LA PUTA, &c. 181 condly, by tranfpofing the letters of the alphabet in any fufpected paper, they can lay open the deepeft defigns of a difcontented party. So, for example, if I'should say in a letter to a friend, Our brother Tom has just got the piles, a skilful decypherer would discover, that the fame letters, which compose that fentence, may be analysed into the following words, Refift- -a plot is brought home- The Tour. And this is the anagrammatic method. THE profeffor made me great acknowledgments for communicating thefe obfervations, and promised to make honourable mention of me in this treatise. I faw nothing in this country that could invite me to a longer continuance, and began to think of returning home to England. CHA P. VII*. The author leaves Lagado, arrives at Maldonada. No Ship ready. He takes a short voyage to Glubbdubdrib. His reception by the governor. THE of HE continent, of which this kingdom is a part, extends itself, as I have reason to believe, eastward to that unknown tract of America weftward of Ca lifornia, Gulliver seems to have finished his voyage to Laputa in a careless hurrying manner; which makes me almost think, that fometimes he was tired with his work, and attempted to run thro' it as fast as he could; otherwife why was the curtain dropt fo foon; or why were we deprived of fo noble a scene as might have been discovered in the island of Glubbdubdrib, where the go. vernor, by his fkill in necromancy, had the power of calling whom he pleafed from the dead. I have not time by this poft to write to you my thoughts upon a fubject, which I confefs awakened, but by no means fatisfied my curiofity. I lamented to find fo many illustrious ghosts vanish fo quickly and fo abruptly from my fight, many of whom were of the brightest characters in hiftory. In my next letter I fhall endeavour to detain them a little longer in Leicester fields, than Swift fuffered them to stay in the island of Sorcerers., Orrery. lifornia, and north to the Pacific ocean, which is not above a hundred and fifty miles from Lagado, where there is a good port, and much commerce with the great island of Luggnagg, fituated to the north-west about 29 degrees north latitude, and 140 longitude. This ifland of Luggnagg ftands fouth-eastward of Japan, about an hundred leagues diftant. There is a ftrict alliance between the Japanese Emperor and the King of Luggnagg, which af fords frequent opportunities of failing from one ifland to the other. I determined therefore to direct my courfe this way in order to my return to Europe. I hired two mules, with a guide, to fhew me the way, and carry my fmall baggage. I took leave of my noble protector, who had fhewn me fo much favour, and made me a generous prefent at my departure. My journey was without any accident or adventure worth relating. When I arrived at the port of Maldonada (for fo it is called) there was no fhip in the harbour bound for Luggnagg, nor like to be in fome time. The town is about as large as Portfmouth. I foon fell into fome acquaintance, and was very hofpitably received. A gentleman of diftinction faid to me, that fince the fhips bound for Luggnagg could not be ready in lefs than a month, it might be no difagreeable amusement for me to take a trip to the little ifland of Glubbdubdrib, about five leagues off to the fouth-west. He offered himself and a friend to accompany me, and that I fhould be provided with a small convenient barque for the voyage. :: GLUBBDUBDRIB, as nearly as I can interpret the word, fignifies the island of Sorcerers or Magicians. It is about one third as large as the Isle of Wight, and extremely fruitful it is governed by the head of a certain tribe, who are all magicians. This tribe marries only among each other, and the eldeft in fucceffion is prince or governor. He hath a noble palace, and a park of about three thousand acres, surrounded by a wall of hewn stone twenty feet high. In this park are several small inclosures for cattle, corn, and gardening. THE governor and his family are ferved and attended by domeftics of a kind somewhat unusual. By his skill in necromancy he hath a power of calling whom he pleafeth from the dead, and commanding their fervice for twenty twenty four hours, but no longer; nor can he call the fame persons up again in less than three months, except upon very extraordinary occafions. WHEN we arrived at the island, which was about eleven in the morning, one of the gentlemen, who accompanied me, went to the governor, and desired admittance for a ftranger, who came on purpose to have the honour of attending on his highness. This was immediately granted, and we all three entered the gate of the palace, between two rows of guards armed and dressed after a very antic manner, and something in their countenances that made my flesh creep with a horror I cannot express. We paffed through feveral apartments between fervants of the fame fort, ranked on each fide, as before, till we came to the chamber of presence, where, after three profound obeyfances, and a few general queftions, we were permitted to fit on three ftools near the loweft ftep of his highness's throne. He understood the language of Balnibarbi, although it were different from that of this ifland. He defired me to give him fome account of my travels; and, to let me fee that I fhould be treated without ceremony, he difmiffed all his attendants with a turn of his finger, at which to my great aftonishment they vanished in an inftant, like vifions in a dream when we awake on a fudden. I could not recover myself in some time, till the governor affured me, that I fhould receive no hurt ; and obferving my two companions to be under no concern, who had been often entertained in the fame manner, I began to take courage, and related to his highnefs a fhort