GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

Into Several Remote Regions of the World

by

JONATHAN SWIFT, D.D.

Edited with Introduction and Notes by Thomas M. Balliet
Superintendent of Schools, Springfield, Mass.

With Thirty-Eight Illustrations and a Map

PART I: A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT

PART II: A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG

D.C. Heath & Co., Publishers
Boston New York Chicago

1900

PREFACE

And lo! the book, from all its end beguiled,
A harmless wonder to some happy child.

LORD LYTTON.

Gulliver's Travels was published in 1726. Even though the author never meant it as a children's book, kids quickly claimed it as their own, and they have loved it as one of their favorite stories ever since. Children don't understand why Swift wrote the book, and they don't catch the satire (a way of making fun of something, often government or people, to point out its faults) hidden inside the story. But they still love the amazing adventures. They travel wide-eyed through strange new worlds, guided by an author whose imagination was both wild and carefully logical. And there is a lesson and a message in the voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag that goes beyond the political satire—a lesson so clear that even the youngest reader will understand it without a teacher explaining it.

For young readers, the book feels a bit like Robinson Crusoe mixed with a fairy tale. The writing style is straightforward, the story is simple, and the events grab a child's imagination. Older readers and adults, though, mainly enjoy the sharp satire hidden underneath the adventure. Because of this, the book appeals to a huge range of readers—from a ten-year-old child to a grown adult—and everyone can get something valuable from it.

This edition is basically a reprint of the original book from 1726-27. The punctuation and capitalization have been updated for modern readers, some old-fashioned words have been changed, and paragraphs have been broken up more often to make reading easier. A few passages that might upset modern readers or that aren't suitable for children have been left out. Some footnotes have also been added to explain old words and confusing phrases.

Since this book is meant to be read in school by students of average reading skill, these stories work well for students from about fifth or sixth grade up through the highest grade of middle school.

THOMAS M. BALLIET.

CONTENTS

VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT

CHAPTER I.
The author tells about himself and his family, and what first made him want to travel. He is shipwrecked and swims for his life. He makes it safely to shore in the country of Lilliput, is taken prisoner, and is carried inland.

CHAPTER II.
The Emperor of Lilliput, along with several nobles, visits the author while he is held captive. The emperor's appearance and habits are described. Scholars are assigned to teach the author their language. He wins favor because of his gentle behavior. His pockets are searched, and his sword and pistols are taken away.

CHAPTER III.
The author entertains the emperor and the nobles of the court in a very unusual way. The amusements of the Lilliputian court are described. The author is granted his freedom, but only under certain conditions.

CHAPTER IV.
Mildendo, the capital city of Lilliput, is described, along with the emperor's palace. The author has a conversation with a top government official about the empire's affairs. The author offers to help the emperor in his wars.

CHAPTER V.
Using a clever trick, the author stops an invasion. He is given a high honor. Ambassadors arrive from the Emperor of Blefuscu asking for peace.

CHAPTER VI.
This chapter describes the people of Lilliput—their knowledge, laws, customs, and how they raise their children. It also tells how the author lived in that country, and how he defended an important lady's reputation.

CHAPTER VII.
The author learns that people plan to accuse him of a serious crime against the government, so he escapes to Blefuscu. His welcome there is described.

CHAPTER VIII.
Through a lucky accident, the author finds a way to leave Blefuscu. After some struggles, he returns safely to his home country.

LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

"He commanded his generals to draw up the troops"
Map of Lilliput and Blefuscu
"I lay all this while ... in great uneasiness"
"Producing his credentials"
"These gentlemen made an exact inventory"
"Her imperial majesty was pleased to smile very graciously upon me"
"And created me a nardac upon the spot"
"Three hundred tailors were employed"
"The happiness ... of dining with me"
"He desired I would hear him with patience"
"I set sail ... at six in the morning"

AND TWENTY-THREE SMALLER ONES IN THE TEXT.

A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG

CHAPTER I.
A powerful storm is described. The ship's small boat is sent to get water, and the author goes along to explore the land. He is left behind on shore, captured by one of the local giants, and taken to a farmer's house. His experience there, along with several things that happened, is described—along with a description of the people who live there.

CHAPTER II.
This chapter describes the farmer's daughter. The author is taken to a market town, and then to the capital city. The details of his journey are given.

CHAPTER III.
The author is sent for by the royal court. The queen buys him from his master, the farmer, and presents him to the king. He debates with the king's great scholars. Living quarters at court are provided for the author. He becomes a favorite of the queen. He defends the honor of his home country and gets into a quarrel with the queen's dwarf.

