on every fide of me, and I winked at my own littleness, as people do at their own faults. The captain understood my raillery very well, and merrily replied with the old English proverb, that he doubted mine eyes were bigger than my belly, for he did not observe my ftomach so good, although I had fafted all day; and, continuing his mirth, protested he would have given an hundred pounds to have seen my closet in the eagle's bill, and afterwards in its fall from so great a height into the fea; which would certainly have been a most aftonishing object, worthy to have the description of it tranfmitted to future ages: And the comparison of Phaeton was fo obvious, that he could not forbear applying it, although I did not much admire the conceit.

The captain, having been at Tonquin, was in his return to England driven north-eastward to the latitude of 44 degrees, and of longitude 143. But meeting a trade-wind two days after I came on board him, we failed fouthward a long time, and coasting New-Holland, kept our course weftfouth-weft, and then fouth-fouth-weft, till we doubled the Cape of Good-Hope. Our voyage was very profperous; but I fhall not trouble the reader with a journal of it. The captain called In at one or two ports, and fent in his long-boat

ï provifions and fresh water; but I never went out of the fhip till we came into the Downs, which was on the third day of June 06, about nine months after my escape. I offered foleave my goods in fecurity for payment of my freight;

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but the captain protested he would not receive one farthing. We took a kind leave of each other, and I made him promise he would come to fee me at my houfe in Redriff. I hired a horfe and guide for five fhillings, which I borrowed of the captain.

As I was on the road, observing the littleness of the houses, the trees, the cattle, and the people, I began to think myself in Lilliput. I was afraid of trampling on every traveller I met, and often called aloud to have them ftand out of the way, fo that I had like to have gotten one or two broken heads for my impertinence.

When I came to my own house, for which I was. forced to enquire, one of the fervants opening the door, I bent down to go in (like a goose under a gate) for fear of ftriking my head. My wife ran out to embrace me; but I stooped lower than her knees, thinking fhe could otherwise never be able to reach my mouth. My daughter kneeled to ask my bleffing, but I could not fee' her till the arofe, having been fo long used to ftand with my head and eyes erect to above sixty feet; and then I went to take her up with one hand by the waift. I looked down upon the fervants, and one or two friends who were in the house, as if they had been pigmies, and I a giant. I told my wife fhe had been too thrifty, for I found she had starved herself and her daughter to nothing. In fhort, I behaved myfelf fo unaccountably, that they were all of the captain's opinion when he first faw me, and concluded I had loft

S 2

loft my wits. This I mention as an inftance of the great power of habit and prejudice.

In a little time, I and my family and friends came to a right understanding; but my wife protefted I should never go to sea any more; although my evil destiny fo ordered, that the had not power to hinder me, as the reader may know hereafter. In the mean time, I here conclude the fecond part of my unfortunate voyages *.

PART

* From the whole of these two voyages to Lilliput and Brob dingnag, arifes one general remark, which, however obvious, has been overlooked by thofe who confider them as little more than the sport of a wanton imagination. When human actions are afcribed to pigmics and giants, there are few that do not excite either contempt, difguft, or horror. To afcribe them therefore to fuch beings, was perhaps the most probable method of engaging the mind to examine them with attention, and judge of them with impartiality, by fufpending the fascination of habit, and exhibiting familiar objects in a new light. The use of the fable then is not lefs apparent, than important and extenfive; and that this ufe was intended by the author, can be doubted only by those who are difpofed to affirm, that order and regularity are the effects of chance. Hawkef.

Upon reading over the two first parts of thefe travels, I think. that I can discover a very great refemblance between certain paffages in Gulliver's voyage to Lilliput, and the voyage of Cyrano de Bergerac to the fun and moon. -Cyrano de Bergaric is a French author of a fingular character, who had a very peculiar turn of wit and humour, in many respects resembling that of Swift. He wanted the advantages of learning, and a regular education. His imagination was lefs guarded and correct, but more agreeably extravagant. He has introduced into his philofophical romance, the fyftem of Defcartes, (which was then much admired), intermixed with feveral fine strokes of just satire on the wild and immechanical enquiries of the philofophers and aftronomers of that age; and in many parts he has evidently directed the plan which the Dean of St Patrick's has pursued. Orrery.

PART III.

AVOYAGE TO LAPUTA, BALNIBARBI, LUGGNAG, GLUBBDUBDRIB, and JAPAN *.

CHA P. I.

The author fets out on his third voyage,, is taken by pirates. The malice of a Dutchman. His ar rival at an ifland. He is received into Laputa.

I

HAD not been at home above ten days, when Captain William Robinson, a Cornishman, commander of the Hope - well, a ftout fhip of three hundred tuns, came to my house.. I had formerly been furgeon of another fhip, S 3 where

The third part is in general written against chemists, mathematicians, mechanics, and projectors of all kinds.

Swift was little acquainted with mathematical knowledge, and was prejudiced against it, by observing the strange effects it produced in those who applied themselves entirely to that science. No part of human literature has given greater ftrength to the mind, or has produced greater benefits to mankind, than the feveral branches of learning that may pass under the general de❤ nomination of mathematics. But the abuses of this study, the

idle:

where he was mafter and a fourth part owner, in a voyage to the Levant; he had always treated me more like a brother, than an inferior officer, and,

idle, thin, immechanical refinements of it, are just subjects of fatire. The real use of knowledge is to invigorate, not to enervate the faculties of reafon. Learning degenerates into a species of madness, when it is not fuperior to what it poffeffeth. The fcientific powers are most evident, when they are capable of ex-l erting themselves in the focial duties of life; when they wear no chains, but can freely difengage themselves, and, like a found conftitution of body, rife chearful, and more vigorous by the food they have acquired, being neither oppressed, nor rendered ftupid by the labours of digeftion.

Lord Bacon has justly exposed the vain purfuits of oftentatious pedants in the different parts of learning and their unaccountable temerity in deducing general rules from arbitrary maxims, or few experiments: He has likewife fixed upon a fure and certain bafis, the procedure and limits of the human understanding. Swift has purfued the fame plan in a different manner, and has placed the imaginary fchemes of all pretenders, in a more ludicrous, and therefore in a more proper light.” Ridiculum acris

Fortius ac melius, magnas plerumque fecat res.

He cannot be fuppofed to condemn useful experiments, or the right application of them: But he ridicules the vain attempts and irregular productions of those rash men, who, like Ixion, embracing a cloud instead of a goddess, plagued the world with Centaurs; whilft Jupiter, from the embraces of a Juno, and an Alcmena, blessed the earth with an Hebe, and an Herculcs. Orrery.

The defign of Gulliver in his voyage to Laputa, is to ridicule the vain pretenfions of chemists, mathematicians, projectors, and the rest of that fpeculative tribe, who spend their time in aerial ftudies, by no means calculated to improve the faculties of the mind, or to enlarge the number of ideas; mathematicians (I mean thofe only who are entirely devoted to their circles, their telescopes,