Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World

by Jonathan Swift

  CHAPTER I.

  A great storm described; the long boat sent to fetch water; the authorgoes with it to discover the country. He is left on shore, is seized byone of the natives, and carried to a farmer's house. His reception, withseveral accidents that happened there. A description of the inhabitants.

  Having been condemned, by nature and fortune, to active and restlesslife, in two months after my return, I again left my native country, andtook shipping in the Downs, on the 20th day of June, 1702, in theAdventure, Captain John Nicholas, a Cornish man, commander, bound forSurat. We had a very prosperous gale, till we arrived at the Cape ofGood Hope, where we landed for fresh water; but discovering a leak, weunshipped our goods and wintered there; for the captain falling sick ofan ague, we could not leave the Cape till the end of March. We then setsail, and had a good voyage till we passed the Straits of Madagascar; buthaving got northward of that island, and to about five degrees southlatitude, the winds, which in those seas are observed to blow a constantequal gale between the north and west, from the beginning of December tothe beginning of May, on the 19th of April began to blow with muchgreater violence, and more westerly than usual, continuing so for twentydays together: during which time, we were driven a little to the east ofthe Molucca Islands, and about three degrees northward of the line, asour captain found by an observation he took the 2nd of May, at which timethe wind ceased, and it was a perfect calm, whereat I was not a littlerejoiced. But he, being a man well experienced in the navigation ofthose seas, bid us all prepare against a storm, which accordinglyhappened the day following: for the southern wind, called the southernmonsoon, began to set in.

  Finding it was likely to overblow, we took in our sprit-sail, and stoodby to hand the fore-sail; but making foul weather, we looked the gunswere all fast, and handed the mizen. The ship lay very broad off, so wethought it better spooning before the sea, than trying or hulling. Wereefed the fore-sail and set him, and hauled aft the fore-sheet; the helmwas hard a-weather. The ship wore bravely. We belayed the foredown-haul; but the sail was split, and we hauled down the yard, and gotthe sail into the ship, and unbound all the things clear of it. It was avery fierce storm; the sea broke strange and dangerous. We hauled offupon the laniard of the whip-staff, and helped the man at the helm. Wewould not get down our topmast, but let all stand, because she scuddedbefore the sea very well, and we knew that the top-mast being aloft, theship was the wholesomer, and made better way through the sea, seeing wehad sea-room. When the storm was over, we set fore-sail and main-sail,and brought the ship to. Then we set the mizen, main-top-sail, and thefore-top-sail. Our course was east-north-east, the wind was atsouth-west. We got the starboard tacks aboard, we cast off ourweather-braces and lifts; we set in the lee-braces, and hauled forward bythe weather-bowlings, and hauled them tight, and belayed them, and hauledover the mizen tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as shewould lie.

  During this storm, which was followed by a strong wind west-south-west,we were carried, by my computation, about five hundred leagues to theeast, so that the oldest sailor on board could not tell in what part ofthe world we were. Our provisions held out well, our ship was staunch,and our crew all in good health; but we lay in the utmost distress forwater. We thought it best to hold on the same course, rather than turnmore northerly, which might have brought us to the north-west part ofGreat Tartary, and into the Frozen Sea.

  On the 16th day of June, 1703, a boy on the top-mast discovered land. Onthe 17th, we came in full view of a great island, or continent (for weknew not whether;) on the south side whereof was a small neck of landjutting out into the sea, and a creek too shallow to hold a ship of aboveone hundred tons. We cast anchor within a league of this creek, and ourcaptain sent a dozen of his men well armed in the long-boat, with vesselsfor water, if any could be found. I desired his leave to go with them,that I might see the country, and make what discoveries I could. When wecame to land we saw no river or spring, nor any sign of inhabitants. Ourmen therefore wandered on the shore to find out some fresh water near thesea, and I walked alone about a mile on the other side, where I observedthe country all barren and rocky. I now began to be weary, and seeingnothing to entertain my curiosity, I returned gently down towards thecreek; and the sea being full in my view, I saw our men already got intothe boat, and rowing for life to the ship. I was going to holla afterthem, although it had been to little purpose, when I observed a hugecreature walking after them in the sea, as fast as he could: he waded notmuch deeper than his knees, and took prodigious strides: but our men hadthe start of him half a league, and, the sea thereabouts being full ofsharp-pointed rocks, the monster was not able to overtake the boat. ThisI was afterwards told, for I durst not stay to see the issue of theadventure; but ran as fast as I could the way I first went, and thenclimbed up a steep hill, which gave me some prospect of the country. Ifound it fully cultivated; but that which first surprised me was thelength of the grass, which, in those grounds that seemed to be kept forhay, was about twenty feet high.

