hoifted up by degrees, at least three feet higher than I was before. Whereupon I again thruft up my ftick and handkerchief, calling for help till I was almost hoarse. In return to which, I heard a great fhout repeated three times, giving me fuch tranfports of joy as are not to be conceived but by thofe who feel them. I now heard a trampling over my head, and fomebody calling through the hole in a loud voice in the English tongue, if there be any body below, let them tpeak. I antwered, I was an Englishman, drawn by ill fortune into the greatest calamity that ever any creature underwent, and begged by all that was moving to be delivered out of the dungeon I was in. The voice replied I was fafe, for my box was faftened to their fhip; and the carpenter should immediately come and faw a hole in the cover, large enough to pull me out. I anfwered, that was needlefs, and would take up too much time, for there was no more to be done, but let one of the crew put his finger into the ring, and take the box out of the fea into the fhip, and fo into the captain's cabin *. Some of them upon hearing me talk fo wildly thought I was mad; others laughed; for indeed it never came into my head that I was now got among people of my own ftature and ftrength. The carpenter came, and in a few minutes fawed a paffage about four feet fquare, then let down a small ladder, upon which I mounted, and from thence was taken into the fhip in a very weak condition.

The failors were all in amazement, and afked me a thousand questions, which I had no inclination to

*There are feveral little incidents which fhew the author to have had a deep knowledge of human nature; and I think this is one. Although the principal advantages enumerated by Gulliver in the beginning of this chapter, of mingling again among his countrymen, depended on their being of the fame fize with him!elf; yet this is forgotten in his ardour to be delivered and he is afterwards le rayed into the fame abfurdity, by his zeal to preferve his fut ni

ture.

VOL V.

G

anfwer.

anfwer. I was equally confounded at the fight of fo many pigmies, for fuch I took them to be, after having to long accustomed mine eyes to the monfirous objects I had left. But the captain, Mr Thomas Wilcocks, an honeft worthy Shropshire man, obferving I was ready to faint, took me into his cabin, gave me a cordial to comfort me, and made me turn in upon his own bed, advising me to take a little reft, of which I had great need. Before I went to fleep, I gave him to understand that I had fome valuable furniture in my box, too good to be loft; a fine hammock, an handsome field-bed, two chairs, a table and a cabinet. That my clofet was hung on all fides, or rather quilted, with filk and cotton that if he would let one of the crew bring my clofet into his cabbin, I would open it there before him, and fhew him my goods. The captain ́hearing me utter these abfurdities concluded I was raving however (I fuppofe to pacify me) he promifed to give orders as I defired, and going upon deck fent fome of his men down into my closet, from whence (as I afterwards found) they drew up all my goods, and ftripped off the quilting: but the chairs, cabinet, and bed-ftead, being fcrewed to the floor, were much damaged by the ignorance of the feamen, who tore them up by force. Then they knocked off fome of the beards for the ufe of the fhip, and when they had got all they had a mind for, let the hull drop into the fea, which, by reafon of many breaches made in the bottom and fides, funk to rights. And indeed I was glad not to have been a spectator of the havock they made; because I am confident it would have fenfib y touched me by bringing former paffages into my mind, which I had rather forget.

I flept fome hours, but perpetually difturbed with dreams of the place I had left, and the dangers I had escaped. However, upon waking I found myfelf much recovered. It was now about eight

