Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

PART I—A VOYAGE
TO LILLIPUT.

Chapter I

My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire: I was
the third of five sons. He sent me to Emanuel College
in Cambridge at fourteen years old, where I resided three
years, and applied myself close to my studies; but the charge
of maintaining me, although I had a very scanty allowance,
being too great for a narrow fortune, I was bound apprentice
to Mr. James Bates, an eminent surgeon in London,
with whom I continued four years. My father now and then
sending me small sums of money, I laid them out in learning
navigation, and other parts of the mathematics, useful
to those who intend to travel, as I always believed it would
be, some time or other, my fortune to do. When I left Mr.
Bates, I went down to my father: where, by the assistance of
him and my uncle John, and some other relations, I got forty
pounds, and a promise of thirty pounds a year to maintain
me at Leyden: there I studied physic two years and seven
months, knowing it would be useful in long voyages.
Soon after my return from Leyden, I was recommended by my good master, Mr. Bates, to be surgeon to the Swallow,
Captain Abraham Pannel, commander; with whom I
continued three years and a half, making a voyage or two
into the Levant, and some other parts. When I came back I
resolved to settle in London; to which Mr. Bates, my master,
encouraged me, and by him I was recommended to several
patients. I took part of a small house in the Old Jewry; and
being advised to alter my condition, I married Mrs. Mary
Burton, second daughter to Mr. Edmund Burton, hosier, in
Newgate-street, with whom I received four hundred pounds
for a portion.
But my good master Bates dying in two years after, and
I having few friends, my business began to fail; for my conscience
would not suffer me to imitate the bad practice of
too many among my brethren. Having therefore consulted
with my wife, and some of my acquaintance, I determined
to go again to sea. I was surgeon successively in two ships,
and made several voyages, for six years, to the East and
West Indies, by which I got some addition to my fortune. My
hours of leisure I spent in reading the best authors, ancient
and modern, being always provided with a good number of
books; and when I was ashore, in observing the manners
and dispositions of the people, as well as learning their language;
wherein I had a great facility, by the strength of my
memory.
The last of these voyages not proving very fortunate, I
grew weary of the sea, and intended to stay at home with
my wife and family. I removed from the Old Jewry to Fetter
Lane, and from thence to Wapping, hoping to get business among the sailors; but it would not turn to account. After
three years expectation that things would mend, I accepted
an advantageous offer from Captain William Prichard,
master of the Antelope, who was making a voyage to the
South Sea. We set sail from Bristol, May 4, 1699, and our
voyage was at first very prosperous.
It would not be proper, for some reasons, to trouble the
reader with the particulars of our adventures in those seas;
let it suffice to inform him, that in our passage from thence
to the East Indies, we were driven by a violent storm to the
north-west of Van Diemen’s Land. By an observation, we
found ourselves in the latitude of 30 degrees 2 minutes
south. Twelve of our crew were dead by immoderate labour
and ill food; the rest were in a very weak condition. On the
5th of November, which was the beginning of summer in
those parts, the weather being very hazy, the seamen spied
a rock within half a cable’s length of the ship; but the wind
was so strong, that we were driven directly upon it, and immediately
split. Six of the crew, of whom I was one, having
let down the boat into the sea, made a shift to get clear of the
ship and the rock. We rowed, by my computation, about
three leagues, till we were able to work no longer, being already
spent with labour while we were in the ship. We
therefore trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves, and in
about half an hour the boat was overset by a sudden flurry
from the north. What became of my companions in the
boat, as well as of those who escaped on the rock, or were
left in the vessel, I cannot tell; but conclude they were all
lost. For my own part, I swam as fortune directed me, and was pushed forward by wind and tide. I often let my legs
drop, and could feel no bottom; but when I was almost gone,
and able to struggle no longer, I found myself within my
depth; and by this time the storm was much abated. The declivity
was so small, that I walked near a mile before I got to
the shore, which I conjectured was about eight o’clock in
the evening. I then advanced forward near half a mile, but
could not discover any sign of houses or inhabitants; at least
I was in so weak a condition, that I did not observe them. I
was extremely tired, and with that, and the heat of the
weather, and about half a pint of brandy that I drank as I left
the ship, I found myself much inclined to sleep. I lay down
on the grass, which was very short and soft, where I slept
sounder than ever I remembered to have done in my life,
and, as I reckoned, about nine hours; for when I awaked, it
was just day-light. I attempted to rise, but was not able to
stir: for, as I happened to lie on my back, I found my arms
and legs were strongly fastened on each side to the ground;
and my hair, which was long and thick, tied down in the
same manner. I likewise felt several slender ligatures across
my body, from my arm-pits to my thighs. I could only look
upwards; the sun began to grow hot, and the light offended
my eyes. I heard a confused noise about me; but in the posture
I lay, could see nothing except the sky. In a little time I
felt something alive moving on my left leg, which advancing
gently forward over my breast, came almost up to my
chin; when, bending my eyes downwards as much as I could,
I perceived it to be a human creature not six inches high,
with a bow and arrow in his hands, and a quiver at his back. etc...


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