Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World ["Gulliver's Travels"]
By
Jonathan Swift
Transcription, correction, editorial commentary, and markup by Students of The University of Virginia
Audio
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverDampierWilliam Dampier (1651-1715), English explorer and pirate whose memoir A New Voyage Round the World (1697), told the story of his adventures, including one of the first European accounts of the island of Australia. SmithfieldLarge open space in central London that, among other things, was famous for the annual Bartholomew Fair in the summer.TravelsWhen it was first published in 1726, the book that we have come to call Gulliver’s Travels appeared, without any advance notice or fanfare, on the shelves of London booksellers under the title Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. The author was identified as “Lemuel Gulliver, first a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships." The name Jonathan Swift appeared nowhere on the book; rather, “Lemuel Gulliver" was portrayed in a frontispiece portrait that identified him as being fifty-eight years old and a resident of Redriff, a village on the Thames river to the southeast of London. Below the portrait appears a Latin quote from the second Satire of the classical poet Persius, that translates as something like "justice, uprightness, and nobility of soul, in the sacred places of the mind, with a heart filled with generous honor," endorsing Gulliver as a man who could be believed. Redriff would also be logical place for a retired seaman to be living, and details like this, along with the frontispiece portrait, confer a sense of realism on the book that follows. But of course there was no Lemuel Gulliver; the image is a fake, the first of the many hoaxes that would follow. And by quoting Persius (without identifying him as the author), the frontispiece also might tip the savvy reader off to the fact that the work it prefaces is a satire.
Source: Title page of first edition
There was no one quite like the book’s real author, Jonathan Swift, either. He was born in Ireland in 1667 to a family that was a part of the wave of English people who went there in that period, English Protestants who were encouraged to emigrate and take positions in Irish institutions in order to bind that island more tightly to English domination. Almost all biographical accounts state that his father, also named Jonathan Swift, died seven months before he was born. But there is no documentary evidence for that, or for his parents’ marriage, the date of his father’s death, or even for Swift’s baptism. Swift’s most recent biographer, Leo Damrosch, suggests that his real father may have been Sir John Temple, a wealthy English nobleman who was living in Ireland at the time and who knew Swift’s mother and her family. There is no way of proving this, and we will probably never know one way or the other. But if Sir John Temple were Swift's father, that would explain some things, such as how Swift would become the private secretary to William Temple, Sir John Temple’s son. Swift, who had an undistinguished career as a student at Trinity College in Dublin, would not have been an obvious choice, and he seems not to have met William Temple before he began working for him. Again, we will probably never be certain of the truth here, and Swift seems to have cultivated a certain amount of mystery about his private life. Although we know, for example, that he had intimate friendships with several women, notably Esther Johnson (to whom he gave the name “Stella") and Esther Vanhomrigh (who he referred to as Vanessa, a name that he invented), the full nature of these relationships eluded, even mystified people then, and frustrates us now. (Some people believed that Swift and Stella had been secretly married; others thought that idea was ridiculous.) Friends found him to be witty and generous, but he could also be demanding and moody. He suffered for much of his life from Meniere’s disease, a disorder where fluid builds up in the inner ear. The condition sometimes left him bedridden for days as he dealt with intense vertigo and nausea; he eventually went deaf. Satirists are often outsiders, and it is not hard to imagine how Swift might have felt himself to be an outsider to his society, set apart by his birth and his health to be an ironic observer as often as a full participant.
Source: Portrait of Jonathan Swift by Francis Bindon, c. 1735, National Portrait Gallery, London
Gulliver's Travels was immediately a hit with readers,
and it did not take long for its real author to be identified, even though Swift
publicly stayed silent about his role for several years. The book was translated
into French and other European languages very early on; theatrical versions,
some with children playing the Lilliputians, were on the stage in London within
a few years. Gulliver's adventures, particularly his experiences with the small
but ruthless Lilliputians and the large but gentle Brobdignagians, have become
myths of the modern world, stories that everyone knows the general outlines of
even if they have never opened the book. But fully grasping what Swift was up to
has proven to be a challenge. Swift provided no gloss on his own work, and the
book defies an easy moral or satisfying conclusion. What, exactly, are we to
make of the Houyhnhnms, the intelligent horses of book IV? They seem have come
up with the kind of minimal, direct mode of governance that Swift, in other writings,
often advocated. But they are also able to contemplete genocide, casually
thinking of exterminating all the Yahoos, a fact that Gulliver does not comment upon. What do all of the encounters of Book
III, where Gulliver visits a series of miserable projectors of various kinds,
add up to, if anything? Who is this Gulliver, anyway, and what kind of character
are we dealing with? Swift plays with, defies, and undercuts our expectations
for what either a truthful travel narrative or a fictional story should be. Gulliver's Travels is one of the greatest books in
English from the eighteenth century.
