CHAPTER IV.
The country described. A proposal for correcting modern maps. Theking's palace; and some account of the metropolis. The author's way oftravelling. The chief temple described.
I now intend to give the reader a short description of this country, asfar as I travelled in it, which was not above two thousand miles roundLorbrulgrud, the metropolis. For the queen, whom I always attended,never went farther when she accompanied the king in his progresses, andthere staid till his majesty returned from viewing his frontiers. Thewhole extent of this prince's dominions reaches about six thousand milesin length, and from three to five in breadth: whence I cannot butconclude, that our geographers of Europe are in a great error, bysupposing nothing but sea between Japan and California; for it was evermy opinion, that there must be a balance of earth to counterpoise thegreat continent of Tartary; and therefore they ought to correct theirmaps and charts, by joining this vast tract of land to the north-westparts of America, wherein I shall be ready to lend them my assistance.
The kingdom is a peninsula, terminated to the north-east by a ridge ofmountains thirty miles high, which are altogether impassable, by reasonof the volcanoes upon the tops: neither do the most learned know whatsort of mortals inhabit beyond those mountains, or whether they beinhabited at all. On the three other sides, it is bounded by the ocean.There is not one seaport in the whole kingdom: and those parts of thecoasts into which the rivers issue, are so full of pointed rocks, and thesea generally so rough, that there is no venturing with the smallest oftheir boats; so that these people are wholly excluded from any commercewith the rest of the world. But the large rivers are full of vessels,and abound with excellent fish; for they seldom get any from the sea,because the sea fish are of the same size with those in Europe, andconsequently not worth catching; whereby it is manifest, that nature, inthe production of plants and animals of so extraordinary a bulk, iswholly confined to this continent, of which I leave the reasons to bedetermined by philosophers. However, now and then they take a whale thathappens to be dashed against the rocks, which the common people feed onheartily. These whales I have known so large, that a man could hardlycarry one upon his shoulders; and sometimes, for curiosity, they arebrought in hampers to Lorbrulgrud; I saw one of them in a dish at theking's table, which passed for a rarity, but I did not observe he wasfond of it; for I think, indeed, the bigness disgusted him, although Ihave seen one somewhat larger in Greenland.
The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty-one cities, near ahundred walled towns, and a great number of villages. To satisfy mycurious reader, it may be sufficient to describe Lorbrulgrud. This citystands upon almost two equal parts, on each side the river that passesthrough. It contains above eighty thousand houses, and about six hundredthousand inhabitants. It is in length three _glomglungs_ (which makeabout fifty-four English miles,) and two and a half in breadth; as Imeasured it myself in the royal map made by the king's order, which waslaid on the ground on purpose for me, and extended a hundred feet: Ipaced the diameter and circumference several times barefoot, and,computing by the scale, measured it pretty exactly.
The king's palace is no regular edifice, but a heap of buildings, aboutseven miles round: the chief rooms are generally two hundred and fortyfeet high, and broad and long in proportion. A coach was allowed toGlumdalclitch and me, wherein her governess frequently took her out tosee the town, or go among the shops; and I was always of the party,carried in my box; although the girl, at my own desire, would often takeme out, and hold me in her hand, that I might more conveniently view thehouses and the people, as we passed along the streets. I reckoned ourcoach to be about a square of Westminster-hall, but not altogether sohigh: however, I cannot be very exact. One day the governess ordered ourcoachman to stop at several shops, where the beggars, watching theiropportunity, crowded to the sides of the coach, and gave me the mosthorrible spectacle that ever a European eye beheld. There was a womanwith a cancer in her breast, swelled to a monstrous size, full of holes,in two or three of which I could have easily crept, and covered my wholebody. There was a fellow with a wen in his neck, larger than fivewool-packs; and another, with a couple of wooden legs, each about twentyfeet high. But the most hateful sight of all, was the lice crawling ontheir clothes. I could see distinctly the limbs of these vermin with mynaked eye, much better than those of a European louse through amicroscope, and their snouts with which they rooted like swine. Theywere the first I had ever beheld, and I should have been curious enoughto dissect one of them, if I had had proper instruments, which Iunluckily left behind me in the ship, although, indeed, the sight was sonauseous, that it perfectly turned my stomach.
