Journeys Through Bookland, Volume 5 | Page 4

the omission of those passages which contribute nothing to the
narrative or which for other reasons it seems inadvisable to reprint.
These omissions put the real fictitious narrative into so small a compass
that children will be entertained from beginning to end.
The Voyage to Lilliput was directed against the policy of the English
Court during the reign of George I. The real differences between the
parties were trifling; not more, to Swift's idea, than that between
_High-heels_ and _Low-heels_ in the court of Lilliput; and the
controversies between the churches were not greater than those
between the _Big-endians_ and the _Little-endians._ As the Prince of
Wales was thought to favor a union of parties, he was typified in the
heir-apparent of Lilliput who wore one shoe with a high heel and one
with a low heel. This explanation will give an idea of the nature of
Swift's milder satire.
The Voyage to Brobdingnag advocates the principles then held by the
Tory party in England and attacks those of the Whigs.
The Voyage to Laputa, from which we give no selections, was not
generally understood and hence was not popular. Its chief purpose was
to ridicule the proceedings of the Royal Society, but Swift was not well
enough acquainted with music and some of the other sciences fostered

by the Society to attack them to advantage.
The Voyage to the Houyhnhnms was a bitter screed against mankind,
and is in many respects disgusting. It showed Swift's venom against the
world and something of the approach of the malady which finally
hurried him into insanity.
The following selections are somewhat condensed from the original
story, chiefly by the omission of passages of no interest to people of
to-day.

ADVENTURES IN LILLIPUT
_I. The Arrival_
We set sail from Bristol, May 4, 1699, and our voyage at first was very
prosperous.
It would not be proper, for some reasons, to trouble the reader with the
particulars of our adventures; let it suffice to inform him, that, in our
passage to the East Indies, we were driven by a violent storm to the
northwest of Van Diemen's Land.[1] By an observation we found
ourselves in the latitude of 30 degrees 2 minutes south. Twelve of our
crew were dead by immoderate labor and ill food; the rest were in a
very weak condition.
[Footnote 1: _Van Diemen's Land_ is the old name for Tasmania, an
island off the coast of Australia.]
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 labor 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 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 remember to have done in my life, and, as I reckoned, above
nine hours; for when I awaked it was just daylight.
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