  I fell into a high road, for so I took it to be, though it served to theinhabitants only as a foot-path through a field of barley. Here I walkedon for some time, but could see little on either side, it being now nearharvest, and the corn rising at least forty feet. I was an hour walkingto the end of this field, which was fenced in with a hedge of at leastone hundred and twenty feet high, and the trees so lofty that I couldmake no computation of their altitude. There was a stile to pass fromthis field into the next. It had four steps, and a stone to cross overwhen you came to the uppermost. It was impossible for me to climb thisstile, because every step was six-feet high, and the upper stone abouttwenty. I was endeavouring to find some gap in the hedge, when Idiscovered one of the inhabitants in the next field, advancing towardsthe stile, of the same size with him whom I saw in the sea pursuing ourboat. He appeared as tall as an ordinary spire steeple, and took aboutten yards at every stride, as near as I could guess. I was struck withthe utmost fear and astonishment, and ran to hide myself in the corn,whence I saw him at the top of the stile looking back into the next fieldon the right hand, and heard him call in a voice many degrees louder thana speaking-trumpet: but the noise was so high in the air, that at first Icertainly thought it was thunder. Whereupon seven monsters, likehimself, came towards him with reaping-hooks in their hands, each hookabout the largeness of six scythes. These people were not so well cladas the first, whose servants or labourers they seemed to be; for, uponsome words he spoke, they went to reap the corn in the field where I lay.I kept from them at as great a distance as I could, but was forced tomove with extreme difficulty, for the stalks of the corn were sometimesnot above a foot distant, so that I could hardly squeeze my body betwixtthem. However, I made a shift to go forward, till I came to a part ofthe field where the corn had been laid by the rain and wind. Here it wasimpossible for me to advance a step; for the stalks were so interwoven,that I could not creep through, and the beards of the fallen ears sostrong and pointed, that they pierced through my clothes into my flesh.At the same time I heard the reapers not a hundred yards behind me.Being quite dispirited with toil, and wholly overcome by grief anddispair, I lay down between two ridges, and heartily wished I might thereend my days. I bemoaned my desolate widow and fatherless children. Ilamented my own folly and wilfulness, in attempting a second voyage,against the advice of all my friends and relations. In this terribleagitation of mind, I could not forbear thinking of Lilliput, whoseinhabitants looked upon me as the greatest prodigy that ever appeared inthe world; where I was able to draw an imperial fleet in my hand, andperform those other actions, which will be recorded for ever in thechronicles of that empire, while posterity shall hardly believe them,although attested by millions. I reflected what a mortification it mustprove to me, to appear as inconsiderable in this nation, as one singleLilliputian would be among us. But this I conceived was to be the leastof my misfortunes; for, as human creatures are observed to be more savageand cruel in prop
ortion to their bulk, what could I expect but to be amorsel in the mouth of the first among these enormous barbarians thatshould happen to seize me? Undoubtedly philosophers are in the right,when they tell us that nothing is great or little otherwise than bycomparison. It might have pleased fortune, to have let the Lilliputiansfind some nation, where the people were as diminutive with respect tothem, as they were to me. And who knows but that even this prodigiousrace of mortals might be equally overmatched in some distant part of theworld, whereof we have yet no discovery.

