took out their Stings, found them an Inch and an half long, and as sharp as Needles. I carefully preferved them all, and having fince fhewn them with fome other Curiofities in feveral Parts of Europe; upon my Return to England I gave three of them to GrefamCollege, and kept the fourth for myself.

CHA P. IV.

The Country defcribed. A Propofal for correcting modern Maps. The King's Palace, and fome Account of the Metropolis. The Author's Way of travelling The chief Temple defcribed.

Now intend to give the Reader a short Description of this Country, as far as I travelled in it, which was not above two thousand Miles round Lorbrulgrud the Metropolis. For the Queen, whom I always attended, never went further when the accompanied the King in his Progreffes; and there ftaid until his Majefty returned from viewing his Frontiers. The whole Extent of this Prince's Dominions reacheth but fix thousand Miles in Length, and from three to five in Breadth. From whence I cannot but conclude, that our Geographers of Europe are in a great Error, by fuppofing nothing but Sea between Japan and California: For, it was ever my Opinion, that there must be a Balance of Earth to counterpoife the great Continent of Tartary; and therefore they ought to correct their Maps and Charts, by joining this vaft Tract of Land to the North-Weft Parts of America; wherein I fhall be ready to lend them my Affiftance.

THE Kingdom is a Peninsula, terminated to the North-Eaft by a Ridge of Mountains thirty Miles high, which are altogether impaffable by reafon of the Volcanoes upon the Tops. Neither do the moft Learned know what fort of Mortals inhabit beyond. those Mountains, or whether they be inhabited at all. On the three other Sides it is bounded by the

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Ocean. There is not one Sea-port in the whole Kingdom; and thofe Parts of the Coafts into which the Rivers iffue, are fo full of pointed Rocks, and the Sea nerally fo rough, that there is no venturing with the fmallest of their Boats; fo that these People are wholly excluded from any Commerce with the reft of the World. But the large Rivers are full of Veffels, and abound with excellent Fish; for they feldom get any from the Sea, because the Sea-fish are of the fame Size with thofe in Europe, and confequently not worth catching; whereby it is manifeft, that Nature, in the Production of Plants and Animals of fo extraordinary a Bulk, is wholly confined to this Continent; of which I leave the Reasons to be determined by Philofophers. However, now and then they take a Whale that happens to be dafhed against the Rocks, which the common People feed on heartily. Thefe Whales I have known fo large that a Man could hardly carry one upon his Shoulders; and fometimes for Curiofity they are brought in Hampers to Lorbrulgrud: I faw one of them in a Difh at the King's Table, which paffed for a Rarity; but I did not obferve he was fond of it; for I think indeed the Bignefs difgufted him, although I have seen one somewhat larger in Greenland.

THE Country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty one Cities, near an hundred walled Towns, and a great Number of Villages. To fatisfy my curious Reader, it may be fufficient to defcribe Lorbrulgrud. This City stands upon almost two equal Parts on each Side of the River that paffes through. It contains above eighty thoufand Houses. It is in Length three Glonglungs, (which makes about fifty four English Miles) and two and an half in Breadth, as I measured it myself in the Royal Map made by the King's Order, which was laid on the Ground on purpose for me, and extended an hundred Feet; I paced the Diameter and Circumference feveral times bare-foot, and computing by the Scale, measured it pretty exactly.

THE King's Palace is no regular Edifice, but an Heap of Building about feven Miles round.

The

chief Rooms are generally two hundred and forty Foot high, and broad and long in Proportion. A Coach was allowed to Glumdalclitch and me, wherein her Governess frequently took her out to fee the Town, or go among the Shops; and I was always of the Party, carried in my Box; although the Girl at my own Defire would often take me out, and hold me in her Hand, that I might more conveniently view the Houses and the People as we paffed along the Streets. I reckoned our Coach to be about a Square of Weftminfter-hall, but not altogether fo high; however, I cannot be very exact. One Day the Governefs or-dered our Coachman to ftop at feveral Shops; where' the Beggars watching their Opportunity, crowded to the Sides of the Coach, and gave me the moft horrible Spectacles that ever an European Eye beheld. There was a Woman with a Cancer in her Breast, fwelled to a monftrous Size, full of Holes, in two or three of which I could have easily crept, and covered' my whole Body. There was a Fellow with a Wen in his Neck, larger than five Woolpacks; and another with a couple of wooden Legs, each about twenty Foot high. But the most hateful Sight of all was the Lice crawling on their Cloaths; I could fee diftinctly the Limbs of these Vermin with my naked Eye, much better than those of an European Loufe through a Microfcope; and their Snouts with which they routed like Swine. They were the first I had ever beheld; and I should have been curious enough to diffect one of them, if I had had proper Inftruments, (which I unluckily left behind me in the Ship) although indeed the Sight was fo naufeous, that it perfectly turned my Stomach:

