fizeof a walking-ftaff, and therewith lifted up the lappets of my coat; which it feems he thought to be fome kind of covering that Nature had given me. He blew my hairs afide to take a better view of my face. He called his hinds about him, and afked them, (as I afterwards learned,) whether they had ever seen in the fields, any little creature that resembled me he then placed me foftly on the ground upon all four, but I got immediately up, and walked flowly backwards and forwards, to let those people fee I had no intent to run away. They all fat down in a circle about me, the better to obferve my motions. I pulled off my hat, and made a low bow towards the farmer. I fell on my knees, and lifted up my hands and eyes, and spoke several words as loud as I could: I took a purfe of gold out of my pocket, and humbly prefented it to him. He received it on the palm of his hand, then applied it close to his eye to fee what it was, and afterwards turned it feveral times with the point of a pin, (which he took out of his fleeve,) but could make nothing of it. Whereupon I made a fign that he fhould place his hand on the ground. I then took the purse, and, opening it, poured all the gold into his palm. There were fix Spanish pieces, of four piftoles each, befides twenty or thirty fmaller coins. I faw him wet the tip of his little finger upon his tongue, and take up one of my largest pieces, and then another, but he seemed to be wholly ignorant what they were. He made me a fign to put them again into my purfe, and the purse again into my pocket, which, after offering it to him feveral times, I thought it beft to do.

The farmer by this time was convinced I must be a rational creature. He spoke often to me, but the found of his voice pierced my ears like that of a water-mill, yet his words were articulate enough. I answered as loud as I could in several languages, and he often laid his ear within two yards of me;

but

but all in vain, for we were wholly unintelligible to each other. He then fent his fervants to their work, and taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he doubled and fpread it on his left hand, which he placed flat on the ground, with the palm upwards, making me a fign to ftep into it, as I could eafily do, for it was not above a foot in thickness. I thought it my part to obey, and, for fear of falling, laid myself at full length upon the handkerchief, with the remainder of which he lapped me up to the head for farther fecurity, and in this manner carried me home to his houfe. There he called his wife, and fhewed me to her: but she screamed and ran back, as women in England do at the fight of a toad or a fpider However, when she had a while feen my behaviour, and how well I obferved the figns her husband made, fhe was foon reconciled, and by degrees grew extremely tender of me.

ter.

It was about twelve at noon, and a fervant brought in dinner. It was only one fubftantial dish of meat (fit for the plain condition of an husbandman) in a dish of about four and twenty feet diameThe company were the farmer and his wife, three children and an old grandmother when they were fat down, the farmer placed me at fome distance from him on the table, which was thirty feet high from the floor. I was in a terrible fright, and kept as far as I could from the edge for fear of falling. The wife minced a bit of meat, then crumbled fome 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 exceeding delight. The miftrefs fent her maid for a fmall dram-cup, which held about two gallons, and filled it with drink; I took up the veffel with much difficulty in both hands, and in a moft refpectful manner drank to her Ladyfhip's health, expreffing the words as loud as I could in English,

which made the company laugh fo heartily, that I was almost deafened with the noife. This liquor tafted like a small cyder, and was not unpleasant. Then the mafter made me a fign to come to his trencher fide; but as I walked on the table, being in great furprize all the time, as the indulgent reader will eafily conceive and excufe, I happened to ftumble against a cruft, and fell flat on my face, but received no hurt. I got up immediately, and obferving the good people to be in much concern, I took my hat (which I held under my arm out of good manners,) and, waving it over my head, made three huzzas, to fhew I had got no mifchief by my fall. But advancing forwards toward my mafter, (as I fhall henceforth call him,) his youngest son, who fat next him, an arch boy of about ten years old, took me up by the legs, and held me fo high in the air, that I trembled every limb; but his father fnatched me from him, and at the fame time gave him fuch a box on the left ear, as would have felled an European troop of horse to the earth, ordering him to be taken from the table. But being afraid the boy might owe me a fpight, and well remembering how mifchievous all children among us naturally are to fparrows, rabbits, young kittens, and puppy dogs, I fell on my knees, and pointing to the boy, made my mafter to understand, as well as I could, that I defired his fon might be pardoned. The father complied, and the lad took his feat again; whereupon I went to him and kiffed his hand, which my mafter took, and made him ftroak me gently with it.