  Scared and confounded as I was, I could not forbear going on with thesereflections, when one of the reapers, approaching within ten yards of theridge where I lay, made me apprehend that with the next step I should besquashed to death under his foot, or cut in two with his reaping-hook.And therefore, when he was again about to move, I screamed as loud asfear could make me: whereupon the huge creature trod short, and, lookinground about under him for some time, at last espied me as I lay on theground. He considered awhile, with the caution of one who endeavours tolay hold on a small dangerous animal in such a manner that it shall notbe able either to scratch or bite him, as I myself have sometimes donewith a weasel in England. At length he ventured to take me behind, bythe middle, between his fore-finger and thumb, and brought me withinthree yards of his eyes, that he might behold my shape more perfectly. Iguessed his meaning, and my good fortune gave me so much presence ofmind, that I resolved not to struggle in the least as he held me in theair above sixty feet from the ground, although he grievously pinched mysides, for fear I should slip through his fingers. All I ventured was toraise mine eyes towards the sun, and place my hands together in asupplicating posture, and to speak some words in a humble melancholytone, suitable to the condition I then was in: for I apprehended everymoment that he would dash me against the ground, as we usually do anylittle hateful animal, which we have a mind to destroy. But my good starwould have it, that he appeared pleased with my voice and gestures, andbegan to look upon me as a curiosity, much wondering to hear me pronouncearticulate words, although he could not understand them. In the meantime I was not able to forbear groaning and shedding tears, and turningmy head towards my sides; letting him know, as well as I could, howcruelly I was hurt by the pressure of his thumb and finger. He seemed toapprehend my meaning; for, lifting up the lappet of his coat, he put megently into it, and immediately ran along with me to his master, who wasa substantial farmer, and the same person I had first seen in the field.

  The farmer having (as I suppose by their talk) received such an accountof me as his servant could give him, took a piece of a small straw, aboutthe size of a walking-staff, and therewith lifted up the lappets of mycoat; which it seems he thought to be some kind of covering that naturehad given me. He blew my hairs aside to take a better view of my face.He called his hinds about him, and asked them, as I afterwards learned,whether they had ever seen in the fields any little creature thatresembled me. He then placed me softly on the ground upon all fours, butI got immediately up, and walked slowly backward and forward, to letthose people see I had no intent to run away. They all sat down in acircle about me, the better to observe my motions. I pulled off my hat,and made a low bow towards the farmer. I fell on my knees, and lifted upmy hands and eyes, and spoke several words as loud as I could: I took apurse of gold out of my pocket, and humbly presented it to him. Hereceived it on the palm of his hand, then applied it close to his eye tosee what it was, and afterwards turned it several times with the point ofa pin (which he took out of his sleeve,) but could make nothing of it.Whereupon I made a sign that he should place his hand on the ground. Ithen took the purse, and, opening it, poured all the gold into his palm.There were six Spanish pieces of four pistoles each, beside twenty orthirty smaller coins. I saw him wet the tip of his little finger uponhis tongue, and take up one of my largest pieces, and then another; buthe seemed to be wholly ignorant what they were. He made me a sign to putthem again into my purse, and the purse again into my pocket, which,after offering it to him several times, I thought it best to do.

  The farmer, by this time, was convinced I must be a rational creature.He spoke often to me; but the sound of his voice pierced my ears likethat of a water-mill, yet his words were articulate enough. I answeredas loud as I could in several languages, and he often laid his ear withintwo yards of me: but all in vain, for we were wholly unintelligible toeach other. He then sent his servants to their work, and taking hishandkerchief out of his pocket, he doubled and spread it on his lefthand, which he placed flat on the ground with the palm upward, making mea sign to step into it, as I could easily do, for it was not above a footin thickness. I thought it my part to obey, and, for fear of falling,laid myself at full length upon the handkerchief, with the remainder ofwhich he lapped me up to the head for further security, and in thismanner carried me home to his house. There he called his wife, andshowed me to her; but she screamed and ran back, as women in England doat the sight of a toad or a spider. However, when she had a while seenmy behaviour, and how well I observed the signs her husband made, she wassoon reconciled, and by degrees grew extremely tender of me.