BESIDE the large Box in which I was ufually carried, the Queen ordered a smaller one to be made for me, of about twelve Foot fquare, and ten high, for the Convenience of travelling; becaufe the other was fomewhat too large for Glumdal.tch's Lap, and cumberfome in the Coach; it was made by the fame Artift, whom I directed in the whole Contrivance. This travelling,

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travelling Closet was an exact Square, with a Window in the Middle of three of the Squares, and each Window was latticed with Iron-wire on the Outside, to prevent Accidents in long Journeys. On the fourth Side, which had no Window, two ftrong Staples were fixed, through which the Perfon that carried me, when I had a Mind to be on Horfeback, put in a Leathern-belt, and buckled it about his Waift. This was always the Office of fome grave trusty Servant, in whom I could confide, whether I attended the King and Queen in their Progreffes, or were difpofed to fee the Gardens, or pay a Vifit to fome great Lady or Minister of State in the Court, when Glumdalclitch happened to be out of Order: For I foon began to be known and esteemed among the greatest Officers, I fuppofe more upon account of their Majefty's Favour, than any Merit of my own. In Journeys, when I was weary of the Coach, a Servant on Horfeback would buckle my Box, and place it on a Cushion, before him; and there I had a full Profpect of the Country on three Sides from my three Windows. I had in this Clofet a Field-bed and a Hammock hung from the Ceiling, two Chairs and a Table, neatly fcrewed to the Floor, to prevent being toffed about by the Agitation of the Horfe or the Coach. And having been long ufed to Sea-voyages, thofe Motions, although fometimes very violent, did not much dif compofe me.

WHENEVER I had a Mind to fee the Town, it was always in my travelling Clofet; which Glumdalclitch held in her Lap in a kind of open Sedan, after the Fashion of the Country, borne by four Men, and attended by two others in the Queen's Livery. The People, who had often heard of me, were very curiqus to crowd about the Sedan; and the Girl was complaifant enough to make the Bearers ftop, and to take me in her Hand, that I might be more conveniently feen.

I was very defirous to fee the chief Temple, and particularly the Tower belonging to it, which is rec

koned

koned the highest in the Kingdom. Accordingly one Day my Nurfe carried me thither, but I may truly fay I came back disappointed; forthe Height is not above three thousand Foot, reckoning from the Ground to the highest Pinacle-top; which, allowing for the Difference between the Size of thofe People and us in Europe, is no great Matter for Admiration, nor at all equal in proportion (if I rightly remember) to Salisbury Steeple. But, not to detract from a Nation, to which during my Life I fhall acknowledge myself extremely obliged; it must be allowed, that whatever this famous Tower wants in Height, is amply made up in Beauty and Strength. For, the Walls are near an hundred Foot thick, built of hewn Stone, whereof each is about forty Foot square, and adorned on all Sides with Statues of Gods and Emperors, cut in Marble larger than the Life, placed in their feveral Niches. I measured a little Finger which had fallen down from one of thefe Statues, and lay unperceived among fome Rubbish; and found it exactly four Foot and an Inch in Length. Glumdalclitch wrapped it up in a Handkerchief, and carried it home in her Pocket, to keep among other Trinkets, of which the Girl was very fond, as Children at her Age ufually are.

THE King's Kitchen is indeed a noble Building, vaulted at Top, and about fix hundred Foot high. The great Oven is not fo wide by ten Paces as the Cupola at St. Paul's: For I meafared the latter on purpofe after my Return. But if I should defcribe the Kitchen-grate, the prodigious Pots and Kettles, the Joints of Meat turning on the Spits, with many other Particulars; perhaps I fhould be hardly believed; at leaft a fevere Critick would be apt to think I enlarged a little, as Travellers are often fufpected to do. To avoid which Cenfure, I fear I have run too much into the other Extreme; and that, if this Treatife fhould happen to be tranflated into the Language of Brob dingnag, (which is the general Name of that Kingdom) and tranfmitted thither, the King and his People would have Reafon to complain, that I had

done