body defcending almoft to a parallel with me, at lefs than an English mile distance. I took out my pocket perfpective, and could plainly discover numbers of people moving up and down the fides of it, which appeared to be floping; but what these people were doing, I was not able to distinguish.

The natural love of life gave me fome inward motions of joy, and I was ready to entertain a hope, that this adventure might fome way or other help to deliver me from the defolate place and condition. I was in. But at the fame time the reader can hardly conceive my astonishment, to behold an island in the air, inhabited by men, who were able (as it fhould feem,) to raise or fink, or put it into a progreffive motion, as they pleated. But not being at that time in a difpofition to philofophife upon this phænomenon, I rather chofe to obferve what courfe the island would take, because it feemed for a while to ftand fill. Yet foon after it advanced nearer, and I could fee the fides of it encompaffed with feveral gradations of galleries, and ftairs at certain intervals to defcend from one to the other. In the loweft gallery I beheld tome people fishing with long angling rods, and others looking on. I waved my cap (for my hat was long fince worn out,) and my handkerchief towards the ifland; and, upon its nearer approach, I called and fhouted with the utmoft ftrength of my voice; and then, looking circumfpectly, I beheld a croud gathered to that fide, which was most in my view. I found, by their pointing towards me and to each other, that they plainly difcovered me, although they made no return to my fhouting. But I could fee four or five men running in great hafte up the stair to the top of the ifland, who then difappeared. I happened rightly to conjecture, that thefe were fent for orders to fome perfon in authority upon this occafion.

The number of people increased, and in lefs than half an hour, the island was moved and raised in fuch

fuch a manner, that the loweft gallery appeared in a parallel of lefs than an hundred yards diftance from the height where I ftood. I then put myself into the moft fupplicating poftures, and fpoke in the humbleft accent, but received no answer. Thofe, who stood nearest over-against me, feemed to be perfons of diftinction, as I fuppofed by their habit. They conferred earnestly with each other, looking often upon me. At length one of them called out in a clear, polite, fmooth dialect, not unlike in found to the Italian, and therefore I returned an anfwer in that language, hoping at leaft, that the cadence might be more agreeable to his ears. Although neither of us understood the other, yet my. meaning was eafily known, for the people faw the diftrefs I was in.

They made figns for me to come down from the rock, and go towards the fhore, which I accordingly did; and the flying ifland being raised to a convenient height, the verge directly over me, a chain was let down from the lowest gallery, with a feat faftened to the bottom, to which I fixed myself, and was drawn up by pullies..

CHAP. 11.

The humours and difpofitions of the Laputians defcribed. An account of their learning. Of the King, and his The author's reception there. The inhabitants fubject to fear and difquietudes. An account of the women.

court.

AT my alighting I was furrounded with a croud

of people, but thofe who ftood nearest feemed to be of better quality. They beheld me with all the marks and circumftances of wonder, neither indeed

was I much in their debt; having never till then feen a race of mortals fo fingular in their fhapes, habits, and countenances. Their heads were all reclined either to the right or to the left; one of their eyes turned inward, and the other directly up to the zenith. Their outward garments were adorned with the figures of funs, moons, and stars, interwoven with thofe of fiddles, flutes, harps, trumpets, guittars, harpficords, and many other inftruments of mufic unknown to us in Europe. I ob. ferved here and there many in the habit of fervants, with a blown bladder faftened like a flayl to the end of a fhort stick, which they carried in their hands. In each bladder was a fmall quantity of dried peas, or little pebbles, (as I was afterwards informed.) With thefe bladders they now and then flapped the mouths and ears of those who ftood near them, of which practice I then could not conceive the meaning. It feems the minds of thofe people are fo taken up with intenfe fpeculations, that they neither can fpeak, nor attend to the difcourfes of others, without being rouled by fome external taction upon the organs of fpeech and hearing; for which reafon, thofe perfons who are able to afford it, always keep a flapper (the original is climenole,) in their family, as one of their domestics, nor ever walk abroad, or make vifits without him. And the bufinefs of this officer is, when two, three, or more perfons, are in company, gently to strike with his bladder the mouth of him who is to speak, and the right ear of him or them to whom the fpeaker addreffeth himfelf. This flapper is likewife employed diligently to attend his master in his walks, and upon occation to give him a soft flap on his eyes, because he is always fo wrapped up in cogitation, that he is in manifeft danger of falling down every precipice, and

*By this defcription the author intended to ridicule those who wafte life in fpeculative fcience, the powers of whole minds are as abfurdly employed as the eyes of the Laputians.

bouncing

bouncing his head against every poft; and in the ftreets, of juftling others, or being juftled himself into the kennel.

It was neceffary to give the reader this information, without which he would be at the fame lofs with me to understand the proceedings of thefe people, as they conducted me up the stairs to the top of the ifland, and from thence to the royal palace. While we were afcending, they forgot feveral times what they were about, and left me to myfelf, till their memories were again roufed by their flappers; for they appeared altogether unmoved by the fight of my foreign habit and countenance, and by the fhouts of the vulgar, whofe thoughts and minds. were more difengaged.

But

At laft we entered the palace, and proceeded into the chamber of prefence, where I faw the King feated on his throne, attended on each fide by perfons of prime quality. Before the throne was a large table filled with globes and fpheres, and mathematical inftruments of all kinds. His Majefty took not the leaft notice of us, although our entrance was not without fufficient noife, by the concourfe of all perfons belonging to the court. he was then deep in a problem, and we attended at leaft an hour, before he could folve it. There ftood by him on each fide a young page with flaps in their hands, and when they faw he was at leifure, one of them gently ftruck his mouth, and the other his right ear; at which he started like one awaked on the fudden, and, looking towards me and the company I was in, recollected the occafion of our coming, whereof he had been informed before. He fpoke fome words, whereupon immediately a young man with a flap came up to my fide, and flapt me gently on the right ear, but I made figns, as well as I could, that I had no occafion for fuch an inftrument; which, as I afterwards found, gave his Majefty and the whole court a very mean opinion

of

of my understanding. The King, as far as I could conjecture, afked me feveral questions, and I addreffed myself to him in all the languages I had. When it was found, that I could neither underftand, nor be understood, I was conducted by his order to an apartment in his palace, (this prince being diftinguifhed above all his predeceffors for his hofpitality to ftrangers, (where two fervants were appointed to attend me. My dinner was brought, and four perfons of quality, whom I remembered to have feen very near the King's perfon, did me the honour to dine with me. We had two courfes, of three dishes each. In the first courfe there was a fhoulder of mutton cut into an equilateral triangle, a piece of beef into a rhomboides, and a pudding into a cycloid. The fecond courfe was two ducks truffed up into the form of fiddles; fau-fages and puddings refembling flutes and hautboys, and a breaft of veal in the fhape of a harp. The fervants cut our bread into cones, cylinders, parallelograms, and feveral other mathematical figures.

While we were at dinner, I made bold to afk the names of feveral things in their language, and those noble perfons, by the affiftance of their flappers delighted to give me anfwers, hoping to raife my admiration of their great abilities, if I could be brought to converse with them. I was foon able to call for bread and drink, or whatever else I wanted.

After dinner my company withdrew, and a perfon was fent to me by the King's order, attended by a flapper. He brought with him pen, ink, and paper, and three or four books, giving me to understand by figns, that he was fent to teach me the language. We fat together four hours, in which time I wrote down a great number of words in columns, with the tranflations over-against them; I likewife made a fhift to learn feveral fhort fentences. For my tutor would order one of my fervants to fetch fomething, to turn about, to make a bow, to