  It was about twelve at noon, and a servant brought in dinner. It wasonly one substantial dish of meat (fit for the plain condition of ahusbandman,) in a dish of about four-and-twenty feet diameter. Thecompany were, the farmer and his wife, three children, and an oldgrandmother. When they were sat down, the farmer placed me at somedistance from him on the table, which was thirty feet high from thefloor. I was in a terrible fright, and kept as far as I could from theedge, for fear of falling. The wife minced a bit of meat, then crumbledsome bread on a trencher, and placed it before me. I made her a low bow,took out my knife and fork, and fell to eat, which gave them exceedingdelight. The mistress sent her maid for a small dram cup, which heldabout two gallons, and filled it with drink; I took up the vessel withmuch difficulty in both hands, and in a most respectful manner drank toher ladyship's health, expressing the words as loud as I could inEnglish, which made the company laugh so heartily, that I was almostdeafened with the noise. This liquor tasted like a small cider, and wasnot unpleasant. Then the master made me a sign to come to his trencherside; but as I walked on the table, being in great surprise all the time,as the indulgent reader will easily conceive and excuse, I happened tostumble against a crust, and fell flat on my face, but received no hurt.I got up immediately, and observing the good people to be in muchconcern, I took my hat (which I held under my arm out of good manners,)and waving it over my head, made three huzzas, to show I had got nomischief by my fall. But advancing forward towards my master (as I shallhenceforth call him,) his youngest son, who sat next to him, an arch boyof about ten years old, took me up by the legs, and held me so high inthe air, that I trembled every limb: but his father snatched me from him,and at the same time gave him such a box on the left ear, as would havefelled an European troop of horse to the earth, ordering him to be takenfrom the table. But being afraid the boy might owe me a spite, and wellremembering how mischievous all children among us naturally are tosparrows, rabbits, young kittens, and puppy dogs, I fell on my knees, andpointing to the boy, made my master to understand, as well as I could,that I desired his son might be pardoned. The father complied, and thelad took his seat again, whereupon I went to him, and kissed his hand,which my master took, and made him stroke me gently with it.

  In the midst of dinner, my mistress's favourite cat leaped into her lap.I heard a noise behind me like that of a dozen stocking-weavers at work;and turning my head, I found it proceeded from the purring of thatanimal, who seemed to be three times larger than an ox, as I computed bythe view of her head, and one of her paws, while her mistress was feedingand stroking her. The fierceness of this creature's countenancealtogether discomposed me; though I stood at the farther end of thetable, above fifty feet off; and although my mistress held her fast, forfear she might give a spring, and seize me in her talons. But ithappened there was no danger, for the cat took not the least
notice of mewhen my master placed me within three yards of her. And as I have beenalways told, and found true by experience in my travels, that flying ordiscovering fear before a fierce animal, is a certain way to make itpursue or attack you, so I resolved, in this dangerous juncture, to showno manner of concern. I walked with intrepidity five or six times beforethe very head of the cat, and came within half a yard of her; whereuponshe drew herself back, as if she were more afraid of me: I had lessapprehension concerning the dogs, whereof three or four came into theroom, as it is usual in farmers' houses; one of which was a mastiff,equal in bulk to four elephants, and another a greyhound, somewhat tallerthan the mastiff, but not so large.

  When dinner was almost done, the nurse came in with a child of a year oldin her arms, who immediately spied me, and began a squall that you mighthave heard from London-Bridge to Chelsea, after the usual oratory ofinfants, to get me for a plaything. The mother, out of pure indulgence,took me up, and put me towards the child, who presently seized me by themiddle, and got my head into his mouth, where I roared so loud that theurchin was frighted, and let me drop, and I should infallibly have brokemy neck, if the mother had not held her apron under me. The nurse, toquiet her babe, made use of a rattle which was a kind of hollow vesselfilled with great stones, and fastened by a cable to the child's waist:but all in vain; so that she was forced to apply the last remedy bygiving it suck. I must confess no object ever disgusted me so much asthe sight of her monstrous breast, which I cannot tell what to comparewith, so as to give the curious reader an idea of its bulk, shape, andcolour. It stood prominent six feet, and could not be less than sixteenin circumference. The nipple was about half the bigness of my head, andthe hue both of that and the dug, so varied with spots, pimples, andfreckles, that nothing could appear more nauseous: for I had a near sightof her, she sitting down, the more conveniently to give suck, and Istanding on the table. This made me reflect upon the fair skins of ourEnglish ladies, who appear so beautiful to us, only because they are ofour own size, and their defects not to be seen but through a magnifyingglass; where we find by experiment that the smoothest and whitest skinslook rough, and coarse, and ill-coloured.

