Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

CHAP. VII.

The author leaves Lagado, arrives at Maldonada. No Ship ready. He takes a short voyage to Glubdubdrib. His reception by the governour *.

THE continent, of which this kingdom is a part, extends itself, as I have reason to believe, eaftward to that unknown tract of America weftward of California, and north to the Pacific Ocean, which is not above a hundred and fifty miles from Lagado; where there is a good port, and much commerce with the great ifland of Luggnagg, fituated to the north-west about 29 degrees north latitude, and 140 longitude. This ifland of Luggnagg ftands fouth-eastward of Japan, about an hundred leagues diftant. There is a ftrict alliance between the Japanele Emperor and the King of Luggnagg, which affords frequent opportunities of failing from one ifland to the other. I determined therefore to direct my courfe this way, in order to my feturn to Europe. I hired two mules, with a guide, to fhew me the way, and carry my small baggage. I took leave of my noble protector, who had fhewn me fo

* Gulliver feems to have finished his voyage to Laputa in a careless hurrying manner; which makes me almost think, that fometimes he was tired with his work, and attempted to run through it as faft as he could, otherwife why was the curtain dropt fo foon, or why were we deprived of fo noble a fcene as might have been difcovered in the island of Glubdubdrib, where the governour, by his skill in necromancy, had the power of calling whom he pleafed from the dead. I have not time by this peft to write to you my thoughts upon a fubject, which I confefs awakened, but by no means fatisfied my curiofi y. I lamented to find so many illuftrious ghosts vanish fo quickly and fo abruptly from my fight, many of whom were of the brighteft characters in hiftory. In my next letter I fhall endeavour to detain them a little longer in Leicester fields, than Swift fuffered them to flay in the island of Sorcerers. Oivery.

mucla

much fivour, and made me a generous prefent at my departure.

My journey was without any accident or adventure worth relating. When I arrived at the port of Maldonada (for fo it is called) there was no fhip in the harbour bound for Luggnagg, nor like to be in fome time, The town is about as large as Portsmouth. I foon fell into fome acquaintance, and was very hofpitably received. A gentleman of distinction faid to me, that fince the fhips bound for Luggnagg could not be ready in less than a month, it might be no difagreeable amufement for me to take a trip to the little island of Glubbdubdrib, about five leagues off to the fouth-weft. He offered himself and a friend to accompany me, and that I fhould be provided with a small convenient barque for the voyage.

Glubbdubdrib, as nearly as I can interpret the word, fignifies the ifland of Sorcerers or Magicians. It is about one third as large as the Ifle of Wight, and extremely fruitful: it is governed by the head of a certain tribe, who are all magicians.. This tribe marries only among each other, and the eldeft in fucceffion is prince or governor. He hath a noble palace, and a park of about three thoufand acres, furrounded by a wall of hewn ftone twenty feet high. In this park are feveral fmall inclofures for cattle, corn, and gardening.

The governor and his family are ferved and attended by domeftics of a kind fomewhat unusual. By his fkill in necromancy, he hath a power of calling whom he pleaseth from the dead, and commanding their fervice for twenty-four hours, but no longer; nor can he call the fame perfons up again in lefs than three months, except upon very extraordinary occafions.

When we arrived at the ifland, which was about eleven in the morning, one of the gentlemen, who accompanied me, went to the governor, and de

fired admittance for a stranger, who came on purpofe to have the honour of attending on his highnefs. This was immediatly granted, and we all three entered the gate of the palace, between two rows of guards armed and dreffed after a very antic manner, and fomething in their countenances that made my flesh creep with a horror I cannot exprefs. We paffed through feveral apartments between fervants of the fame fort ranked on each fide, as before, till we came to the chamber of prefence, where, after three profound obeyfances, and a few general queftions, we were permitted to fit on three ftools near the lowest step of his highness's throne. He understood the language of Balnibarbi, although it were different from that of this ifland. He defired me to give him fome account of my travels; and, to let me fee that I should be treated without ceremony; he difmiffed all his attendants with a turn of his finger at which, to my great aftonishment, they vanished in an inftant, like vifions in a dream, when we awake on a fudden. I could not recover myfelf in fome time, till the governor affured me, that I should receive no hurt; and obferving my two companions to be under no concern, who had been often entertained in the fame manner, I began to take courage, and related to his highnefs a fhort hiftory of my feveral adventures: yet not without fome hesitation. and frequently looking behind me to the place, where I had feen thofe domestic spectres. I had the honour to dine with the governor, where a new set of ghofts ferved up the meat, and waited at table. 1 now obferved myfelf to be lefs terrified than I had been in the morning. I ftayed till fun-fet, but humbly defired his highnefs to excufe me for not accepting his invitation of lodging in the palace. My two friends and I lay at a private house in the town adjoining, which is the capital of this little island; and the next morning we returned to pay

Our

our duty to the governor, as he was pleased to command us.

