divert the Queen. My remedy was to cut them in pieces with my knife, as they flew in the air, wherein my dexterity was much admired.

I remember, one morning, when Glumdalclitch had fet me in my box upon a window, as fhe usually did in fair days, to give me air (for I durft not venture to let the box be hung on a nail out of the window, as we do with cages in England,) after I had lifted up one of my fafhes, and fat down at my tablg to eat a piece of fweet cake for my breakfast, above twenty wafps, allured by the smell, came flying into the room, humming louder than the drones of as many bag pipes. Some of them feized my cake, and carried it piece-meal away; others flew about my head and face, confounding me with the noife, and putting me in the utmoft terror of their ftings. However, I had the courage to rife and draw my hanger, and attack them in the air. I difpatched four of them, but the reft got away, and I prefently fhut my window. Thefe infects

were as large as partridges; I took out their ftings, found them an inch and an half long, and as sharp as needles. I carefully preferved them all, and, having fince fhewn them with fome other curiofities in feveral parts of Europe, upon my return to England, I gave three of them to Gresham College, and kept the fourth for myself.

CHA P. IV.

The country defcribed. A proposal for correcting modern maps. The King's palace, and fome account of the metropolis. The author's way of travelling. The chief temple defcribed.

I

NOW intend to give the reader a fhort defcription of this country, as far as I travelled in it,

which was not above two thousand miles round Lorbrulgrud, the metropolis. For the Queen, whom I always attended, never went farther when The accompanied the King in his progreffes, and there ftaid till his Majesty returned from viewing his frontiers. The whole extent of this prince's dominions reacheth about fix thousand miles in length, and from three to five in breadth. From whence I cannot but conclude, that our geographers of Europe are in a great error, by fuppofing nothing but fea between Japan and California; for it was ever my opinion, that there must be a balance of earth to counterpoife the great continent of Tartary; and therefore they ought to correct their maps and charts, by joining this vaft tract of land to the north-west parts of America, wherein I fhall be ready to lend them my affistance.

The kingdom is a peninfula, terminated to the north-eaft by a ridge of mountains, thirty miles high, which are aitogether impaffable, by reason of the volcanoes upon the tops: neither do the moft learned know what fort of mortals inhabit beyond thofe mountains, or whether they be inhabited at ail. On the three other fides it is bounded by the ocean There is not one fea-port in the whole kingdom, and thofe parts of the coafts into which the rivers iffue, are fo full of pointed rocks, and the fea generally fo rough, that there is no venturing with the fmalleft of their boats; fo that these people are wholly excluded from any commerce with the rest of the world. But the large rivers are full of veffels, and abound with excellent fish, for they feldom get any from the fea, because the fea-fifh are of the fame fize with thofe in Europe, and confequently not worth catching; whereby it is manifeft, that nature, in the production of plants and animals of fo extraordinary a bulk, is wholly confined to this continent, of which I leave the reafons to be determined by philofophers. However, now and then

they

they take a whale, that happens to be dashed against the rocks, which the common people feed on hear tily. Thefe whales I have known fo large, that a man could hardly carry one upon his fhoulders; and fometimes for curiofity they are brought in hampers to Lorbrulgrud: I saw one of them in a difh at the King's table, which paffed for a rarity, but I did not observe he was fond of it; for I think indeed the bignefs difgufted him, although I have feen one fomewhat larger in Greenland.

The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty-one cities, near an hundred walled towns, and a great number of villages. To fatisfy my curious reader, it may be fufficient to defcribe Lorbrulgrud. This city ftands upon almost two equal parts on each fide the river that paffes through. It contains above eighty thoufand houfes, and about fix hundred thousand inhabitants. It is in length three glomglungs, (which make about fifty-four English miles,) and two and a half in breadth, as I measured it myself in the royal map made by the King's order, which was laid on the ground on purpose for me, and extended an hundred feet; I paced the diameter and circumference feveral times bare foot, and, computing by the fcale, measured it pretty exactly.

The King's palace is no regular edifice, but an heap of building about feven miles round: the chief rooms are generally two hundred and forty feet high, and broad and long in proportion. A coach was allowed to Glumdalclitch and me, wherein her governess frequently took her out to fee the town, or go among the fhops; and I was always of the party, carried in my box; although the girl, at my own defire, would often take me out, and hold me in her hand, that I might more conveniently view the houfes and the people, as we paffed along the ftreets. I reckoned our coach to be about the fquare of Westminster hall, but not altogether fo high: however,

however, I cannot be very exact. One day the governets ordered our coachman to stop at feveral fhops, where the beggars, watching their opportunity, crowded to the fides of the coach, and gave me the most horrible fpectacles that ever an European eye beheld. There was a woman with a cancer in her beaft, fwelled to a monstrous fize, full of holes, in two or three of which I could have eafily crept, and covered my whole body. There was a fellow with a wen in his neck larger than five wool packs, and another with a couple of wooden legs, each about twenty feet high. But the most hateful fight of all was the lice crawling on their cloaths. I could fee diftinétly the limbs of these vermin with my naked eye, much better than those of an European loufe through a microscope, and their fnouts with which they routed like fwine. They were the firft I had ever beheld, and I should have been curious enough to diffect one of them, if I had had proper inftruments, (which I unluckily left behind me in the fhip,) although indeed the fight was fo naufeous, that it perfectly turned my ftomach.

Befide the large box in which I was ufually carried, the Queen ordered a fmaller one to be made for me of about twelve feet fquare, and ten high, for the convenience of travelling, becaufe the other was fomewhat too large for Glumdalclitch's lap, and cumberfome in the coach: It was marie by the fame artift, whom I directed in the whole contrivance. This travelling clofet was an exact iquare, with a window in the middle of three of the fquares, and each window was latticed with iron-wire on the outfide, to prevent accidents in long journeys. On the fourth fide, which had no window, two strong staples were fixed, through which the perfen that carried me, when I had a mind to be on horseback, put a leathern belt, and buckled it about his waift. This was always the office of fome grave trufty fer

when

vant in whom I could confide, whether I attended the King and Queen in their progreffes, or were difpofed to fee the gardens, or pay a vifit to fome great lady or minister of state in the court, Glumdalclitch happened to be out of order: for I foon began to be known and esteemed among the greatest officers, I fuppofe more upon account of their Majefties favour than any merit of my own. In journies, when I was weary of the coach, a fervant on horseback would buckle on my box, and place it upon a cushion before him; and there I had a full profpect of the country on three fides from had in this closet a field-bed, my three windows. and a hammock hung from the cieling, two chairs and a table, neatly fcrewed to the floor, to prevent being toffed about by the agitation of the horfe or the coach. And having been long used to fea-voyages, thofe motions, although fometimes very violent, did not much difcompofe me.

Whenever I had a mind to fee the town, it was always in my travelling-clofet, which Glumdalclitch held in her lap in a kind of open fedan, after the fashion of the country, borne by four men, and attended by two others in the Queen's livery. The people, who had often heard of me, were very cu rious to crowd about the fedan, and the girl was complaifant enough to make the bearers ftop, and to take me in her hand, that I might be more conveniently feen.

I was very defirous to fee the chief temple, and particularly the tower belonging to it, which is reckoned the highest in the kingdom, Accordingly one day my nurfe carried me thither, but I may truly fay I came back disappointed; for the height is not above three thoufand feet, reckoning from the ground to the highest pinnacle top; which, allowing for the difference between the fize of those people and us in Europe, is no great matter for admiration, not at all equal in proportion (if I rightly remember,) VOL. V.

D