GULLIVER’S
TRAVELS
PART 17
PART III. A VOYAGE TO LAPUTA, BALNIBARBI, LUGGNAGG, GLUBBDUBDRIB, AND JAPAN.
CHAPTER I.
The author sets out on his
third voyage. Is taken by pirates. The malice of a Dutchman.
His arrival at an island. He is received into Laputa.
I had not
been at home above ten days, when Captain William Robinson, a Cornish man,
commander of the Hopewell, a stout ship of three hundred tons, came to my
house. I had formerly been surgeon of another ship where he was master,
and a fourth part owner, in a voyage to the Levant. He had always treated
me more like a brother, than an inferior officer; and, hearing of my arrival,
made me a visit, as I apprehended only out of friendship, for nothing passed
more than what is usual after long absences. But repeating his visits
often, expressing his joy to find I me in good health, asking, “whether I were
now settled for life?” adding, “that he intended a voyage to the East Indies in
two months,” at last he plainly invited me, though with some apologies, to be
surgeon of the ship; “that I should have another surgeon under me, beside our
two mates; that my salary should be double to the usual pay; and that having
experienced my knowledge in sea-affairs to be at least equal to his, he would
enter into any engagement to follow my advice, as much as if I had shared in
the command.”
He said so
many other obliging things, and I knew him to be so honest a man, that I could
not reject this proposal; the thirst I had of seeing the world, notwithstanding
my past misfortunes, continuing as violent as ever. The only difficulty
that remained, was to persuade my wife, whose consent however I at last
obtained, by the prospect of advantage she proposed to her children.
We set out
the 5th day of August, 1706, and arrived at Fort St. George the 11th of April,
1707. We staid there three weeks to refresh our crew, many of whom were
sick. From thence we went to Tonquin, where the captain resolved to
continue some time, because many of the goods he intended to buy were not
ready, nor could he expect to be dispatched in several months. Therefore,
in hopes to defray some of the charges he must be at, he bought a sloop, loaded
it with several sorts of goods, wherewith the Tonquinese usually trade to the
neighbouring islands, and putting fourteen men on board, whereof three were of
the country, he appointed me master of the sloop, and gave me power to traffic,
while he transacted his affairs at Tonquin.
We had not
sailed above three days, when a great storm arising, we were driven five days
to the north-north-east, and then to the east: after which we had fair weather,
but still with a pretty strong gale from the west. Upon the tenth day we
were chased by two pirates, who soon overtook us; for my sloop was so deep
laden, that she sailed very slow, neither were we in a condition to defend
ourselves.
We were
boarded about the same time by both the pirates, who entered furiously at the
head of their men; but finding us all prostrate upon our faces (for so I gave
order), they pinioned us with strong ropes, and setting guard upon us, went to
search the sloop.
I observed
among them a Dutchman, who seemed to be of some authority, though he was not
commander of either ship. He knew us by our countenances to be
Englishmen, and jabbering to us in his own language, swore we should be tied
back to back and thrown into the sea. I spoken Dutch tolerably well; I
told him who we were, and begged him, in consideration of our being Christians
and Protestants, of neighbouring countries in strict alliance, that he would
move the captains to take some pity on us. This inflamed his rage; he
repeated his threatenings, and turning to his companions, spoke with great
vehemence in the Japanese language, as I suppose, often using the word Christianos.
The
largest of the two pirate ships was commanded by a Japanese captain, who spoke
a little Dutch, but very imperfectly. He came up to me, and after several
questions, which I answered in great humility, he said, “we should not
die.” I made the captain a very low bow, and then, turning to the
Dutchman, said, “I was sorry to find more mercy in a heathen, than in a brother
christian.” But I had soon reason to repent those foolish words: for that
malicious reprobate, having often endeavoured in vain to persuade both the
captains that I might be thrown into the sea (which they would not yield to,
after the promise made me that I should not die), however, prevailed so far, as
to have a punishment inflicted on me, worse, in all human appearance, than
death itself. My men were sent by an equal division into both the pirate
ships, and my sloop new manned. As to myself, it was determined that I
should be set adrift in a small canoe, with paddles and a sail, and four days’
provisions; which last, the Japanese captain was so kind to double out of his
own stores, and would permit no man to search me. I got down into the
canoe, while the Dutchman, standing upon the deck, loaded me with all the
curses and injurious terms his language could afford.
