and we knew that, the top-maft being aloft, the fhip was the wholfomer, and made better way thro' the fea, feeing we had fea-room. When the ftorm was over, we set fore fail and main fail, and brought the fhip to. Then we fet the mizen, main-top-fail, and the fore-to-fail. Our courfe was E. N. E. the wind was at S. W. We got the ftarboard tacks aboard, we caft off our weather braces and lifts; we fet in the lee-braces, and hauled forward by the weather bowlings, and hauled them tight, and belayed them, and hawled over the mizen-tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as she would lie. During this ftorm, which was followed by a ftrong wind W. S. W. we were carried by my computation about five hundred leagues to the E. fo that the oldeft failor on board could not tell in what part of the world we were. Our provifions held out well, our fhip was ftaunch, and our crew all in good health; but we lay in the utmoft diftrefs for water. We thought it beft to hold on the fame course, rather than turn more northerly, which might have brought us to the north west parts of Great Tartary, and into the frozen sea. On the 16th of June, 1703, a boy on the topmaft discovered land. On the 17th, we came in full view of a great island or continent, (for we knew not whether,) on the fouth fide whereof was a fmall neck of land jetting out into the fea, and a creek too shallow to hold a fhip of above one hundred tons. We caft anchor within a league of this creek, and our captain fent a dozen of his men wellarmed in the long-boat, with veffels for water, if any could be found. I defired his leave to go with them, that I might fee the country, and make what difcoveries I could. When we came to land, we faw no river or Ipring, nor any fign of inhabitants. Our men therefore wandered on the fhore to find out fome fresh water near the fea, and I walked a A 2 lone lone about a mile on the other fide, where I obferv ed the country all barren and rocky. I now began to be weary, and, feeing nothing to entertain my curiofity, I returned gently down towards the creek; and the fea being full in my view, I faw our men already got into the boat, and rowing for life to the fhip. I was going to hollow after them, although it had been to little purpofe, when I obferved a huge creature walking after them in the fea, as faft as he could; he waded not much deeper than his knees, and took prodigious ftrides; but our men had the start of him half a league, and, the fea thereabouts being full of fharp pointed rocks, the monster was not able to overtake the boat. This I was afterwards told, for I durft not ftay to fee the ilue of the adventure; but ran as faft as I could the way I first went, and then climbed up a steep hill, which gave me fome profpect of the country. I found it fully cultivated; but that which first surprifed me was the length of the grafs, which, in thofe grounds that feemed to be kept for hay, was about twenty feet high. I fell into a high-road, for fo I took it to be, though it ferved to the inhabitants only as a footpath through a field of barley. Here I walked on for fome time, but could fee little on either fide, it being now near harvest, and the corn rifing at least forty feet, I was an hour walking to the end of this field, which was fenced in with a hedge of at leaft one hundred and twenty feet high, and the trees fo lofty, that I could make no computation of their altitude. There was a ftile to pafs from this field into the next. It had four steps, and a ftone to cross over when you came to the uppermost, It was impoffible for me to climb this ftile, because every step was fix feet high, and the upper ftone above twenty. I was endeavouring to find fome gap in the hedge, when I difcovered one of the inhabitants in the next field advancing towards the ftile, of of the fame fize with him whom I faw in the fea purfuing our boat. He appeared as tall as an ordinary fpire-fteeple, and took about ten yards at every ftride, as near as I could guefs. I was ftruck with the utmost fear and aftonillment, and ran to hide myself in the corn, from whence I faw him at the top of the ftile, looking back into the next field on the right hand, and heard him call in a voice many degrees louder than a fpeaking trumpet; but the noife was fo high in the air, that at firft I certainly thought it was thunder. Whereupon feven monfters, like himself, came towards him with reaping hooks in their hands, each hook about the largenefs of fix fcythes. Thefe people were not fo well clad as the firft, whofe fervants or labourers they seemed to be: for, upon fome words he fpoke, 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 to move with extreme difficulty, for the stalks of the corn were fometimes not above a foot