or what it was, I know not; but so it was, I could not fhut my eyes; I tried this fide and that, and turned and turned again, till a full hour after midnight; when Nature and patience both wearing out- O my God!' faid I. You have broke the treaty, Monfieur,' faid the lady-who had no more fleep than myself.-I begged a thousand pardons-but infifted it was no more than an ejaculation-fhe mainrained it was an entire infraction of the treaty-I maintained it was provided for in the claufe of the third article. The lady would by no means give up the point, though the weakened her barrier by it; for in the warmth of the difpute, I could hear two or three corking pins fall out of the curtain to the ground. Upon my word and honour, Madame,' faid I, ftretching my arm ou of bed, by way of affeveration (I was going to have added, that I would not have trefpaffed against the remoteft idea of decorum for the world) -But the fille de chambre hearing there were words between us, and fearing that hoftilities would enfue in courfe, had crept filently out of her clofet, and it being totally dark, had ftolen fo close to our beds, that the had got herself into the narrow paffage which feparated them, and had advanced fo far up as to be in a line betwixt her miftrefs and me So that when I ftretched out my hand, I caught hold of the fille de chambre's FINIS. FIRST A SURGEON, AND THEN A CAPTAIN OF SEVERAL SHIPS. IN TWO VOLUMES. ma BY DEAN SWIFT. LONDON. Printed for HARRISON and Co. No. 18, Paternofter-Row. M DCC LXXXII. THE + PUBLISHER TO THE READER. HE author of these travels, Mr. Lemuel Gulliver, is my ancient Tand intimate friend, there is likewife fome relation between us by the mother's fide. About three years ago, Mr. Gulliver growing weary of the concourfe of curious people coming to him at his houfe, in Redriff, made a fmall purchase of land, with a conveniet house, near Newark in Nottinghamshire, his native country; where he now lives retired, yet in good esteem among his neighbours. Although Mr. Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire, where his father dwelt, yet I have heard him fay his family came from Oxfordshire; to confirm which, I have obferved in the church-yard at Banbury in that county, feveral tombs and monuments of the Gullivers. Before he quitted Redriff, he left the custody of the following papers in my hands, with the liberty to difpofe of them as I fhould think fit. I have carefully perufed them three times: the ftyle is very plain and fimple; and the only fault I find is, that the author, after the manner of travellers, is a little too circumftantial. There is an air of truth apparent through the whole; and, indeed, the author was fo diftinguished for his veracity, that it became a fort of proverb among his neighbours at Redriff, when any one affirmed a thing, to fay, It was as true as if Mr. Gulliver had spoken it. By the advice of feveral worthy perfons, to whom, with the author's permiflion, I communicated thefe papers, I now venture to fend them into the world; hoping they may be, at least for fome time, a better entertainment to our young noblemen, than the common fcribbles of politicks and party. Thefe volumes would have been at least twice at large, if I had not made bold to strike out innumerable paffages relating to the winds and tides, as well as to the variations and bearings in the feveral voyages; together with the minute defcriptions of the management of the ship in florms, in the ftyle of failors: likewife the account of longitudes and latitudes; wherein I have reafon to apprehend that Mr. Gulliver may be a little diffatisfied: but I was refolved to fit the work as much as poffible to the general capacity of readers. However, if my own ignorance in fea affairs fhall have led me to commit fome mistakes, I alone am anfwerable for them: and if any traveller hath a curiosity to fee the whole work at large, as it came from the hand of the author, I fhall be ready to gratify him. As for any farther particulars relating to the author, the reader will receive fatisfaction from the first pages of the book. RICHARD SYMPSON. |