- [JOB]Audio1
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverinducementsInducements are something that persuades or leads someone to take a course of action.
Source: Oxford English Dictionary.NottinghamshireNottinghamshire is a county in the English Midlands, about 125 miles north of London. There is probably no special significance attached to the fact that Gulliver comes from there, which may be part of the point; this is as nondescript and middle-of-the-road kind of place for the protagonist of a story to have come from. Gulliver is, in every way, an unremarkable person. - [JOB]eminentSurgery was not a prestigious part of the medical profession in this period because it was such a hands-on, often bloody business. Surgeons were responsible for pulling teeth, amputating limbs, lancing boils, letting blood from patients, and also (because it was another procedure that involved using sharp instruments to cut away part of the body) cutting hair, which is why the profession was organized under the aegis of the guild of Barber-Surgeons. Doctors of "physic," who diagnosed diseases and dispensed medicine (and from which our modern term "physicians" derives) tended to look down upon surgeons. There is a sense in which the term "eminent surgeon" is a contradiction in terms: surgeons were by definition not particularly eminent. - [JOB]apprenticeshipA typical apprenticeship in this period would have lasted at least seven years. It would thus likely have been deeply embarrassing to Gulliver and his family for him to have failed to complete this apprenticeship. The reasons why Gulliver abandoned his apprenticeship are never explained, although as the following clause suggests, Gulliver may not have been all that interested in surgery, spending more time on other subjects. - [JOB]poundsForty pounds would be worth about 5,600 pounds today or $8,000. It is always hard to compare the cost of living in an era so far removed from our own, but contemporary readers would have recognized that Gulliver's family is giving him pretty minimal support, just enough to keep him going. - [JOB]LeydenThe University of Leyden (now more frequently spelled Leiden) was a well-known and prestigious school for studying medicine, and was a much better option at the time than any school in the British Isles.physic"Physic" was the period's term for what we would now call internal medicine; it is where we get the term "physician" from. Physic was a more prestigious branch of the medical profession than surgery; physicians thought of themselves as members of a profession, and looked down on surgeons--who worked with their hands--as being more working class, just another kind of manual laborer. But as with his apprenticeship to the surgeon James Bates, Gulliver did not complete his program of study in this profession, which would have lasted at least three years. And again Gulliver gives no explanation for his early departure. But any contemporary reader who knew anything about the training of people in medical fields would have noticed there is something amiss here. - [JOB]Levant The Levant is composed of the countries on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea spanning from approximately Greece to Egypt. Source: Oxford English DictionaryJuryThe Old Jury, or the Old Jewry, is a street in the City of London, the main financial and commercial district in England. It was not a fashionable residential area. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryhosier A hosier is a maker of women's panty hose, stockings, or tights. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryportion Portion refers to the dowry that Gulliver received from his wife's family at the time of his marriage. Four hundred pounds would have been a modest dowry by the standards of the period.BatesAfter having teased the reader by presenting the name of Gulliver's master in a number of different combinations, Swift finally comes out and makes the joke that we have been waiting for: "master Bates." Gulliver does not seem aware that he is making a joke about masturbation. We can be certain, however, that Swift knows exactly what he is doing. The precise point of the joke is, as often in this book, not easy to figure out, opening up a number of possibilities but not securely picking any one of them. How are we supposed to understand this bawdy joke? Masturbation, or, as it was called at the time "onanism," was written about in a number of pamphlets and books in this period, most famously in a book called Onania: or, the Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution, and All its Frightful Consequences, in Both Sexes, Considered, published sometime in the early part of the century and reproduced dozens of times over the course of the eighteenth century. Many readers of the period would have come across a copy of this book at some point.