distant, fo that I could hardly fqueeze my body betwixt them. However, I made a fhift to go forward, till I came to a part of the field where the corn had been laid by the rain and wind. Here it was impoffible for me to advance a ftep; for the ftalks were fo interwoven, that I could not creep through, and the beards of the fallen ears fo ftrong and pointed, that they pierced through my cloaths into my flefh. At the fame time I heard the reapers not above an hundred yards behind me. Being quite difpirited with toil, and wholly overcome by grief and defpair, I lay down between two ridges, and heartily wished I might there end my days. I bemoaned my defolate widow, and fatherlefs. children. I lamented my own folly and wilfulness in attempting a fecond voyage against the advice of all my friends and relations. In this terrible agitation of mind, I could not forbear thinking of Lilli put, whofe inhabitants looked upon me as the great A 3 eft eft prodigy that ever appeared in the world: where I was able to draw an imperial fleet in my hand, and perform thofe other actions which will be recorded for ever in the chronicles of that empire, while pofterity fhall hardly believe them, although attefted by millions. I reflected what a mortification it must prove to me, to appear as inconfiderable in this nation, as one fingle Lilliputian would be among us. But this I conceived was to be the leaft of my mis. fortunes for, as human creatures are obferved to be more favage and cruel, in proportion to their bulk, what could I expect, but to be a morfel in the mouth of the first among thefe enormous barbarians, that fhould happen to feize me? Undoubtedly philofophers are in the right when they tell us, that nothing is great or little otherwife than by comparion. It might have pleafed fortune to have let the Lilliputians find fome nation, where the people. were as diminitive, with refpect to them, as they were to me, And who knows but that even this prodigious race of mortals might be equally overmatched in fome diftant part of the world, whereof we have yet no difcovery. Scared and confounded as I was, I could not forbear going on with thefe reflections, when one of the reapers, approaching within ten yards of the ridge where I lay, made me apprehend, that, with the next step. I fhould be fquathed to death under his foot, or cut in two with his reaping hook. And therefore, when he was again about to move, I fcreamed as loud as fear could make me. Whereupon the huge creature trod fhort, and, looking round about under him, for fome time, at laft efpied me as I lay on the ground. He confidered a while with the caution of one who endeavours to lay hold on a finall dangerous animal, in fuch a manner that it fhall not be able either to scratch or to bite him, as I myself have fometimes done with a weafel in England. At length he ventured to take me me up behind by the middle, between his fore-finger and thumb, and brought me within three yards of his eyes, that he might behold my fhape more perfectly. I gueffed his meaning, and my good fortune gave me fo much prefence of mind, that I refolved not to ftruggle in the leaft as he held me in the air, above fixty feet from the ground, although he grievoufly pinched my fides, for fear I fhould flip through his fingers. Al I ventured was, to raise mine eyes towards the fun, and place my hands together in a fupplicating pofture, and to fpeak fome words in an humble melancholy tone, fuitable to the condition I then was in. For I apprehended every moment that he would dafh me against the ground, as we ufually do any little hateful animal, which we have a-mind to deftroy *. But my good ftar would have it, that he appeared pleafed with my voice and gestures, and began to look upon me as a curiofity, much wondering to hear me pronounce articulate words, although he could not understand them. In the mean time, I was not able to forbear groaning and fhedding tears, and turning my head towards my fides; letting him know, as well as I could, how cruelly I was hurt by the preffure of his thumb and finger. He feemed to apprehend my meaning; for, lifting up the lappet of his coat, he put me gently into it, and immediately ran along with me to his mafter, who was a fubftantial farmer, and the fame perfon I had firft feen in the field The farmer having (as I fuppofe by their talk,) received fuch an account of me as his fervant could give him, took a piece of a fmall ftraw, about the *Our inattention to the felicity of fenfitive beings merely because they are fmal, is here forcibly reproved: Many have wantonly crushed an infect, who would fhurder at cutting the throat of a dog; but it should always be remembered, that the leaf of thefe "In mortal futterance feels a pang as great |