hiftory of my feveral adventures; yet not without fome hesitation, and frequently looking behind me to the place, where I had feen thofe domeftic spectres. I had the honour to dine with the governor, where a new fett of ghosts ferved up the meat, and waited at table. I now observed myself to be lefs terrified, than I had been in the morning. I ftaid till fun-fet, but humbly defired his highness to excufe me for not accepting his invitation of lodging in the palace. My two friends and I lay at a private house in the town adjoining, which is the capital of this little ifland; and the next morning we returned to pay our duty to the governor, as he was pleased to command us. VOL. II. AFTER Part III. AFTER this manner we continued in the island for ten days, moft part of every day with the governor, and at night in our lodging. I foon grew fo familiarized to the fight of fpirits, that after the third or fourth time they gave me no emotion at all; or if I had any apprehenfions left, my curiofity prevailed over them. For his highnefs the governor ordered me to call up whatever perfons I would chufe to name, and in whatever numbers, among all the dead from the beginning of the world to the present time, and command them to answer any questions I should think fit to afk; with this condition, that my questions must be confined within the compafs of the times they lived in. And one thing I might depend upon, that they would certainly tell me truth, for lying was a talent of no ufe in the lower world. I made my humble acknowledgments to his highness for fo great a favour *. We were in a chamber, from whence there was a fair prospect into the park. And, because my firft inclination was to be entertained with fcenes of pomp and magnificence, I defired to fee Alexander the Great at the head of his army juft after the battle of Arbela, which, upon a motion of the governor's finger, immediately appeared in a large field under the window where we ftood. Alexander was called up into the room: it was with great difficulty that I underftood his Greek, and had but little of my own. He affured me upon his honour, that he was not poisoned, but died of a fever by exceffive drinking †. NEXT * I believe it would be impoffible to find out the defign of Dr. Swift, in fummoning up a parcel of apparitions, that, from their behaviour, or from any thing they fay, are almost of as little confequence, as the ghofts in Gay's farce of the What d'ye call it. Perhaps Swift's general defign might be to arraign the conduct of eminent perfons after their death, and to convey their names and images to posterity, deprived of those falfe colours in which they formerly appeared. If these were his intentions, he has miffed his aim; or at least has been fo far carried away by his difpofition to raillery, that the moral which ought to arise from fuch a fable, is buried in obscurity. Orrery. The first airy fubftance introduced is Alexander the Great. After a hint from Gulliver, that we have loft the true Greek idiom, NEXT I faw Hannibal paffing the Alps, who told me, he had not a drop of vinegar in his camp I There are others idiom, the conqueror of the univerfe is made to declare upon his honour," that he died by exceffive drinking, not by poi"fon." A trifling and an improper obfervation, because the apparition is called up as he appeared at the head of his army, juft after the battle of Arbela. I own my expectations were great, when I found his appearance was to be at that particular juncture. Or rather I could have wished to have feen him after the battle of ISSUS, when the temperate use which he made of his victory was highly worthy of imitation. Such a circumftance might have graced his triumph. too in the hiftorical records of him, that redound to his honour. The tender regard which he fhewed to Pindar, by fparing the houfe of that poet, when he rafed the city of Thebes, feems to deniand perpetual gratitude from all fucceeding bards. The manner in which he visited the tomb of Achilles; the affection and refpect paid by him to Ariftotle; the undaunted confidence placed in his physician Philip; are inftances fufficient to fhew, that Alexander did not want fome virtues of humanity. And when we confider feveral of his rafh actions of inebriety, they convince us, how far the native excellencies of the mind may be debafed and changed by paffions which too often attend fuccefs and luxury, Utcunque defecere mores Dedecorant bene nata culpae. It is evident, that Swift had conceived an abfolute disgust to Alexander, whofe character he aims to deftroy, by touching it in fo flight a manner, that he puts me in mind of the vifit paid. by Auguftus Caefar to Alexander's fepulchre at Alexandria. Upon the Emperor's arrival, the body of the Macedonian hero was found in its full dimenfions, but fo tender, notwithstanding all the former imbalming, that Caefar, by touching only the nofe of it, defaced the whole figure immediately. Orrery. In this paffage there is a peculiar beauty, though it is not difcovered at an hafty view. The appearance of Alexander with a victorious army immediately after the battle of Arbela, produces only a declaration that he died by drunkenness; thus inadequate and ridiculous in the eye of reafon is the ultimate purpose for which Alexander with his army marched into a re mote country, fubverted a mighty empire, and deluged a nation with blood; he gained no more than an epithet to his name, which after a few repetitions was no longer regarded even by himself: thus the purpose of his refurrection appears to be at leaft equally important with that of his life, upon which it is a fatire not more bitter than just. Hawkef. * Hannibal feems to have been fummoned with no other view than to cenfure Livy the historian. It is not only improbable, Q 2 but |