In the midst of dinner, my miftrefs's favourite cat leapt into her lap. I heard a noife behind me like that of a dozen ftocking weavers at work; and, turning my head, I found it proceeded from the purring of that animal, who feemed to be three times larger than an ox, as I computed by the view of her head, and one of her paws, while her mis

trefs

trefs was feeding and ftroaking her. The fiercenefs of this creature's countenance altogether discompofed me; though I ftood at the further end of the table, above fifty feet off; and although my miftrefs held her faft, for fear fhe might give a fpring, and feize me in her talons. But it happened there was no danger; for the cat took not the least notice of me, when my mafter placed me within three yards of her. And as I have been always told, and found true by experience in my travels, that flying or discovering fear before a fierce animal is a certain way to make it pursue or attack you, so I refolved in this dangerous juncture to fhew no manner of concern. I walked with intrepidity five or fix times before the very head of the cat, and came within half a yard of her; whereupon she drew herself back, as if fhe were more afraid of me: I had lefs apprehenfion concerning the dogs, whereof three or four came into the room, as it is ufual in farmers houses; one of which was a mastiff equal in bulk to four elephants, and a greyhound fomewhat taller than the maftiff, but not fo large.

When dinner was almost done, the nurse came in with a child of a year old in her arms, who immediately spied me, and began a fquall, that you might have heard from London-bridge to Chelfea, after the ufual oratory of infants to get me for a play thing. The mother out of pure indulgence took me up, and put me towards the child, who presently seized me by the middle, and got my head into his mouth, where I roared fo loud, that the urchin was frighted, and let me drop, and I thould infallibly have broke my neck, if the mother had not held her apron under me. The nurfe to quiet her babe made ufe of a rattle, which was a kind of hollow veffel filled with great ftones, and faftened by a cable to the child's waift: but all in vain, fo that he was forced to apply the laft remedy by giv ing it fuck. I must confess no object ever disgusted

me

me fo much as the fight of her monstrous breast, which I cannot tell what to compare with, so as to give the curious reader an idea of its bulk, fhape, and colour. It stood prominent fix feet, and could not be less than fixteen in circumference. The nipple was about half the bignefs of my head, and the hue both of that and the dug fo varified with spots, pimples, and freckles, that nothing could appear more naufeous: for I had a near fight of her, the fitting down, the more conveniently to give fuck, and I standing on the table. This made me reflect upon the fair skins of our English ladies, who appear fo beautiful to us, only because they are of our own fize, and their defects not to be feen but thro' a magnifying-glafs, where we find by experiment, that the fmootheft and whiteft skins look rough and coarfe, and ill-coloured.

;

I remember, when I was at Lilliput, the complexions of those diminutive people appeared to me the faireft in the world; and talking upon this subject with a perfon of learning there, who was an intimate friend of mine, he faid, that my face appeared much fairer and fmoother when he looked on me from the ground, than it did upon a nearer view when I took him up in my hand and brought him close, which he confeffed was at firft a very fhocking fight. He faid he could difcover great holes in my fkin that the ftumps of my beard were ten times ftronger than the briftles of a boar, and my complexion made up of feveral colours altogether difagreeable: although I must beg leave to fay for myfelf, that I am as fair as moft of my fex and country, and very little fun burnt by all my travels. On the other fide, difcourfing of the ladies in that Emperor's court, he used to tell me, one had freckles, another too wide a mouth, a third too large a nose, nothing of which I was able to diflinguifh. I confefs, this reflexion was obvious enough; which however I could not forbear, left the reader might