Source: Title Page of fourt edition, Google Books
Masturbation was widely condemned as a sin that was both anti-social and also dangerous, likely to damage one's health. And it was also seen as an unhealthy indulgence of fantasy at the expense of reality. Which suggests that one possibility for the book that follows is that it is also a fantasy, a kind of day-dream of Gulliver's, a man who does not seem to enjoy a lot of success in the real world here making up a far more interesting life for himself than he had ever really led. Swift never gives us enough information to decide this question one way or another, but the joke, and the fact that Gulliver seems oblivious to it, is one of many details in the book that should lead a careful reader to be a little dubious about the narrator's veracity. - [JOB]voyagesGulliver does not say so, but it seems very likely that at least some of these voyages would have been on ships transporting enslaved people to work on plantations in the Caribbean and South America.East-Indies In this period, the "East Indies" referred to the Indian subucontinent and also regions such as the island archpeligo now known as Indonesia.West-Indies The islands in the Caribbean.account To "turn to account" is turn something into your advantage. That is to say that Gulliver is not making any money trying to treat sailors. Which is a little strange, because Wapping in this period was located right in the heart of London's docklands, and would have been teeming with sailors. It is hard not to suspect that Gulliver does not have a great reputation as a doctor among his potential clientele. - [JOB]South-SeaThe "South-Sea" in this period could refer either to the southern Atlantic Ocean or the southern Pacific Ocean. It is notable that Gulliver does not want to "trouble the reader" with the details of the voyage, except to note that it was "very prosperous" at first. One possibility, perhaps hinted at by the fact that the ship left from Bristol, was that the first part of the voyage involved kidnapping people into slavery in west Africa and then selling them in the Americas; Bristol was at this time a prominent port for departing ships in the Atlantic slave trade. - [JOB]Van_Diemen Van Diemen's Land was the Dutch name used for what is now the Australian island of Tasmania.cable A cable's length is a nautical measurement that is roughly 608 feet. So the rock was spied approximately 304 feet off the ship. Source: Oxford English DictionaryleagueA league is about three nautical miles, so three leagues would be about nine nautical miles.declivityA declivity is a descending incline. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryjerkin A yellow or beige vest or short jacket, typically made of leather, which would explain why it can resist the arrows.page A page is a servant, often young. Source: Oxford English Dictionarytrain A train is the bottom of a robe, dress, or coat. If a train is long enough it will drag on the ground, and thus a monarch's train would be carried by servants. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryforbear Forbear means "to bear, endure, or submit to." Source: Oxford English Dictionarylark A lark is a type of small brown bird, often known as a songbird. Source: Oxford English Dictionarybullet The diameter of a musket ball was half an inch on average.hogsheads A hogshead is a cask or barrel. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydraught Draught is the "drawing of liquid into the mouth or down the throat; an act of drinking, a drink; the quantity of drink swallowed at one 'pull.'" Source: Oxford English Dictionaryprodigious Prodigious is an adjective meaning amazing, or extraordinary. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryretinue The king's retinue is a group of his attendants or closest servants. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydisapprobation Disapprobation is "the act of disapproving." Source: Oxford English Dictionarysmart A smart is the feeling of sharp pain inflicted by some outside source. Source: Oxford English Dictionarymake_water To "make water" is to urinate. Source: Oxford English DictionarydaubedTo cover or put on. In this context the Lilliputions are putting on the ointment. Source: Oxford English DictionaryvictualsFood, thus they're providing Gulliver with food and drink.packthread Small twine or thread used to sew or close up bags. Source: Oxford English Dictionarygirt bound or secured sopiferousTo cause someone to fall asleep. The medicine will cause Gulliver to fall sleep or pass out. Source: Oxford English Dictionarymurder Swift is probably referring to the execution of Charles I by Parliament in 1649, at the end of the English Civil War. It took place on Whitehall, in front of the Banqueting House, designed by Inigo Jones for Charles's father, James I, and still a landmark that can be visited in London. For conservatives like Swift, the execution of a monarch was indeed "unnatural"; even now, the execution of the head of state is shocking to imagine.
Source: A contemporary engraving by an unknown artist of the execution of Charles I. Note the blood spurting from the decapitated body and the executioner holding the head of the dead King up for the crowd to see. Source: National Portrait Gallery, London
- [JOB]fourscoreFourscore is four times twenty or eighty. 80+11=91: there were ninety-one chains. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio2
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie Driverstang A stang is an archiac measurement of land that was about a quarter of an acre.expedient An expedient is something done so that one can quickly achieve something. Source: Oxford English Dictionarymaligners People who have attacked him in public. What's strange about this, of course, is that Gulliver is a fictional person, so no such maligners could have existed prior to the publication of the book. alighted Got down off his horse. - [UVAStudStaff]noseThe Lilliputian King's facial features would have reminded Swift's readers of those of William III (1650-1702). An "Austrian lip," a thick lower lip and jaw, was common among members of the Hapsburg family, the dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire and whose members were found in royal families throughout continental Europe in this era. William's jaw and arched nose are clearly depicted in this portrait from the 1680s, believed to be a copy of a now-lost original painting by Willem Wissing.