About an
hour before we saw the pirates I had taken an observation, and found we were in
the latitude of 46 N. and longitude of 183. When I was at some distance
from the pirates, I discovered, by my pocket-glass, several islands to the
south-east. I set up my sail, the wind being fair, with a design to reach
the nearest of those islands, which I made a shift to do, in about three
hours. It was all rocky: however I got many birds’ eggs; and, striking
fire, I kindled some heath and dry sea-weed, by which I roasted my eggs.
I ate no other supper, being resolved to spare my provisions as much as I
could. I passed the night under the shelter of a rock, strewing some
heath under me, and slept pretty well.
The next
day I sailed to another island, and thence to a third and fourth, sometimes
using my sail, and sometimes my paddles. But, not to trouble the reader
with a particular account of my distresses, let it suffice, that on the fifth
day I arrived at the last island in my sight, which lay south-south-east to the
former.
This
island was at a greater distance than I expected, and I did not reach it in
less than five hours. I encompassed it almost round, before I could find
a convenient place to land in; which was a small creek, about three times the
wideness of my canoe. I found the island to be all rocky, only a little
intermingled with tufts of grass, and sweet-smelling herbs. I took out my
small provisions and after having refreshed myself, I secured the remainder in
a cave, whereof there were great numbers; I gathered plenty of eggs upon the
rocks, and got a quantity of dry sea-weed, and parched grass, which I designed
to kindle the next day, and roast my eggs as well as I could, for I had about
me my flint, steel, match, and burning-glass. I lay all night in the cave
where I had lodged my provisions. My bed was the same dry grass and
sea-weed which I intended for fuel. I slept very little, for the
disquiets of my mind prevailed over my weariness, and kept me awake. I
considered how impossible it was to preserve my life in so desolate a place,
and how miserable my end must be: yet found myself so listless and desponding,
that I had not the heart to rise; and before I could get spirits enough to
creep out of my cave, the day was far advanced. I walked awhile among the
rocks: the sky was perfectly clear, and the sun so hot, that I was forced to
turn my face from it: when all on a sudden it became obscure, as I thought, in
a manner very different from what happens by the interposition of a
cloud. I turned back, and perceived a vast opaque body between me and the
sun moving forwards towards the island: it seemed to be about two miles high,
and hid the sun six or seven minutes; but I did not observe the air to be much
colder, or the sky more darkened, than if I had stood under the shade of a
mountain. As it approached nearer over the place where I was, it appeared
to be a firm substance, the bottom flat, smooth, and shining very bright, from
the reflection of the sea below. I stood upon a height about two hundred
yards from the shore, and saw this vast body descending almost to a parallel
with me, at less than an English mile distance. I took out my pocket
perspective, and could plainly discover numbers of people moving up and down
the sides of it, which appeared to be sloping; but what those people where
doing I was not able to distinguish.
The
natural love of life gave me some inward motion of joy, and I was ready to
entertain a hope that this adventure might, some way or other, help to deliver
me from the desolate place and condition I was in. But at the same time
the reader can hardly conceive my astonishment, to behold an island in the air,
inhabited by men, who were able (as it should seem) to raise or sink, or put it
into progressive motion, as they pleased. But not being at that time in a
disposition to philosophise upon this phenomenon, I rather chose to observe
what course the island would take, because it seemed for awhile to stand
still. Yet soon after, it advanced nearer, and I could see the sides of
it encompassed with several gradations of galleries, and stairs, at certain
intervals, to descend from one to the other. In the lowest gallery, I
beheld some people fishing with long angling rods, and others looking on.
I waved my cap (for my hat was long since worn out) and my handkerchief toward
the island; and upon its nearer approach, I called and shouted with the utmost
strength of my voice; and then looking circumspectly, I beheld a crowd gather
to that side which was most in my view. I found by their pointing towards
me and to each other, that they plainly discovered me, although they made no
return to my shouting. But I could see four or five men running in great
haste, up the stairs, to the top of the island, who then disappeared. I
happened rightly to conjecture, that these were sent for orders to some person
in authority upon this occasion.
