Glumdalclitch's bed-chamber, and belonged to her governefs, a grave elderly gentlewoman, who dealt in writings of morality and devotion. The book treats of the weakness of human kind, and is in little esteem, except among the women and the vulgar. However, I was curious to see what an author of that country could fay upon fuch a fubject. This writer went through all the ufual topics of european moralists, shewing how diminutive, contemptible, and helpless an animal was man in his own nature; how unable to defend himself from inclemencies of the air, or the fury of wild beasts: how much he was excelled by one creature in ftrength, by another in speed, by a third in forefight, by a fourth in industry. He added, that nature was degenerated in these latter declining ages of the world, and could now produce only fmall abortive births, in comparison of those in ancient times. He said, it was very reasonable to think, not only that the fpecies of men were originally much larger, but also that there must have been giants in former ages; which, as it is afferted by history and

tradition,

tradition, so it hath been confirmed by huge bones and skulls cafually dug up in feveral parts of the kingdom, far exceeding the common dwindled race of man in our days. He argued, that the very laws of nature abfolutely required we should have been made in the beginning of a fize more large and robuft, not fo liable to deftruction from every little accident of a tile falling from an house, or a stone cast from the hand of a boy, or being drowned in a little brook. From this way of reafoning, the author drew feveral moral applications useful in the conduct of life, but needlefs here to repeat. For my own part, I could not avoid reflecting how univerfally this talent was fpread, of drawing lectures in morality, or indeed rather matter of discontent and repining, from the quarrels we raise with nature. And I believe, upon a ftrict enquiry thofe quarrels might be fhewn as ill-grounded among us, as they are among that people *.

The author's zeal to juftify providence has before been remarked; and thefe quarrels with nature, or in other words with God, could not have been more forcibly reproved than by

fhewing, that the complaints upon which they are founded would be equally fpecious among beings of fuch aftonifhing fuperiority of ftature and ftrength.

As

As to their military affairs, they boast that the king's army confifts of an hundred and feventy-fix thousand foot, and thirtytwo thousand horse: if that may be called an army, which is made up of tradefmen in the feveral cities, and farmers in the country, whose commanders are only the nobility and gentry without pay or reward. They are indeed perfect enough in their exercises, and under very good difcipline, wherein I faw no great merit ; for how fhould it be otherwife, where every farmer is under the command of his own landlord, and every citizen under that of the principal men in his own city, chofen after the manner of Venice by ballot?

I have often feen the militia of Lorbulgrud drawn out to exercife in a great field near the city of twenty miles fquare. They were in all not above twenty-five thousand foot, and fix thousand horfe; but it was impoffible for me to compute their number, confidering the fpace of ground they took up. A cavalier, mounted on a large fteed, might be about ninety feet high. I have feen this whole body of horse, upon a word of command,

3

draw

draw their fwords at once, and brandish them in the air. Imagination can figure nothing fo grand, fo furprifing, and fo astonishing! it looked as if ten thousand flashes of lightning were darting at the fame time from every quarter of the sky.

I was curious to know how this prince,

to whose dominions there is no access from any other country, came.to think of armies, or to teach his people the practice of military discipline. But I was foon informed both by conversation and reading their histories: for in the course of many ages they have been troubled with the fame disease to which the whole race of mankind is fubject; the nobility often contending for power, the people for liberty, and the king for abfolute dominion. All which, however happily tempered by the laws of that kingdom, have been sometimes violated by each of the three parties, and have more than once occafioned civil wars, the last whereof was happily put an end to by this prince's grandfather in a general compofition; and the militia, then fettled with common confent, hath been ever fince kept in the strictest duty.

I

CHAP.

CHAP. VIII.

The king and queen make a progress to the frontiers. The author attends them. The manner in which he leaves the country very particularly related. He returns to England.

I

Had always a strong impulse, that I fhould fome time recover my liberty, though it was impoffible to conjecture by what means, or to form any project with the leaft hope of fucceeding. The ship in which I failed was the first ever known to be driven within fight of that coaft, and the king had given strict orders, that if at any time another appeared, it should be taken afhore, and with all its crew and paffengers brought in a tumbril to Lorbrulgrud. He was ftrongly bent to get me a woman of my own fize, by whom I might propagate the breed: but I think, Ifhould rather have died, than undergone the difgrace of leaving a posterity to be kept in cages like tame canary birds, and perhaps in time fold about the kingdom to perfons of quality for curiofities. I was inе deed