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27 - Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven, the author leaves Lugnak and sails to Japan.
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  Speaker 1: From thence he returns in a Dutch ship to Amsterdam,
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  Speaker 1: and from Amsterdam to England. I thought this account of
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  Speaker 1: the Straldbrugs might be some entertainment to the reader, because
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  Speaker 1: it seems to be a little out of the common way.
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  Speaker 1: At least I do not remember to have met the
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  Speaker 1: like in any book of travels that has come to
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  Speaker 1: my hands. And if I am deceived, my excuse must
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  Speaker 1: be that it is necessary for travelers who describe the
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  Speaker 1: same country very often to agree in dwelling on the
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  Speaker 1: same particulars, without deserving the censure of having borrowed or
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  Speaker 1: transcribed from those who wrote before them. There is indeed
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  Speaker 1: a perpetual commerce between this kingdom and the Great Empire
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  Speaker 1: of Japan, and it is very probable that the Japanese
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  Speaker 1: authors may have given some accounts of the Straaldbruggs. But
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  Speaker 1: my stay in Japan was so short, and I was
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  Speaker 1: so entirely estranged the language, that I was not qualified
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  Speaker 1: to make any inquiries. But I hope the Dutch, upon
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  Speaker 1: this notice will be curious and able enough to supply
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  Speaker 1: my defects. His Majesty, having often pressed me to accept
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  Speaker 1: some employment in his court, and finding me absolutely determined
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  Speaker 1: to return to my native country, was pleased to grant
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  Speaker 1: me his license to depart, and honor me with a
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  Speaker 1: letter of recommendation under his own hand to the Emperor
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  Speaker 1: of Japan. He likewise presented me with four hundred and
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  Speaker 1: forty four large pieces of gold this nation, delighting in
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  Speaker 1: even numbers, and a red diamond, which I sold in
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  Speaker 1: England for eleven hundred pounds. On the sixth of May
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  Speaker 1: seventeen o nine, I took a solemn leave of his
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  Speaker 1: Majesty and all my friends. This Prince was so gracious
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  Speaker 1: as to order a guard to conduct me to Glangnstalled,
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  Speaker 1: which is a royal port to the southwest part of
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  Speaker 1: the island. In six days I found a vessel ready
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  Speaker 1: to carry me to Japan, and spent fifteen days in
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  Speaker 1: the voyage. We landed at a small port town called Zamoshia,
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  Speaker 1: situated on the southeast part of Japan. The town lies
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  Speaker 1: on the western point, where there is a narrow strait
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  Speaker 1: leading northward into a long arm of the sea, upon
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  Speaker 1: the northwest part of which Yedo, the metropolis stands at Landing,
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  Speaker 1: I showed the custom house officers my letter from the
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  Speaker 1: King of Lucknak to his Imperial Majesty. They knew the
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  Speaker 1: seal perfectly well. It was as broad as the palm
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  Speaker 1: of my hand. The impression was a king lifting up
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  Speaker 1: a lame beggar from the earth. The magistrates of the town,
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  Speaker 1: hearing of my letter, received me as a public minister.
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  Speaker 1: They provided me with carriages and servants, and bore my
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  Speaker 1: charges to Yedo, where I was omitted to an audience
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  Speaker 1: and delivered my letter, which was opened with great ceremony
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  Speaker 1: and explained the Emperor by an interpreter, who then gave
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  Speaker 1: me notice by His Majesty's order that I should signify
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  Speaker 1: my request, and whatever it were, it should be granted
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  Speaker 1: for the sake of his royal brother of Lugnak. This
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  Speaker 1: interpreter was a person employed to the transact affairs with
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  Speaker 1: the Hollanders. He soon conjectured by my countenance that I
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  Speaker 1: was a European, and therefore repeated His Majesty's commands in
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  Speaker 1: low Dutch, which he spoke perfectly well. I answered, as
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  Speaker 1: I had before determined, that I was a Dutch merchant
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  Speaker 1: shipwrecked in a very remote country. Whence I had traveled
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  Speaker 1: by sea and land to Lugnack, and then took shipping
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  Speaker 1: for Japan, where I knew my countrymen often traded, and
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  Speaker 1: with some of these I hoped to get an opportunity
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  Speaker 1: of returning into Europe. I therefore, most humbly entreated his
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  Speaker 1: royal favor to give order that I should be conduct
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  Speaker 1: acted in safety to Nagazac. To this I added another
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  Speaker 1: petition that, for the sake of my patron, the King
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  Speaker 1: of Lugnak, his Majesty would condescend to excuse my performing
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  Speaker 1: the ceremony imposed on my countrymen of trampling upon the crucifix,
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  Speaker 1: because I had been thrown into his kingdom by my
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  Speaker 1: misfortunes without any intention of trading. When this latter petition
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  Speaker 1: was interpreted to the Emperor, he seemed a little surprised
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  Speaker 1: and said he believed I was the first of my
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  Speaker 1: countrymen who ever made any scruple in this point, and
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  Speaker 1: that he began to doubt whether I was a real
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  Speaker 1: Hollander or not, but rather suspected I must be a Christian. However,
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  Speaker 1: for the reasons I had offered, but chiefly to gratify
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  Speaker 1: the King of Lugnak by an uncommon mark of his favor.