The number
of people increased, and, in less than half all hour, the island was moved and
raised in such a manner, that the lowest gallery appeared in a parallel of less
then a hundred yards distance from the height where I stood. I then put
myself in the most supplicating posture, and spoke in the humblest accent, but
received no answer. Those who stood nearest over against me, seemed to be
persons of distinction, as I supposed by their habit. They conferred
earnestly with each other, looking often upon me. At length one of them
called out in a clear, polite, smooth dialect, not unlike in sound to the
Italian: and therefore I returned an answer in that language, hoping at least
that the cadence might be more agreeable to his ears. Although neither of
us understood the other, yet my meaning was easily known, for the people saw
the distress I was in.
They made
signs for me to come down from the rock, and go towards the shore, which I
accordingly did; and the flying island being raised to a convenient height, the
verge directly over me, a chain was let down from the lowest gallery, with a
seat fastened to the bottom, to which I fixed myself, and was drawn up by pulleys.
CHAPTER II.
The humours and dispositions of
the Laputians described. An account of their learning. Of the king
and his court. The author’s reception there. The inhabitants
subject to fear and disquietudes. An account of the women.
At my alighting,
I was surrounded with a crowd of people, but those who stood nearest seemed to
be of better quality. They beheld me with all the marks and circumstances
of wonder; neither indeed was I much in their debt, having never till then seen
a race of mortals so singular in their shapes, habits, and countenances.
Their heads were all reclined, either to the right, or 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 suns, moons, and stars;
interwoven with those of fiddles, flutes, harps, trumpets, guitars,
harpsichords, and many other instruments of music, unknown to us in
Europe. I observed, here and there, many in the habit of servants, with a
blown bladder, fastened like a flail to the end of a stick, which they carried
in their hands. In each bladder was a small quantity of dried peas, or
little pebbles, as I was afterwards informed. With these bladders, they
now and then flapped the mouths and ears of those who stood near them, of which
practice I could not then conceive the meaning. It seems the minds of
these people are so taken up with intense speculations, that they neither can
speak, nor attend to the discourses of others, without being roused by some external
taction upon the organs of speech and hearing; for which reason, those persons
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
visits, without him. And the business of this officer is, when two,
three, or more persons 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
speaker addresses himself. This flapper is likewise employed diligently
to attend his master in his walks, and upon occasion to give him a soft flap on
his eyes; because he is always so wrapped up in cogitation, that he is in
manifest danger of falling down every precipice, and bouncing his head against
every post; and in the streets, of justling others, or being justled himself
into the kennel.
It was
necessary to give the reader this information, without which he would be at the
same loss with me to understand the proceedings of these people, as they
conducted me up the stairs to the top of the island, and from thence to the
royal palace. While we were ascending, they forgot several times what
they were about, and left me to myself, till their memories were again roused
by their flappers; for they appeared altogether unmoved by the sight of my
foreign habit and countenance, and by the shouts of the vulgar, whose thoughts
and minds were more disengaged.
At last we
entered the palace, and proceeded into the chamber of presence, where I saw the
king seated on his throne, attended on each side by persons of prime
quality. Before the throne, was a large table filled with globes and
spheres, and mathematical instruments of all kinds. His majesty took not
the least notice of us, although our entrance was not without sufficient noise,
by the concourse of all persons belonging to the court. But he was then
deep in a problem; and we attended at least an hour, before he could solve
it. There stood by him, on each side, a young page with flaps in their
hands, and when they saw he was at leisure, one of them gently struck his
mouth, and the other his right ear; at which he startled like one awaked on the
sudden, and looking towards me and the company I was in, recollected the
occasion of our coming, whereof he had been informed before. He spoke
some words, whereupon immediately a young man with a flap came up to my side,
and flapped me gently on the right ear; but I made signs, as well as I could,
that I had no occasion for such an instrument; which, as I afterwards found,
gave his majesty, and the whole court, a very mean opinion of my
understanding. The king, as far as I could conjecture, asked me several
questions, and I addressed myself to him in all the languages I had. When
it was found I could neither understand nor be understood, I was conducted by
his order to an apartment in his palace (this prince being distinguished above
all his predecessors for his hospitality to strangers), where two servants were
appointed to attend me. My dinner was brought, and four persons of
quality, whom I remembered to have seen very near the king’s person, did me the
honour to dine with me. We had two courses, of three dishes each.
