CHAP. IV.

The author leaves Laputa, is conveyed to Balnibarbi, arrives at the metropolis. A defcription of the metropolis, and the country adjoining. The author hofpitably received by a great lord. His converfation with that lord.

ALTHOUGH I cannot fay that I was ill-treated in this ifland, yet I must confess I thought myself too much neglected, not without fome degree of contempt. For neither prince nor people appeared to be curious in any part of knowledge, except mathematics and mufic, wherein I was far their inferior, and upon that account very little regarded.

On the other fide, after having feen all the curiofities of the ifland, I was very defirous to leave it, being heartily weary of thofe people. They were indeed excellent in two fciences, for which I have great efteem, and wherein I am not unverfed, but at the fame time so abstracted and involved in speculation, that I never met with fuch difagreeable companions. I converfed only with women, tradefmen, flappers, and court pages, during two months of my abode there; by which at laft I rendered myself extremely contemptible; yet thefe were the only people, from whom I could ever receive a reasonable answer.

I had obtained by hard ftudy a good degree of knowledge in their language; I was weary of being confined to an island, where I received fo little countenance, and refolved to leave it with the first opportunity.

There was a great lord at court, nearly related to

the

the King, and, for that reafon alone, used with refpect. He was univerfally reckoned the most ignorant and stupid perfon among them. He had performed many eminent fervices for the crown, had great natural and acquired parts, adorned with integrity and honour, but fo ill an ear for music, that his detractors reported he had been often known to beat time in the wrong place; neither could his tutors, without extreme difficulty, teach him to demonstrate the most easy propofition in the mathematics. He was pleated to fhew me many marks of favour, often did me the honour of a vifit, defired to be informed in the affairs of Europe, the laws and customs, the manners and learning of the several countries where I had travelled. He listened to me with great attention, and made very wife obfervations on all I fpoke. He had two flappers attending him for ftate, but never made ufe of them, except at court, and in vifits of ceremony, and would always command them to withdraw, when we were alone together.

I entreated this illuftrious perfon to intercede in my behalf with his Majefty for leave to depart, which he accordingly did, as he was pleafed to tell me, with regret: for indeed he had made me feveral offers very advantageous, which however I refufed with expreffions of the highest acknowledg

ment.

On the 16th of February I took leave of his Majefty and the court. The King made me a prefent to the value of about two hundred pounds English, and my protector, his kinfman, as muchmore, together with a letter of recommendation to a friend of his in Lagado, the metropolis: the island being then hovering over a mountain about two' miles from it, I was let down from the loweft gallery, in the fame manner as I had been taken up.

The continent, as far as it is fubject to the moarch of the flying island, paffes under the general

name

name of Balnibarbi; and the metropolis, as I faid before, is called Lagado. I felt fome little fatisfaction in finding myself on firm ground. I walked to the city without any concern, being clad like one of the natives, and fufficiently inftructed to converse with them. I foon found out the perfon's house to whom I was recommended, prefented my letter from his friend the grandee in the ifland, and was received with much kindnefs. This great lord, whofe name was Munodi, ordered me an apartment in his own houfe, where I continued during my stay, and was entertained in a most hospitable man

ner.

The next morning after my arrival he took me in his chariot to fee the town, which is about half the bigness of London, but the houses very ftrangely built, and most of them out of repair. The people in the streets walked fast, looked wild, their eyes fixed, and were generally in rags. We paffed through one of the town-gates, and went about three miles into the country, where I faw many labourers working with feveral forts of tools in the ground, but was not able to conjecture what they were about; neither did I obferve any expectation either of corn or grafs, although the foil appeared to be excellent. I could not forbear admiring at thefe odd appearances both in town and country; and I made bold to defire my conductor, that he would be pleased to explain to me what could be meant by fo many bufy heads, hands, and faces, both in the streets and the fields, becaufe I did not. difcover any good effects they produced; but, on the contrary, I never knew a foil fo unhappily cultivated, houfes fo ill contrived and fo ruinous, or a people whofe countenances and habit expreffed fo much mifery and want.

This Lord Munodi was a perfon of the first rank, and had been fome years governor of Lagado; but by a cabal of minifters was difcharged for infufficiency

infufficiency. However the King treated him with tenderness, as a well-meaning man, but of a low contemptible understanding.

When I gave that free cenfure of the country and its inhabitants, he made no further answer, than by telling me, that I had not been long enough among them to form a judgement; and that the different nations of the world had different cuftoms; with other common topics to the fame purpofe. But, when we returned to his palace, he afked me how I liked the building, what absurdities I obferved, and what quarrel I had with the drefs or looks of his domeftics. This he might fafely do; because every thing about him was magnificent, regular, and polite. I answered, that his Excel. lency's prudence, quality, and fortune, had exempted him from thefe defects, which folly and beggary had produced in others. He faid, if I would go with him to his country-house about twenty miles diftant, where his eftate lay, there would be more leifure for this kind of converfation. I told his Excellency, that I was intirely at his difpofal; and accordingly we fet out next morning.

During our journey he made me obferve the feveral methods used by farmers in managing their lands; which to me were wholly unaccountable; for except in fome very few places, I could not difcover one ear of corn, or blade of grafs. But in three hours travelling, the fcene was wholly altered; we came into a most beautiful country; farmers houses at small distances neatly built, the fields inclofed, containing vineyards, corn-grounds, and meadows. Neither do I remember to have feen a more delightful profpect. His Excellency obferv. ed my countenance to clear up; he told me with a figh, that there his eftate began, and would conti nue the fame, till we fhould come to his house. That his countrymen ridiculed and defpifed him for managing his affairs no better, and for fetting fo ill

an

an example to the kingdom, which however was followed by very few, fuch as were old, and wilful, and weak like himself.

We came at length to the house, which was indeed a noble structure, built according to the best rules of ancient architecture. The fountains, gardens, walks, avenues, and groves, were all difpofed with exact judgement and tafte. I gave due praises to every thing I faw, whereof his Excellency took not the leaft notice till after fupper; when, there being no third companion, he told me with a very melancholy air, that he doubted he must throw down his houfes in town and country to rebuild them after the prefent mode, deftroy all his plantations, and caft others into fuch a form as modern ufage required, and give the fame directions to all his tenants, unless he would fubmit to incur the cenfure of pride, fingularity, affectation, ignorance, caprice, and perhaps increafe his Majefty's difpleasure.

That the admiration I appeared to be under, would ceafe or diminish, when he had informed me of fome particulars, which probably I never heard of at court, the people there being too much taken up in their own fpeculations to have regard to what paffed here below.

The fun of his difcourfe was to this effect: that about forty years ago certain perfons went up to Laputa, either upon business or diverfion, and after five months continuance came back with a very little fmattering in mathematics, but full of volatile fpirits acquired in that airy region. That thefe perfons upon their return began to diflike the management of every thing below, and fell into schemes of putting all arts, fciences, languages, and mechanics upon a new foot. To this end they procured a royal patent for erecting an academy of projectors in Lagado; and the humour prevailed fo ftrongly among the people, that there is not a town of any VOL. V. confequence

K