o'clock

o'clock at night, and the captain ordered fupper immediately, thinking I had already fafted too long. He entertained me with great kindness, obferving me not to look wildly, or talk inconsistently; and, when we were left alone, defired I would give him a relation of my travels, and by what accident I came to be fet a drift in that monftrous wooden cheft. He faid, that about twelve o'clock at noon, as he was looking through his glafs, he fpied it at a distance, and thought it was a fail, which he had a mind to make, being not much out of his course, in hopes of buying fome biket, his own beginning. to fall fhort. That upon coming nearer, and finding his error, he fent out his long boat to discover what I was; that his men came became back in a fright, fwearing they had feen a fwimming house. That he laughed at their folly, and went himself in the boat, ordering his men to take a strong cable along with them. That the weather being calm he rowed round me feveral times, obferved my windows, and the wire lattices that defended them. That he discovered two ftaples upon one fide, which was all of boards without any paffage for light. He then commanded his men to row up to that fide, and fastening a cable to one of the ftaples, ordered them to tow my cheft (as they called it) towards the ship. When it was there, he gave directions to faften another cable to the ring fixed in the cover, and to raise up my cheft with pullies, which all the failors were not able to do above two or three feet. He faid they faw my ftick and handkerchief thrust out of the hole, and concluded that fome unhappy man must be thut up in the cavity. I afked, whether he or the crew had feen any prodigious birds in the air about the time he firft difcovered me? to which he anfwered, that, difcourfing this matter with the failors while I was afleep, one of them faid he had obferved three eagles flying towards the north, but remarked nothing of their

G 2

being

being larger than the ufual fize, which, I fuppofe, must be imputed to the great height they were at ; and he could not guefs the reafon of my question. I then asked the captain, how far he reckoned we might be from land? He faid, by the beft compu tation he could make, we were at leaft an hundred. leagues. I affured him that he must be mistaken. by almost half, for I had not left the country from whence I came above two hours before I dropt into the fea. Whereupon he began again to think that my brain was difturbed, of which he gave me a hint, and advised me to go to bed in a cabbin he had provided I affured him I was well refreshed. with his good entertainment and company, and as much in my fenfes as ever I was in my life. He then grew ferious, and defired to ask me freely whether I were not troubled in mind by the confcioufnefs of fome enormous crime, for which I was punifhed at the command of fome prince, by expo. fing me in that cheft, as great criminals in other countries have been forced to fea in a leaky vessel without provifions: for although he should be forry to have taken fo ill a man into his fhip, yet he would engage his word to fet me fafe afhore in the first port where we arrived. He added, that his fufpicions were very much increased by fome very abfurd fpeeches I had delivered at firft to the failors, and afterwards to himself, in relation to my closet or cheft, as well as by my odd looks and behaviour while I was at fupper.

I begged his patience to hear me tell my ftory, which I faithfully did from the last time I left England to the moment he firft difcovered me. And as truth always forceth its way into rational minds, fo this honeft worthy gentleman, who had fome tincture of learning and very good fenfe, was immediately convinced of my candour and veracity. But, farther to confirm all I had faid, I intreated him to give order that my cabinet fhould be brought, of

which I had the key in my pocket, (for he had already informed me how the feamen difpofed of my clofet). I opened it in his prefence, and fhewed him the fmall collection of rarities I made in the country from whence I had been fo ftrangely delivered. There was the comb I had contrived out of the stumps of the King's beard, and another of the fame materials, but fixed into a paring of her Majefty's thumb-nail, which ferved for the back. There was a collection of needles and pins from a foot to half a yard long; four wafp-ftings, like joiners tacks; fome combings of the Queen's hair; a gold ring which one day the made me a prefent of in a moft obliging manner, taking it from her little finger, and throwing it over my head like a collar. I defired the captain would accept this ring in return of his civilities; which he abfolutely refufed. I fhewed him a corn that I had cut off with my own hand from a maid of honour's toe; it was about the bignets of a Kentifh pippin, and grown fo hard, that, when I returned to England, I got it hollowed into a cup, and fet in filver. Laftly, I defired him to fee the breeches I had then on, which were made of a moufe's fkin.

I could force nothing on him but a footman's tooth, which I obferved him to examine with great curiofity, and found he had a fancy for it. He received it with abundance of thanks, more than fuch a trifle could deferve. It was drawn by an unfkilful furgeon in a mistake from one of Glumdalclitch's men, who was afflicted with the tooth-ach, but as it was as found as any in his head. I got it cleaned and put into my cabinet. It was about a foot long, and four inches in diameter.

The captain was very well fatisfied with this plain relation I had given him, and taid, he hoped, when we returned to England, I would oblige the world by putting it on paper, and making it public. My anfwer was, that I thought we were already overftocked with books of travels; that nothing could