Source: Portrait of William III, National Portrait Gallery, London
Source: National Portrait Gallery, London - [UVAStudStaff]deportmentDeportment is the manner with which one conducts oneself. Source: Oxford English Dictionary - [UVAStudStaff]prime This may be a dig at George I, who was King of England at the time of the publication of Swift's book, and was 66 years old. - [UVAStudStaff]sevenAnother way of associating the Lillipution King with George I of England, who had also reigned for seven years at the time of the publication of Gulliver's Travels. - [UVAStudStaff]felicity Felicity is the quality or state of being happy. Source: Oxford English DictionaryscabbardA sheath for a sword. Source: Oxford English DictionaryDutch"High" Dutch (an English corruption of the German word "Deutsch") refers to the dialect spoken by people in what is now southern Germany, and is the ancestor of modern German. "Low" Dutch refers to the language spoken in what is now northern Germany and the Netherlands.Lingua A mix of the southern Romance languages. Source: Oxford English DictionaryBeeves Oxen or cattle. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydemesnes Land held by the state, or, in this case, by the monarch himself. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryfobs A small pocket, usually for watches, money, or small valuables. Source: Oxford English DictionaryImprimisLegal term denoting a list of items. Placed at the top of many legal documents of the time, from wills to inventories. Source: perspectiveTelescope or spyglass. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio3
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverRope-dancers Rope dancers did acrobatics while suspended on a slack line of rope above the ground; it resembled tightrope walking, but there was much less tension in the rope.Flimnap_ Flimnap" is a near-anagram for "Walpole," and readers would have recognized that Swift was satirizing Sir Robert Walpole, the First Lord of the Treasury, and at this point the most powerful figure in the British government. Swift and many others accused Walpole (with good reason) of corruption. summerset Somersault. Souce: Oxford English DictionaryReldresal It's not exactly clear who Swift might be referring to here; a contemporary book purporting to identify some of the satiric targets in the book suggests that this refers to "T---d," which would probably be Lord Townshend, who was at this time one of Walpole's main allies in the government. See A Key, Being Observations and Explanatory Notes, Upon the Travels of Lemuel Gulliver. By Signor Corolini, a noble Venetian now residing in London. In a letter to Dean Swift. Translated from the Italian Original (London: Edmund Curll, 1726), but it is impossible to be sure. This book was not, of course, written by an Italian author--there is no Signor Coroloni--but the fact that the publisher pretended that this was the case, and also veiled the name of the person it is trying to identify with so many dashes, indicates just how risky it was to satirize such important figures in the government at this time. The publisher of the Key, Edmund Curll, was forced to stand in the pillory for seditious libel in 1728 for publishing another book suspected to be directed at the government.cushionsThis is probably a reference to the Duchess of Kendal, who was known to be the mistress of George I, and who was believed to have intervened on Walpole's behalf.threadsThe silken threads are the same colors as the Order of the Garter, Order of Bath, and Order of the Thistle. These were military and civilian order conferred theoretically based on merit, but in many cases in this period simply went to political cronies of the ruling party. Swift was satirizing the focus on what he saw as arbitrary and possibly corrupt distinctions and awards. In the first edition in 1726, Swift's publisher changed the colors to purple, yellow, and white to avoid possible political retribution. Swift was upset and wrote a note decrying this change, and later editions restored the original colors. discovered Revealed. Souce: Oxford English Dictionaryin-a-breast Abreast. Source: Oxford English DictionarySkyresh Believed to be a reference to the Second Earl of Nottingham. Source: F. P. Lock, The Politics of Gulliver's Travels (Clarendon Press, 1980), 114.Center That is, the center of the earth.ninety-firstGiven that there is a full moon every twenty nine days, "the ninety-first moon of our reign" is a little over seven years. prostratingThe act of prostration is similar to kneeling or bowing, and is meant to show submission to a higher power. Source: Oxford English Dictionary censureA formal disapproval, criticism, or judgement. Source: Oxford English DictionaryquadrantA tool for measuring angle. A quadrant is particularly useful for measuring angles of celestial objects, and thus in this period was widely used for navigation, which relied on mariners being able to triangulate their position against the movement of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky. This image from 1564 shows the ancient astronomer Ptolemy, the purported inventor of the quadrant, using one to observe the heavens.