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  Speaker 1: He would comply with the singularity of my humor, but
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  Speaker 1: the affair must be managed with dexterity, and his officers
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  Speaker 1: should be commanded to let me pass as if if
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  Speaker 1: it were by forgetfulness. For he assured me that if
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  Speaker 1: the secret should be discovered by my country and the Dutch,
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  Speaker 1: they would cut my throat in the voyage. I returned
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  Speaker 1: my thanks by the interpreter for so unusual a favor,
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  Speaker 1: and some troops being at that time on their march
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  Speaker 1: to Nangazac, the commanding officer had orders to convey me
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  Speaker 1: safely thither with particular instructions about the business of the crucifix.
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  Speaker 1: On the ninth day of June seventeen o nine, I
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  Speaker 1: arrived at Nangazac after a very long and troublesome journey.
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  Speaker 1: I soon fell into the company of some Dutch sailors
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  Speaker 1: belonging to the Amboina of Amsterdam, a stout ship of
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  Speaker 1: four hundred fifty tons. I had lived long in Holland
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  Speaker 1: pursuing my studies at Leyden, and I spoke Dutch well.
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  Speaker 1: The seamen soon knew whence I came last, they were
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  Speaker 1: curious to inquire into my voyages in course of life.
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  Speaker 1: I made up a store as short and probable as
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  Speaker 1: I could, but concealed the greatest part. I knew many
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  Speaker 1: persons in Holland. I was able to invent names from
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  Speaker 1: my parents, whom I pretended to be obscure people in
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  Speaker 1: the province of Gelderland. I would have given the captain
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  Speaker 1: one Theodorus van Grolt what he pleased to ask for
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  Speaker 1: my voyage to Holland, but understanding I was a surgeon,
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  Speaker 1: he was contented to take half the usual rate, on
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  Speaker 1: one condition that I would serve him in the way
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  Speaker 1: of my calling. Before we took shipping, I was often
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  Speaker 1: asked by some of the crew whether I had performed
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  Speaker 1: the ceremony above mentioned. I evaded the question by general
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  Speaker 1: answers that I had satisfied the Emperor and court in
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  Speaker 1: all particulars. However, a malicious rogue of a skipper went
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  Speaker 1: to an officer, and, pointing to me, told him I
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  Speaker 1: had not yet trampled on the crucifix. But the other,
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  Speaker 1: who had received instructions to let me pass, gave the
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  Speaker 1: rascal twenty st strokes on the shoulders with a bamboo,
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  Speaker 1: after which I was no more troubled with such questions.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing happened worth mentioning in this voyage. We sailed with
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  Speaker 1: a fair wind to the Cape of Good Hope, where
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  Speaker 1: we stayed only to take in fresh water. On the
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  Speaker 1: tenth of April seventeen ten, we arrived save at Amsterdam,
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  Speaker 1: having lost only three men by sickness in the voyage,
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  Speaker 1: and a fourth who fell from the foremast into the
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  Speaker 1: sea not far from the coast of Guinea. From Amsterdam,
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  Speaker 1: I soon after set sail for England in a small
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  Speaker 1: vessel belonging to that city. On the sixteenth of April,
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  Speaker 1: we put in at the Downs. I landed next morning
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  Speaker 1: and saw once more my native country after an absence
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  Speaker 1: of five years and six months complete. I went straight
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  Speaker 1: to Redriff, where I arrived the same day at two
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  Speaker 1: in the afternoon, and found my wife and family in
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  Speaker 1: good health, and apart three each up to eleven