Besides the large box in which I was usually carried, the queen ordered asmaller one to be made for me, of about twelve feet square, and ten high,for the convenience of travelling; because the other was somewhat toolarge for Glumdalclitch's lap, and cumbersome in the coach; it was madeby the same artist, whom I directed in the whole contrivance. Thistravelling-closet was an exact square, with a window in the middle ofthree of the squares, and each window was latticed with iron wire on theoutside, to prevent accidents in long journeys. On the fourth side,which had no window, two strong staples were fixed, through which theperson that carried me, when I had a mind to be on horseback, put aleathern belt, and buckled it about his waist. This was always theoffice of some grave trusty servant, in whom I could confide, whether Iattended the king and queen in their progresses, or were disposed to seethe gardens, or pay a visit to some great lady or minister of state inthe court, when Glumdalclitch happened to be out of order; for I soonbegan to be known and esteemed among the greatest officers, I supposemore upon account of their majesties' favour, than any merit of my own.In journeys, when I was weary of the coach, a servant on horseback wouldbuckle on my box, and place it upon a cushion before him; and there I hada full prospect of the country on three sides, from my three windows. Ihad, in this closet, a field-bed and a hammock, hung from the ceiling,two chairs and a table, neatly screwed to the floor, to prevent beingtossed about by the agitation of the horse or the coach. And having beenlong used to sea-voyages, those motions, although sometimes very violent,did not much discompose me.
Whenever I had a mind to see the town, it was always in mytravelling-closet; which Glumdalclitch held in her lap in a kind of opensedan, after the fashion of the country, borne by four men, and attendedby two others in the queen's livery. The people, who had often heard ofme, were very curious to crowd about the sedan, and the girl wascomplaisant enough to make the bearers stop, and to take me in her hand,that I might be more conveniently seen.
I was very desirous to see the chief temple, and particularly the towerbelonging to it, which is reckoned the highest in the kingdom.Accordingly one day my nurse carried me thither, but I may truly say Icame back disappointed; for the height is not above three thousand feet,reckoning from the ground to the highest pinnacle top; which, allowingfor the difference between the size of those people and us in Europe, isno great matter for admiration, nor at all equal in proportion (if Irightly remember) to Salisbury steeple. But, not to detract from anation, to which, during my life, I shall acknowledge myself extremelyobliged, it must be allowed, that whatever this famous tower wants inheight, is amply made up in beauty and strength: for the walls are near ahundred feet thick, built of hewn stone, whereof each is about forty feetsquare, and adorned on all sides with statues of gods and emperors, cutin marble, larger than the life, placed in their several niches. Imeasured a little finger which had fallen down from one of these statues,and lay unperceived among some rubbish, and found it exactly four feetand an inch in length. Glumdalclitch wrapped it up in her handkerchief,and carried it home in her pocket, to keep among other trinkets, of whichthe girl was very fond, as children at her age usually are.
The king's kitchen is indeed a noble building, vaulted at top, and aboutsix hundred feet high. The great oven is not so wide, by ten paces, asthe cupola at St. Paul's: for I measured the latter on purpose, after myreturn. But if I should describe the kitchen grate, the prodigious potsand kettles, the joints of meat turning on the spits, with many otherparticulars, perhaps I should be hardly believed; at least a severecritic would be apt to think I enlarged a little, as travellers are oftensuspected to do. To avoid which censure I fear I have run too much intothe other extreme; and that if this treatise should happen to betranslated into the language of Brobdingnag (which is the general name ofthat kingdom,) and transmitted thither, the king and his people wouldhave reason to complain that I had done them an injury, by a false anddiminutive representation.
His majesty seldom keeps above six hundred horses in his stables: theyare generally from fifty-four to sixty feet high. But, when he goesabroad on solemn days, he is attended, for state, by a military guard offive hundred horse, which, indeed, I thought was the most splendid sightthat could be ever beheld, till I saw part of his army in battalia,whereof I shall find another occasion to speak.