Source: Image of the Greek astronomer PtolemyAudio4
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriversidelingMoving sideways. Source: Oxford English DictionarycircumspectionCaution. Source: Oxford English DictionarygarretGarret windows are windows in the roofs of buildings; the highest windows in a building. Source: Oxford English DictionarycontrivanceA mechanical device or invention for a particular situation. Source: Oxford English DictionaryTramecksan H. D. Kelling theorizes that Swift is making an elaborate play on words: "In the names themselves, Swift may, by reversing foreign words, be indicating to the reader the original difference between the two parties, a difference not in heels but in noses. If we reverse the names "Tramecksan" and "Slamecksan" we find that the former are "nas camard" (nas keemart) or snub-noses while the latter are "nas camels" (nas keemals) or camels'-noses. "Nas" is of course still a French variant for "nez"-or may be the root of "nasus"-while "keemart" is a fairly accurate phonetic spelling of "camard". "Kcenmals" is a phonetic spelling of camels with "e" and "a" transposed." See H. D. Kelling, "Some Significant Names in Gulliver's Travels," Studies in Philology 48 (October 1951), 761-778.intestineInternal or domestic. Source: Oxford English DictionarymoonsA little over 476 years.six-and-thirtyNearly three years. fomentedRoused or instigated. Source: Oxford English DictionaryBig-EndiansSwift is mocking the intensity with which minor differences in religious doctrine end up causing enormous political strife.expostulateExpress disapproval. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAlcoranThat is, the Koran, the sacred text in the Islamic faith.Audio5
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverplumbedMeasured the depths of. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhillockA little hill. Source: Oxford English DictionarywarwarshipspuissantFrench for powerful. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryencomiumswords or shouts of praiseside-windAn indirect means of influence. Source: Oxford English DictionaryjuntoA faction, generally in politics. Source: Oxford English Dictionary At this time, the term was associated with a group of Whig party politicians, who dominated the British government through much of the early years of the eighteenth century, so this is another moment where Swift's readers would have recognized a parallel between Lillipution and British politics. Swift, who identified himself more with the Tory party, was shut out of power by dominance of the Whig Junto.diureticA substance that causes the increased production of urine. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio6
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverlarkPlucking the lark’s feather. Source: Oxford English DictionaryCascagiansswift is making up the "Cascagians" and their writing system; there is no such nation or language. ignominiousInvolving shame or disgrace. Source: Oxford English DictionarychargesThe expenses that the defendant had incurred. Source: Oxford English DictionaryA dishonest unprincipled man; a cunning unscrupulous rogue; a villain. Source: Oxford English DictionaryextenuationThat is, Gulliver is trying to diminishing the accusation, arguing that the criminal had not so much stolen the money as broken the trust of his master. It is not at all clear why Gulliver would care or want to intervene in this instance.concupiscenceEager or vehement desire; the coveting of carnal things. In short, lust. Source: Oxford English DictionaryclemencyMildness or gentleness of temper, as shown in the exercise of authority or power; mercy, leniency. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryplumb-lineA line or cord with a weight at one end, for determining the vertical. Source: Oxford English DictionarystaffThe white staff is a symbol of his office; in the British government, the Lord Chamberlain has a ceremonial white, sometimes referred to as the "wand of office" that they receive when they are appointed, and must return to the monarch when they retire. exchequerA royal or national treasury. Many readers at the time would have easily associated Flimnap with Sir Robert Walpole, the powerful Chancellor of the Exchequer, who dominated the British political scene from 1721 until 1742. Source: Oxford English DictionaryspangleA small round thin piece of glittering metal (usually brass) with a hole in the centre to pass a thread through, used for the decoration of textile fabrics and other materials of various sorts. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio7
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie Driverreasons A purely political ground of action on the part of a ruler or government, esp. as involving expediency or some departure from strict justice, honesty, or open dealing. Source: Oxford English Dictionarymercy Swift might be alluding to the speeches given by George I where he praised the mercy he showed towards Jacobite rebels who had plotted to overthrow him in 1715; the joke is that George and his government, far from showing any mercy, were actually ruthless, executing as many of the ringleaders of the rebellion as they could find.Audio8
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DrivertallowThe fat, adipose tissue, of an animal. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. Gulliver will use the fat of these cows to help make the boat water-resistant, and also for lubricating the oars and other parts of the boat.ancient An ensign, standard, or flag. Source: Oxford English Dictionarycharacter That is, he testified to Gulliver's reliability and general uprightness. To give someone a good "character" was to in effect to serve as a character reference. Downs The part of the sea within the Goodwin Sands, off the east coast of Kent, a famous rendezvous for ships. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryparish In this period, most of what we would now call the social safety net, was governed by a 1601 statute that was known as the Poor Law (formally 43 Eliz. I Cap. 2). Under the terms of the Poor Law, relief in the form of food aid or money for people who had fallen into abject poverty was handled by the Church of English at the level of individual parishes. The relief was notoriously stingy and also inconsistent; turning to the parish for aid was a desperate measure.towardly Promising, ‘hopeful’, forward; apt to learn, docile: chiefly of young persons or their dispositions. Source: Oxford English Dictionary Surat Surat is a city in the modern Indian state of Gujarat, on the west coast of India. The British East India Company established a trading post there in 1612, after which it became a major trading port for the export of Indian textiles and other valuable commodities. 
Source: A view of Surat in about 1690. Note the European ships in the harbor, and, to the left of the shore, a long jetty at which they can dock. From Jacob Peeters, Description des principales ville, havres et isles due golfe de Venise de cote oriental, Antwerp, 1690. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Audio9
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverCornishmanA man from the Southwest county of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
agueAgue is derived from the old French word Aguë which meant "acute fever." So ague describes diseases such as malaria that cause high fevers. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. It is worth noting that Gulliver, the ship's doctor, witnesses a lot of illness among the crews whose health he is in charge of overseeing.MoluccaThe "Molucca" Islands, now generally called the Maluku Islands, form an archipelago of more than 1000 islands in the eastern part of modern Indonesia.