  I remember when I was at Lilliput, the complexion of those diminutivepeople appeared to me the fairest in the world; and talking upon thissubject with a person of learning there, who was an intimate friend ofmine, he said that my face appeared much fairer and smoother when helooked on me from the ground, than it did upon a nearer view, when I tookhim up in my hand, and brought him close, which he confessed was at firsta very shocking sight. He said, "he could discover great holes in myskin; that the stumps of my beard were ten times stronger than thebristles of a boar, and my complexion made up of several coloursaltogether disagreeable:" although I must beg leave to say for myself,that I am as fair as most of my sex and country, and very little sunburntby all my travels. On the other side, discoursing of the ladies in thatemperor's court, he used to tell me, "one had freckles; another too widea mouth; a third too large a nose;" nothing of which I was able todistinguish. I confess this reflection was obvious enough; which,however, I could not forbear, lest the reader might think those vastcreatures were actually deformed: for I must do them the justice to say,they are a comely race of people, and particularly the features of mymaster's countenance, although he was but a farmer, when I beheld himfrom the height of sixty feet, appeared very well proportioned.

  When dinner was done, my master went out to his labourers, and, as Icould discover by his voice and gesture, gave his wife strict charge totake care of me. I was very much tired, and disposed to sleep, which mymistress perceiving, she put me on her own bed, and covered me with aclean white handkerchief, but larger and coarser than the mainsail of aman-of-war.

  I slept about two hours, and dreamt I was at home with my wife andchildren, which aggravated my sorrows when I awaked, and found myselfalone in a vast room, between two and three hundred feet wide, and abovetwo hundred high, lying in a bed twenty yards wide. My mistress was goneabout her household affairs, and had locked me in. The bed was eightyards from the floor. Some natural necessities required me to get down;I durst not presume to call; and if I had, it would have been in vain,with such a voice as mine, at so great a distance from the room where Ilay to the kitchen where the family kept. While I was under thesecircumstances, two rats crept up the curtains, and ran smelling backwardsand forwards on the bed. One of them came up almost to my face,whereupon I rose in a fright, and drew out my hanger to defend myself.These horrible animals had the boldness to attack me on both sides, andone of them held his fore-feet at my collar; but I had the good fortuneto rip up his belly before he could do me any mischief. He fell down atmy feet; and the other, seeing the fate of his comrade, made his escape,but not without one good wound on the back, which I gave him as he fled,and made the blood run trickling from him. After this exploit, I walkedgently to and fro on the bed, to recover my breath and loss of spirits.These creatures were of the size of a large mastiff, but infinitely morenimble and fierce; so that if I had taken off my belt before I went tosleep, I must have infallibly been torn to pieces and devoured. Imeasured the tail of the dead rat, and found it to be two yards long,wanting an inch; but it went against my stomach to drag the carcass offthe bed, where it lay still bleeding; I observed it had yet some life,but with a strong slash across the neck, I thoroughly despatched it.

  Soon after my mistress came into the room, who seeing me all bloody, ranand took me up in her hand. I pointed to the dead rat, smiling, andmaking other signs to show I was not hurt; whereat she was extremelyrejoiced, calling the maid to take up the dead rat with a pair of tongs,and throw it out of the window. Then she set me on a table, where Ishowed her my hanger all bloody, and wiping it on the lappet of my coat,returned it to the scabbard. I was pressed to do more than one thingwhich another could not do for me, and therefore endeavoured to make mymistress understand, that I desired to be set down on the floor; whichafter she had done, my bashfulness would not suffer me to express myselffarther, than by pointing to the door, and bowing several times. Thegood woman, with much difficulty, at last perceived what I would be at,and taking me up again in her hand, walked into the garden, where she setme down. I went on one side about two hundred yards, and beckoning toher not to look or to follow me, I hid myself between two leaves ofsorrel, and there discharged the necessities of nature.

  I hope the gentle reader will excuse me for dwelling on these and thelike particulars, which, however insignificant they may appear togroveling vulgar minds, yet will certainly help a philosopher to enlargehis thoughts and imagination, and apply them to the benefit of public aswell as private life, which was my sole design in presenting this andother accounts of my travels to the world; wherein I have been chieflystudious of truth, without affecting any ornaments of learning or ofstyle. But the whole scene of this voyage made so strong an impressionon my mind, and is so deeply fixed in my memory, that, in committing itto paper I did not omit one material circumstance: however, upon a strictreview, I blotted out several passages. Of less moment which were in myfirst copy, for fear of being censured as tedious and trifling, whereoftravellers are often, perhaps not without justice, accused.