In the first course, there was a shoulder of mutton cut into an equilateral
triangle, a piece of beef into a rhomboides, and a pudding into a
cycloid. The second course was two ducks trussed up in the form of
fiddles; sausages and puddings resembling flutes and hautboys, and a breast of
veal in the shape of a harp. The servants cut our bread into cones,
cylinders, parallelograms, and several other mathematical figures.
While we
were at dinner, I made bold to ask the names of several things in their
language, and those noble persons, by the assistance of their flappers,
delighted to give me answers, hoping to raise my admiration of their great
abilities if I could be brought to converse with them. I was soon able to
call for bread and drink, or whatever else I wanted.
After
dinner my company withdrew, and a person was sent 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 signs, that he was sent to teach me the
language. We sat together four hours, in which time I wrote down a great
number of words in columns, with the translations over against them; I likewise
made a shift to learn several short sentences; for my tutor would order one of
my servants to fetch something, to turn about, to make a bow, to sit, or to
stand, or walk, and the like. Then I took down the sentence in
writing. He showed me also, in one of his books, the figures of the sun,
moon, and stars, the zodiac, the tropics, and polar circles, together with the
denominations of many plains and solids. He gave me the names and descriptions
of all the musical instruments, 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 some insight into their language.
The word, which I interpret the flying or floating island, is in the original Laputa,
whereof I could never learn the true etymology. Lap, in the old
obsolete language, signifies high; and untuh, a governor; from which
they say, by corruption, was derived Laputa, from Lapuntuh.
But I do not approve of this derivation, which seems to be a little
strained. I ventured to offer to the learned among them a conjecture of
my own, that Laputa was quasi lap outed; lap, signifying properly,
the dancing of the sunbeams in the sea, and outed, a wing; which,
however, I shall not obtrude, but submit to the judicious reader.
Those to
whom the king had entrusted me, observing how ill I was clad, ordered a tailor
to come next morning, and take measure for a suit of clothes. This
operator did his office after a different manner from those of his trade in
Europe. He first took my altitude by a quadrant, and then, with a rule
and compasses, described the dimensions and outlines of my whole body, all
which he entered upon paper; and in six days brought my clothes very ill made,
and quite out of shape, by happening to mistake a figure in the
calculation. But my comfort was, that I observed such accidents very
frequent, and little regarded.
During my
confinement for want of clothes, and by an indisposition that held me some days
longer, I much enlarged my dictionary; and when I went next to court, was able
to understand many things the king spoke, and to return him some kind of
answers. His majesty had given orders, that the island 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
distant, and our voyage lasted four days and a half. I was not in the
least sensible of the progressive motion made in the air by the island.
On the second morning, about eleven o’clock, the king himself in person,
attended by his nobility, courtiers, and officers, having prepared all their musical
instruments, played on them for three hours without intermission, so that I was
quite stunned with the noise; neither could I possibly guess the meaning, till
my tutor informed me. He said that, the people of their island had their
ears adapted to hear “the music of the spheres, which always played at certain
periods, and the court was now prepared to bear their part, in whatever
instrument they most 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 subjects. And to this purpose, several packthreads were
let down, with small weights at the bottom. On these packthreads the
people strung their petitions, which mounted up directly, like the scraps of
paper fastened by school boys at the end of the string that holds their
kite. Sometimes we received wine and victuals from below, which were
drawn up by pulleys.
The
knowledge I had in mathematics, gave me great assistance in acquiring their
phraseology, which depended much upon that science, and music; and in the
latter I was not unskilled. Their ideas are perpetually conversant in
lines and figures. If they would, for example, praise the beauty of a
woman, or any other animal, they describe it by rhombs, circles,
parallelograms, ellipses, and other geometrical terms, or by words of art drawn
from music, needless here to repeat. I observed in the king’s kitchen all
sorts of mathematical and musical instruments, after the figures of which they
cut up the joints that were served to his majesty’s table.
Their
houses are very ill built, the walls bevil, without one right angle in any
apartment; and this defect arises from the contempt they bear to practical
geometry, which they despise as vulgar and mechanic; those instructions they
give being too refined for the intellects of their workmen, which occasions
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 clumsy,
awkward, and unhandy people, nor so slow and perplexed in their conceptions
upon all other subjects, except those of mathematics and music. They are very
bad reasoners, and vehemently given to opposition, unless when they happen to
be of the right opinion, which is seldom their case. Imagination, fancy,
and invention, they are wholly strangers to, nor have any words in their
language, by which those ideas can be expressed; the whole compass of their
thoughts and mind being shut up within the two forementioned sciences.