Image source: Wikimedia CommonsFindingIn this paragraph, Swift makes use of many nautical terms to the point of excess. He is most likely trying to poke fun at the travel narratives of the time which were often filled with obscure nautical terminology and jargon.longboatA longboat is one of the many boats that were carried along bigger sailing ships, such as a man-of-war ship. Longboats were manned by men with oars (usually about eight or ten men). They were used to bring sailors from the main ship to the beach, as often the main ship was too big to dock by the beach. Source: Oxford English DictionarystileA structure of steps that allows for passage over fences and hedges. Source: Oxford English DictionarygrievouslyVery severely, even painfully.supplicatingThe act of begging (often used in a religious context) that is often marked by being down on one's knees with palms facing towards the sky. Source: Oxford English DictionarylappetLapel or a flap in a garmet. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhindsLaborers or workers. Source: Oxford English Dictionarypistoles"Pistole" was a word used to refer to a number of different kinds of gold coins in this period; they would have been comparatively valuable simply because they were gold. The joke is that Gulliver is trying in effect to buy his freedom with coins so tiny as to be completely worthless in this land.trencherA trencher is a flat piece of wood or a flat piece of bread that was used as a plate during a meal. Source: Oxford English DictionarydramA dram is a unit of measurement defined as about 3.5ml of fluid, but of course in this world, a "dram cup" holds vastly more than that. Source: Oxford English DictionaryarchMischevious. Source: Oxford English DictionaryboxTo box someone's ear means to slap them on the side of the head. Source: Oxford English DictionaryChelseaA distance of about five miles.oratorySpeaking, or in the case of an infant, probably screaming. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. Gulliver is being a little sarcastic.dugNipple. Source: Oxford English DictionarydiscoursingSpeaking about. Source: Oxford English DictionarycomelyAttractive or agreeable. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhangerA short, usually curved sword. They were called "hangers" because they were hung from a belt. Source: Oxford English Dictionary Audio10
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverrequiteTo repay. Source: Oxford English DictionaryignominyShame. Source: Oxford English DictionarypursuantIn accordance with. Source: Oxford English DictionarypillionA seat or bench behind the main driver's seat. Source Oxford English DictionarygimletA gimlet is a hand tool for boring holes into wood. Here, Gulliver is saying that the Brobdignagian drilled some air holes with a gimlet, probably one like the tool depicted here. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Image source: Wikimedia Commons journeyA distance of about twenty miles.fopperiesFoolishness. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryvexationdistress or anxiety pumpionAn archaic word for pumpkin.scoreA "score" is 20, so they would have travelled something like 140 to 160 miles a day. This was much more than anyone could plausibly travel in the early eighteenth century, when a good day's journey on horseback or coach would be more like 30 miles.palisadoedEnclosed; fenced in. Source: Oxford English DictionarySansonNicholas Sanson was a French cartographer who created multiple atlases. These would have been large books in Europe, folio sized volumes around 19 x 12 inches; in Brobdignag, such a large book fits into a child's pocket.Audio11
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DrivermoidoresPortugese gold coins. Source: Oxford English DictionaryguineasGold coins minted in England. A guinea was worth a pound plus a shilling.improprietiesImproper language. Source: Oxford English DictionaryscrutoreFrom the French "scrutoire," a desk for writing.waitingAttendance at court. Source:Oxford English Dictionary evinceTo reveal or indicate. Source: Oxford English Dictionarylusus"Lusus naturae" is Latin for "freak of nature." Source: Oxford English DictionarywindowA sash window is a window with movable panels; these windows are still in popular use today. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
WhigWhigs and Tories were opposing factions in the British Parliament from the 1680's to the 1850's. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryequipage"Equipage" is literally "equipment," but in this context it would have referred specifically associated with the materials that went into equipping and outfitting of horses, such as a carriage. Wealthy and powerful people would have outfitted their horses, carriages, and the attendants who rode alongside them with grand clothing and apparatus.colorIndignation is defined as anger towards a misunderstanding or mistreatment. Thus, color here refers to the flushing of Gulliver's face from anger. Source: Oxford English DictionaryartbitressAn arbitress is the feminine form of an arbiter, which is a person who has the ultimate decision making power. Source: Oxford English DictionarypratingTalking foolishly. Source: Oxford English DictionaryglassA mirror. Source: Oxford English DictionaryreparteesWitty remarks and conversations. Source: Oxford English DictionaryscurvyContemptible. Source: Oxford English DictionarycashieredTo dismiss from one's position. Source: Oxford English DictionaryentreatyRequest. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryralliedlightly mockedpiecemealPiece by piece. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio12
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DrivercounterpoiseOppose. Source: Oxford English DictionaryTartary"Tartary" was the term that western Europeans in this period often used to refer to central Asia in general, an area now composed of parts of Ukraine, Russia, Mongolia, and China. It's far from a precise geographical term, and does not map accurately onto any specific place. Western Europeans like Gulliver (and Swift) simply did not know all that much about this part of the world. WestminsterWestminster Hall is the oldest part of the medieval palace of Westminster, the seat of government in London. Gulliver seems to be thinking of the large stone squares that, then and now, make up the floor of the Hall.wenA cyst, or possibly a goiter caused by the lack of iodine in the man's diet. Source: Oxford English Dictionarywool-packBags of wool bagged for sale. Source: Oxford English DictionarylouseA single insect, for which the plural is "lice." Gulliver (and Swift) may be thinking of the images of a louse under a microscope drawn by Robert Hooke in his 1667 book Micrographia.
