fit, or to ftand, or walk, and the like. Then I took down the fentence in writing. He fhewed me alfo in one of his books the figures of the fun, moon, and ftars, the tropics, the zodiac, and polar circles, together with the denominations of many figures of planes and folids. He gave me the names and defcriptions of all the mufical inftruments, and the general terms of art in playing on each of them. After he had left me, I placed all my words with their interpretations in alphabetical order. And thus in a few days, by the help of a very faithful memory, I got fome infight into their language.

The word, which I interpret the flying or floating ifland, is in the original Laputa, whereof I could never learn the true etymology. Lap in the old obfolete language fignifieth high, and untuth a governor, from which they say by corruption was derived Laputa, from Lapuntuth. But I do not approve of this derivation, which feems to be a little ftrain. ed. I ventured to offer to the learned among them a conjecture of my own, that Laputa was quafi lap outed: tap fignifying properly the dancing of the fun beams in the fea. and outed a wing, which however I fhall not obtrude, but fubmit to the judicious reader.

Those to whom the King had intrufted me, obferving how ill I was clad, ordered a taylor to come next morning, and take meature for a fuit of cloaths. This operator did his office after a different manner from thofe of his trade in Europe. He first took my altitude by a quadrant, and then with rule and compaffes defcribed the dimenfions and out lines of my whole body, all which he entered upon paper; and in fix days brought my cloaths. very ill made and quite out of shape, by happening to mistake a figure in the calculation. But my comfort was, that I obferved fuch-accidents very frequent, and little regarded.

During my confinement for want of cloaths, and

by

by an indifpofition that held me fome days longer, I much enlarged my dictionary; and when I went next to court, was able to understand many things the King ipoke, and to return him fome kind of anfwers. His Majefty had given orders, that the sland should move north east and by east to the vertical point over Lagado, the metropolis of the whole kingdom below upon the firm earth. It was about ninety leagues diftant, and our voyage lafted four days and a half. I was not in the leaft fenfible of the progreffive motion made in the air by the ifland. On the fecond morning about eleven a clock the King himself in perfon attended by his nobility, courtiers, and officers, having prepared all their musical instruments, played on them for three hours without intermiffion, fo that I was quite ftunned with the noife; neither could I poffi. bly guefs the meaning, till my tutor informed me. He faid, that the people of their island had their ears adapted to hear the mufic of the fpheres, which always played at certain periods, and the court was now prepared to bear their part, in what. ever inftrument they moft excelled.

In our journey towards Lagado, the capital city, his Majesty ordered that the island should stop over certain towns and villages, from whence he might receive the petitions of his fubjects. And to this purpose feveral pack-threads were let down with. fmall weights at the bottom. On these pack-threads the people ftrung their petitions, which mounted up directly, like the fcraps of paper faftened by school-boys at the end of the ftring that holds their kite. Sometimes we received wine and victuals from below, which were drawn up by pullies.

The knowledge I had in mathematics gave me great affiftance in acquiring their phrafeology, which depended much upon that fcience, and mufic; and in the latter I was not unfkilled. Their ideas are perpetually converfant in lines and figures.

If they would, for example, praife the beauty of a woman, or any other animal, they defcribe it by rhombs, circles, parallelograms, ellipfes, and other geometrical terms, or by words of art drawn from mufic, needlefs here to repeat. I obferved in the King's kitchen all forts of mathematical and musical inftruments, after the figures of which they cut up the joints that were ferved to his Majefty's table. Their houses are very ill built, the walls bevil, without one right angle in any apartment; and this defect arifeth from the contempt they bear to prac tical geometry, which they despise as vulgar and mechanic, thofe inftructions they give being too refined for the intellectuals of their workmen, which occafions perpetual mistakes. And although they are dexterous enough upon a piece of paper in the management of the rule, the pencil, and the divider; yet in the common actions and behaviour of life, I have not seen a more clumfy, awkward, and unhandy people, nor fo flow and perplexed in their conceptions upon all other fubjects, except thofe of mathematics and mufic. They are very bad reafoners, and vehemently given to oppofition, unless when they happen to be of the right opinion which is feldom their cafe. Imagination, fancy, and invention, they are wholly ftrangers to, nor have any words in their language, by which thofe ideas can be expreffed; the whole compafs of their thoughts and mind being fhut up within the two fore-mentioned fciences.

Most of them, and especially thofe who deal in the aftronomical part, have great faith in judicial aftrology, although they are ashamed to own it pu blicly. But what I chiefly admired, and thought altogether unaccountable, was the ftrong difpofition I obferved in them towards news and politics, perpetually inquiring into public affairs, giving their judgements in matters of ftate, and paffionately difputing every inch of a party opinion. I have in

deed

deed obferved the fame difpofition among most of the mathematicians I have known in Europe, although I could never difcover the leaft analogy between the two sciences; unless those people suppose, that because the smallest circle hath as many degrees as the largest, therefore the regulation and management of the world require no more abilities, than the handling and turning of a globe: but I rather take this quality to fpring from a very common infirmity of human nature, inclining us to be moft curious and conceited in matters where we have leaft concern, and for which we are least adapted, either by study or nature.

Thefe people are under continual difquietudes, never enjoying a minutes peace of mind; and their difturbances proceed from caufes, which very little affect the reft of mortals. Their apprehenfions arife from feveral changes they dread in the celeftial bodies. For inftance, that the earth, by the continual approaches of the fun towards it, muft be abforbed or fwallowed up. That the face of the fun will by degrees be incrufted with its own effluvia, and give no more light to the world. That the earth very narrowly escaped a brush from the tail of the laft comet, which would have infallibly reduced it to afhes; and that the next, which they have calculated for one and thirty years hence, will probably deftroy us. For, if in its perihelion it fhould approach within a certain degree of the fun (as by their calculations they have reafon to dread) it will receive a degree of heat ten thousand times more intense, than that of red hot glowing iron; and, in its abfence from the fun, carry a blazing tail ten hundred thousand and fourteen miles long; through which if the earth fhould pass at the diftance of one hundred thousand miles from the nucleus, or main body of the comet, it must in its paffage be fet on fire, and reduced to afhes. That the fun, daily fpending its rays without any nutriment to fupply

them,

them, will at last be wholly confumed and annihilated; which must be attended with the destruction of this earth and of all the planets that receive their light from it *.

They are fo perpetually alarmed with the apprehenfions of these, and the like impending dangers, that they can neither fleep quietly in their beds, nor have any relifh for the common pleasures or amufements of life. When they meet an acquaintance in the morning, the first question is about the fun's health, how he looked at his fetting and rifing, and what hopes they have to avoid the ftroke of the approaching comet. This converfation they are apt to run into with the fame temper, that boys discover in delighting to hear terrible stories of fpirits and hobgoblins, which they greedily liften to, and dare not go to bed for fear.

The women of the island have abundance of vivacity; they contemn their husbands, and are exceedingly fond of ftrangers, whereof there is always a confiderable number from the continent below attending at court, either upon affairs of the feveral towns and corporations, or their own particular occafions, but are much despised, because they want the fame endowments. Among these the ladies chufe their gallan's: but the vexation is, that they act with too much eafe and fecurity, for the hufband is always fo rapt in fpeculation, that ́ the mistress and lover may proceed to the greatest familiarities before his face, if he be but provided with paper and implements, and without his flapper at his fide.

The wives and daughters lament their confine ment to the island, although I think it the most delicious fpot of ground in the world; and although they live here in the greatest plenty and magnifi

*All these were fuppofitions of perfons eminent in their time for mathematical knowledge.

VOL V.

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