Most of
them, and especially those who deal in the astronomical part, have great faith
in judicial astrology, although they are ashamed to own it publicly. But
what I chiefly admired, and thought altogether unaccountable, was the strong
disposition I observed in them towards news and politics, perpetually inquiring
into public affairs, giving their judgments in matters of state, and passionately
disputing every inch of a party opinion. I have indeed observed the same
disposition among most of the mathematicians I have known in Europe, although I
could never discover the least analogy between the two sciences; unless those
people suppose, that because the smallest circle has 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 spring from a very common infirmity of human nature, inclining us to
be most curious and conceited in matters where we have least concern, and for
which we are least adapted by study or nature.
These
people are under continual disquietudes, never enjoying a minutes peace of
mind; and their disturbances proceed from causes which very little affect the
rest of mortals. Their apprehensions arise from several changes they
dread in the celestial bodies: for instance, that the earth, by the continual
approaches of the sun towards it, must, in course of time, be absorbed, or
swallowed up; that the face of the sun, will, by degrees, be encrusted 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 last comet, which would have infallibly
reduced it to ashes; and that the next, which they have calculated for
one-and-thirty years hence, will probably destroy us. For if, in its
perihelion, it should approach within a certain degree of the sun (as by their
calculations they have reason to dread) it will receive a degree of heat ten
thousand times more intense than that of red hot glowing iron, and in its
absence from the sun, carry a blazing tail ten hundred thousand and fourteen
miles long, through which, if the earth should pass at the distance of one
hundred thousand miles from the nucleus, or main body of the comet, it must in
its passage be set on fire, and reduced to ashes: that the sun, daily spending
its rays without any nutriment to supply them, will at last be wholly consumed
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
so perpetually alarmed with the apprehensions of these, and the like impending
dangers, that they can neither sleep quietly in their beds, nor have any relish
for the common pleasures and amusements of life. When they meet an
acquaintance in the morning, the first question is about the sun’s health, how
he looked at his setting and rising, and what hopes they have to avoid the
stroke of the approaching comet. This conversation they are apt to run
into with the same temper that boys discover in delighting to hear terrible
stories of spirits and hobgoblins, which they greedily listen 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 strangers, whereof there is always a considerable number
from the continent below, attending at court, either upon affairs of the
several towns and corporations, or their own particular occasions, but are much
despised, because they want the same endowments. Among these the ladies
choose their gallants: but the vexation is, that they act with too much ease
and security; for the husband is always so rapt in speculation, 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
side.
The wives
and daughters lament their confinement to the island, although I think it the
most delicious spot of ground in the world; and although they live here in the
greatest plenty and magnificence, and are allowed to do whatever they please,
they long to see the world, and take the diversions of the metropolis, which
they are not allowed to do without a particular license from the king; and this
is not easy to be obtained, because the people of quality have found, by
frequent experience, how hard it is to persuade their women to return from
below. I was told that a great court lady, who had several children,—is
married to the prime minister, the richest subject in the kingdom, a very
graceful person, extremely fond of her, and lives in the finest palace of the
island,—went down to Lagado on the pretence of health, there hid herself for
several months, till the king sent a warrant to search for her; and she was
found in an obscure eating-house all in rags, having pawned her clothes to
maintain an old deformed footman, who beat her every day, and in whose company
she was taken, much against her will. And although her husband received
her with all possible kindness, and without the least reproach, she soon after
contrived to steal down again, with all her jewels, to the same gallant, and
has not been heard of since.
This may
perhaps pass with the reader rather for an European or English story, than for
one of a country so remote. But he may please to consider, that the
caprices of womankind are not limited by any climate or nation, and that they
are much more uniform, than can be easily imagined.
In about a
month’s time, I had made a tolerable proficiency in their language, and was
able to answer most of the king’s questions, when I had the honour to attend
him. His majesty discovered not the least curiosity to inquire into the
laws, government, history, religion, or manners of the countries where I had
been; but confined his questions to the state of mathematics, and received the
account I gave him with great contempt and indifference, though often roused by
his flapper on each side.
To be continued