A louse as seen under a microsope, from Robert Hooke, Micrographia. Image source: Wikimedia CommonsrootedRooting is the action of digging with one's snout. Rooting is a common act done by pigs. Source: Oxford English Dictionary sedanA sedan-chair, a chair by which a wealthy person would have been carried by servants.liveryDress or uniform. Source: Oxford English DictionarySalisburyThe steeple at the Salisbury Cathedral is 404 feet tall. cupolaThe diameter of the cupola, or dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London is 112 feet. shewsAn older spelling for shows. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio13
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverespalierUsually referring to a fruit tree that has been trained to grow up against a wall or a solid frame.cudgelA stick used for beating, similar to a club. Source: Oxford English DictionarylinnetA type of finch.scrupleHesitate. Source: Oxford English DictionarymalefactorA criminal. Source: Oxford English DictionaryVersailles"Jet d'eau" is French for water jet or fountain. At the Palace of Versailles there are many fountains that contain water jets.
wherryA rowboat for carrying passengers. Source: Oxford English DictionaryjoinerA craftsman of wood who could make furniture or the wooden parts of a building, such as stairs and window frames. Audio14
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverleveeA morning meeting held where visitors come to see the King as he wakes up and goes about his morning. Source: Oxford English DictionaryawlA pointed tool for making holes. Oxford English DictionaryspinetA small keyboard instrument, usually a small harpsichord, but sometimes a piano.
sagacitywisdomsignalsignificant or importantDemosthenesDemosthenes (384-322 BCE) was a Greek politician who was famous for his orations.CiceroCicero (106-43 BCE) was a famous Roman orator and politician.felicityHappiness. Source: Oxford English DictionaryPeersThe House of Peers, also known as the House of Lords, is the upper house in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In this era, the House of Lords was entirely composed of noblemen who had gained their seats through inheritance, as well as bishops in the church of England. In this passage, while Gulliver is loyally touting the excellence of the British political system, Swift is being deeply ironic and satirical, because any reader would have recognized that the government described here bore little resemblence to the frequently corrupt government of the period. patrimoniesInheritance (generally of a church or religious body). Source: Oxford English DictionaryjudicatureIn this era, the House of Lords functioned in effect as the highest court in Britain, the final court of appeal.bulwarkStrong "defense or safeguard." Source: Oxford English DictionaryCommonsThe lower house of Parliament, whose membership was, in theory, by election. But many members of the House of Commons were put there by local noblemen, and elections were frequently very corrupt.culledGathered or plucked. Source: Oxford English DictionarymemorandumsNotes to aid memory. Source: Oxford English DictionaryavariceGreed. Source: Oxford English DictionarypartialitiesBiases. Source: Oxford English DictionarychaplainsMembers of the clergy who were employed privately by a noble family as their personal religious advisor.servilelyWith the spirit of a slave or a servant. Source: Oxford English DictionarychanceryThe court of the Lord Chancellor in England, which typically handled property disputes, and was notorious for expensive, drawn-out procedures.penningAuthoring; writing up.pecuniaryfinancialcordialsComforting, usually sweet alcoholic drinks, such as a liqueur. habituateTo get used to; to grow accustomed.perfidiousness_Deceitfulness or unfaithfulness. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryn0128To bring together in a concise manner to repeat or summarize. Source: Oxford English DictionarypanegyricA speech of praise.perniciousHarmful or villainous. Source: Oxford English DictionaryodioushatefulAudio15
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverlaudablePraiseworthy. Source: Oxford English DictionaryHalicarnassensisDionysius of Harlicarnassus (60-c 7 BCE) was a Greek historian who was best known for a history of Rome. Oxford English Dictionaryingratiateto curry favorcontriverInventor. Source: Oxford English DictionarylenityMildness [or] gentleness; leniency. Source: Oxford English DictionarydeterminationCessation or end to a judicial case. Source: Oxford English Dictionary.transcendentalsMental conceptions; ideas or abstractions that are not about the physical world.mercurialQuick-witted or imaginative. Source: Oxford English DictionaryleafPage. Source: Oxford English DictionarypasteboardPasteboard is about as thick as card stock or cardboard. Source: Wikipediafoliosfolio was the largest book size available in Swift's day.floridFlowery or ornamental. Soruce: Oxford English DictionaryinclemenciesSevere weather. Source: Oxford English DictionarygentryA rank below the nobility but above the common people.Audio16
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DrivertumbrilA cart. Source: Oxford English DictionarypropogateTo increase or multiply, such as by reproduction. Source: Oxford English DictionaryquarrypreybuffetsHits or blows. Source: Oxford English DictionaryNiagaraThat is, louder than the roar of Niagara Falls.disconsolateGloomy or despondent. Source: Oxford English DictionarypigmiesPeople of small stature. Source: Oxford English Dictionarysunksunk immediatelybiscuitHardtack or a simple biscuit/cracker that was made on ships made from flour, water, and occasionally salt. Because of its inexpensiveness and non-perishable qualty it was often taken on ships.