CHAPTER IV.
This chapter describes the country, along with a suggestion for fixing errors in modern maps. It also describes the king's palace and gives some details about the capital city, how the author traveled around, and a description of the main temple.

CHAPTER V.
Several adventures happen to the author, including watching a criminal's execution. The author shows off his knowledge of sailing and navigation.

CHAPTER VI.
The author comes up with several ways to please the king and queen, including showing off his musical skill. The king asks about the state of Europe, and the author explains it to him. The king shares his reactions and opinions.

CHAPTER VII.
The author's love for his own country is shown. He suggests something that could greatly benefit the king, but it is turned down. The king's lack of knowledge about politics is revealed. The learning in that country is shown to be limited and narrow, along with a look at their laws, military, and government.

CHAPTER VIII.
The king and queen travel to the borders of their kingdom, and the author goes with them. The story explains in detail how the author finally leaves the country and returns to England.

NOTE

LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

"They concluded I was only Relplum Sealcath"
Map of Brobdingnag
"A huge creature walking ... on the sea"
"Whereupon the huge creature trod short"
"I drew my hanger to defend myself"
"I called her my Glumdalclitch"
"Flourished after the manner of fencers in England"
"This gracious princess held out her little finger"
"She carried me to the king"
"I could only revenge myself by calling him brother"
"The smaller birds did not appear to be at all afraid of me"
"Gave me a gale with their fans"
"The most violent exercise I ever underwent"
"You have made an admirable panegyric"
"She had some foreboding"
"Somebody calling in the English tongue"
"My daughter kneeled, but I could not see her"

AND TWELVE SMALLER ONES IN THE TEXT.

THE FIRST PUBLISHER TO THE READER

The writer of these travel stories, Mr. Lemuel Gulliver, is my old and close friend. We are also somewhat related through my mother's side of the family. About three years ago, Mr. Gulliver grew tired of the many curious visitors who kept showing up at his house in Redriff.[1] So he bought a small piece of land with a comfortable house near Newark, in Nottinghamshire, the county where he was born. He now lives there quietly, well-respected by his neighbors.

Although Mr. Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire, where his father lived, I've heard him say that his family originally came from Oxfordshire. This seems true, since I've seen several tombs and monuments belonging to the Gulliver family in the churchyard at Banbury, in that same county. Before he left Redriff, he handed over the following papers to me and gave me full permission to do with them as I thought best. I have read them carefully three times. The writing is plain and simple, and my only complaint is that the author, like most travelers telling their stories, sometimes gives a few too many small details. Still, the whole account feels honest and true. In fact, Mr. Gulliver was so well known for telling the truth that his neighbors in Redriff used to say, whenever someone claimed something was true, "It's as true as if Mr. Gulliver had said it."

Several respected people read these papers with the author's permission, and on their advice, I've decided to share them with the world. I hope they'll provide better entertainment, at least for a while, than the usual writings about politics and party quarrels.

This book would have been at least twice as long if I hadn't boldly cut out countless passages about winds and tides, as well as detailed notes on directions and positions during the various voyages. I also removed the extremely detailed, sailor-style descriptions of how the ship was handled during storms, along with technical details about longitude and latitude (the measurements sailors use to find their exact location at sea). I suspect Mr. Gulliver may not be thrilled about these cuts, but I wanted to make the book easy for as many readers as possible to enjoy. That said, if my own lack of knowledge about sailing caused me to make any mistakes, those mistakes are mine alone. And if any traveler is curious to see the complete, unedited version exactly as the author wrote it, I would be happy to share it with them.

For more details about the author, readers will find what they need in the first pages of the book.

RICHARD SYMPSON.

TRAVELS

PART I

A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT

CHAPTER I

THE AUTHOR TELLS ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY, AND WHAT FIRST MADE HIM WANT TO TRAVEL. HE IS SHIPWRECKED AND SWIMS FOR HIS LIFE. HE MAKES IT SAFELY TO SHORE IN THE COUNTRY OF LILLIPUT, IS TAKEN PRISONER, AND IS CARRIED INLAND.

My father owned a small piece of land in Nottinghamshire, and I was the third of his five sons. When I was fourteen, he sent me to Emmanuel College at Cambridge, where I lived for three years and studied hard. However, paying for my education—even though I received only a small allowance—was too expensive for my father's modest income. So I became an apprentice to Mr. James Bates, a well-known surgeon in London, and I worked with him for four years. My father sent me small amounts of money now and then, and I used that money to study navigation and other branches of math useful for anyone planning to travel—which I always believed I would do someday.

When I finished my apprenticeship with Mr. Bates, I went home to my father. With help from him, my Uncle John, and a few other relatives, I gathered forty pounds[2] and was promised thirty pounds a year to support me while studying at Leyden