterity to be kept in cages, like tame canary-birds, and
perhaps, in time, sold about the kingdom, to persons of quality, for
curiosities. I was indeed treated with much kindness: I was the
favourite of a great king and queen, and the delight of the whole
court; but it was upon such a foot as ill became the dignity of
humankind. I could never forget those domestic pledges I had left
behind me. I wanted to be among people, with whom I could converse upon
even terms, and walk about the streets and fields without being afraid
of being trod to death like a frog or a young puppy. But my deliverance
came sooner than I expected, and in a manner not very common; the whole
story and circumstances of which I shall faithfully relate.
I had now been two years in this country; and about the beginning of
the third, Glumdalclitch and I attended the king and queen, in a
progress to the south coast of the kingdom. I was carried, as usual, in
my travelling-box, which as I have already described, was a very
convenient closet, of twelve feet wide. And I had ordered a hammock to
be fixed, by silken ropes from the four corners at the top, to break
the jolts, when a servant carried me before him on horseback, as I
sometimes desired; and would often sleep in my hammock, while we were
upon the road. On the roof of my closet, not directly over the middle
of the hammock, I ordered the joiner to cut out a hole of a foot
square, to give me air in hot weather, as I slept; which hole I shut at
pleasure with a board that drew backward and forward through a groove.
When we came to our journey’s end, the king thought proper to pass a
few days at a palace he has near Flanflasnic, a city within eighteen
English miles of the seaside. Glumdalclitch and I were much fatigued: I
had gotten a small cold, but the poor girl was so ill as to be confined
to her chamber. I longed to see the ocean, which must be the only scene
of my escape, if ever it should happen. I pretended to be worse than I
really was, and desired leave to take the fresh air of the sea, with a
page, whom I was very fond of, and who had sometimes been trusted with
me. I shall never forget with what unwillingness Glumdalclitch
consented, nor the strict charge she gave the page to be careful of me,
bursting at the same time into a flood of tears, as if she had some
forboding of what was to happen. The boy took me out in my box, about
half an hour’s walk from the palace, towards the rocks on the
sea-shore. I ordered him to set me down, and lifting up one of my
sashes, cast many a wistful melancholy look towards the sea. I found
myself not very well, and told the page that I had a mind to take a nap
in my hammock, which I hoped would do me good. I got in, and the boy
shut the window close down, to keep out the cold. I soon fell asleep,
and all I can conjecture is, while I slept, the page, thinking no
danger could happen, went among the rocks to look for birds’ eggs,
having before observed him from my window searching about, and picking
up one or two in the clefts. Be that as it will, I found myself
suddenly awaked with a violent pull upon the ring, which was fastened
at the top of my box for the conveniency of carriage. I felt my box
raised very high in the air, and then borne forward with prodigious
speed. The first jolt had like to have shaken me out of my hammock, but
afterward the motion was easy enough. I called out several times, as
loud as I could raise my voice, but all to no purpose. I looked towards
my windows, and could see nothing but the clouds and sky. I heard a
noise just over my head, like the clapping of wings, and then began to
perceive the woful condition I was in; that some eagle had got the ring
of my box in his beak, with an intent to let it fall on a rock, like a
tortoise in a shell, and then pick out my body, and devour it: for the
sagacity and smell of this bird enables him to discover his quarry at a
great distance, though better concealed than I could be within a
two-inch board.
In a little time, I observed the noise and flutter of wings to increase
very fast, and my box was tossed up and down, like a sign in a windy
day. I heard several bangs or buffets, as I thought given to the eagle
(for such I am certain it must have been that held the ring of my box
in his beak), and then, all on a sudden, felt myself falling
perpendicularly down, for above a minute, but with such incredible
swiftness, that I almost lost my breath. My fall was stopped by a
terrible squash, that sounded louder to my ears than the cataract of
Niagara; after which, I was quite in the dark for another minute, and
then my box began to rise so high, that I could see light from the tops
of the windows. I now perceived I was fallen into the sea. My box, by
the weight of my body, the goods that were in, and the broad plates of
iron fixed for strength at the four corners of the top and bottom,
floated about five feet deep in water. I did then, and do now suppose,
that the eagle which flew away with my box was pursued by two or three
others, and forced to let me drop, while he defended himself against
the rest, who hoped to share in the prey. The plates of iron fastened
at the bottom of the box (for those were the strongest) preserved the
balance while it fell, and hindered it from being broken on the surface
of the water. Every joint of it was well grooved; and the door did not
move on hinges, but up and down like a sash, which kept my closet so
tight that very little water came in. I got with much difficulty out of
my hammock, having first ventured to draw back the slip-board on the
roof already mentioned, contrived on purpose to let in air, for want of
which I found myself almost stifled.
How often did I then wish myself with my dear Glumdalclitch, from whom
one single hour had so far divided me! And I may say with truth, that
in the midst of my own misfortunes I could not forbear lamenting my
poor nurse, the grief she would suffer for my loss, the displeasure of
the queen, and the ruin of her fortune. Perhaps many travellers have
not been under greater difficulties and distress than I was at this
juncture, expecting every moment to see my box dashed to pieces, or at
least overset by the first violent blast, or rising wave. A breach in
one single pane of glass would have been immediate death: nor could any