After this manner we continued in the island for ten days, moft part of every day with the governor, and at night in our lodging, I foon grew fo familiarifed to the fight of spirits, that after the third or fourth time they gave me no emotion at all: or if I had any apprehenfions left, my curiofity prevailed over them. For his highnefs the governor ordered me to call up whatever perfons I would chufe to name, and in whatever numbers, among all the dead, from the beginning of the world to the prefent time, and command them to anfwer any queftions I fhould think fit to afk; with this condition, that my queftions must be confined within the compafs of the times they lived in. And one thing I might depend upon, that they would certainly tell me truth, for lying was a talent of no ufe in the lower world. I made my humble acknowledgments to his highnefs for fo great a favour *. We were in a chamber, from whence there was a fair profpect in the park. And, becaufe my first inclination was to be entertained with fcenes of pomp and magnificence, I defired to fee Alexander the Great at the head of his army, juft after the battle of Arbela, which, upon a motion of the governor's finger, immediately appeared in a large field under the window, where we ftood. Alexander was called up into the room: it was with great difficulty that I understood his Greek, and

I believe it would be impoffible to find out the defign of Dr. Swift, in fummoning, up a parcel of apparitions, that, from their behaviour, or from any thing they fay, are almoft of as little confequence as the ghofts in Gay's farce of the What de' ye call it. Perhaps Swift's general defign might be to arraign, the conduct of eminent perfons after their death, and to convey their names and images to pofterity deprived of thofe falfe colours in which they former. ly appeared. If thefe were his intentions, he has miffed his aim; or at leaft has been fo far carried away by his difpofition to raillery, that the moral which ought to arife from fuch a fable is buried in obfcurity. Orrery.

had

had but little of my own. He affured me upon his honour, that he was not poisoned, but died of a fever by exceffive drinking +.

Next I faw Hannibal paffing the Alps, who

The fift airy fubftance introduced is Alexander the Great. Af. ter a hint from Gulliver, that we have lost the true Greek idiom, the conqueror of the univerfe is made to declare upon his honour, "that he died by exceffive drinking, not by poison." A trifling and an improper observation, because the apparition is called up as he appeared at the head of his army, just after the battle of Arbela. I own my expectations were great, when I found his appearance was to be at that particular juncture. Or rather I could have wished to have feen him after the battle of ISSUS, when the temperate use which he made of his victory, was highly worthy of imitation. Such a circumftance might have graced his triumph. There are others too in the hiftorical records of him, that redound to his hʊnour. The tender regard which he thewed to Pindar, by fparing the house of that poet, when he razed the city of Thebes, feems to demand perpetual gratitude from all fucceeding bards. The manner in which he vifited the tomb of Achilles; the affection and refpect paid by him to Ariftotle; the undaunted confidence placed in his phyfician Philip, are instances fufficient to shew, that Alexander did not want fome virtues of humanity. And when we confider feveral of his rach actions of inebriety, they convince us how far the native excellencies of the mind may be debated and changed by paffions which too often attend fuccefs and luxury,

Utunque defecere morés
Dedecorant bene nata culpa.

It is evident, that Swift had conceived an abfolute difguft to Alexander, whofe character he aims to deftroy, by touching it in fo flight a manner, that he puts me in mind of the vifit paid by Auguftus Cæ ar to Alexander's fepulchre at Alexandria. Upon the Emperor's arri val, the body of the Macedonian hero was found in its full dimenfions, but fo tender, notwithstanding all the former embalming, that Cæfar, by touching only the nofe of it, defaced the whole figure im. mediately. Oriery

In this paffage there is a peculiar beauty, though it is not difcovered at an hafty view. The appearance of Alexander with a victorious army immediately after the battle of Arbela, produces only a declaration that he died by drunkennefs; thus inadequate and ridiculous in the eye of reafon is the ul imate purpofe for which Alexander with his army marched into a remote country, fubverted a mighty empire, and deluged a nation with blood; he gained no more than an epithet to his name, which after a few repetitions was no longer regarded even by himself: thus the purpofe of his refurrection appears to be at least equally important with that of his life, upon which it is a fatire not more bitter than just.

told

« AnteriorContinuar »