imputedAttributed to or ascribed to. Source: Oxford English DictionaryleagueA league is about three miles, so thus a hundred leagues would be about three hundred miles. Source: Oxford English Dictionarytinctureextract or componentcandorIntegrity, honesty. Source: Oxford English DictionaryveracityTruthfulness. Source: Oxford English DictionarypippinA variety of apple first cultivated in Kent, in southern England.three-pence_A silver three-pence coin has a diameter of 16.20mm.PhaetonIn Greek mythology, the son of Helios, the sun god. Phaeton rode his father's chariot (which in myth carried the sun through the sky during teh day), but lost control of the horses and plunged into the sea.TonquinModern-day Vietnam.New_Holland_That is, Australia; the first Europeans to map Australia were Dutch, and though they never established a colony there, much of what we now call Australia was referred to as New Holland by Europeans until the early nineteenth century. farthingA quarter of a penny; that is, a coin with very low value.Audio17
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverdefrayTo pay, especially in the sense of offset. Source: Oxford English DictionarysloopA small boat. Source: Oxford English DictionarytrafficTo trade. Source: Oxford English DictionarypinionedBeing bound or shackled. Source: Oxford English DictionaryreprobateA malicious person. Source: Oxford English DictionaryheathBits of shrubs and twigs. Source: Oxford English DictionaryvergeEdge or border.disquietudesDisturbances. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio18
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DrivertactionTouching or contact. Source: Oxford English DictionarycogitationThinking or reflection. Source: Oxford English DictionarykennelA street drain or a gutter. Source: Oxford English DictionaryconcourseA crowd or gathering of people. Source: Oxford English DictionarytrussedTied. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhautboysA woodwind instument of a higher pitch than the bassoon. It is the ancestor of the modern oboe, which is a corruption of "hautboy," itself a corruption of the French for "high wood." Source: Oxford English DictionaryetymologyThe etymology of Laputa is fairly obvious; the word is derived from the Spanish "la puta" or prostitute. Gulliver is thus either very dumb, or is playing dumb. Readers have associated the name with the idea that the Laputans have corrupted their power of reason. obtrudeTo force unto someone. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryleague Approximately 310 miles. Source: Oxford English DictionaryvoyageAt about 310 miles in 4.5 days (108 hours,) Laputa is moving at about 2.87 miles per hour. (Perhaps the actual speed of Laputa is a bit more, however, it's impossible to calcuate the floating island's wind resistance, so 2.87 is a good approximation).spheres"One or other of the concentric, transparent, hollow globes imagined by the older astronomers as revolving round the earth and respectively carrying with them the several heavenly bodies (moon, sun, planets, and fixed stars)." Source: Oxford English Dictionary. Oddly enough, for the great thinkers that they are, the Laputians are still following the geocentric model of the solar system.bevelBevel is the action of cutting away at something so as to change the angle from 90 degrees to something more acute or obtuse. Source: Oxford English DictionaryinfirmityLack of strength or power. Source: Oxford English DictionaryeffluviaAn imperceptible stream of flowing particles. Source: Oxford English DictionaryperihelionThe point in a planet's revolution when it is nearest the sun. Source: Oxford English DictionarycapricesFancies or whimsies. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio19
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriveradamantA hard rock or mineral. Source: Oxford English DictionaryloadstoneA magnetic oxide of iron. Source: Oxford English DictionaryshuttleA box containing thread that is thrown back and forth across a loom to weave cloth.obliqueNeither horizontal or vertical, but rather at some slanted angle between the two. Source: Oxford English DictionaryperiodsThe length of oen revolution. Source: Oxford English DictionarydearthA time of scarcity, specifically in terms of food or other necessary resources. Source: Oxford English DictionarydemesnPossession. Source: Oxford English DictionaryexorbitancesOutragious demandsAudio20
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie Driverpounds_EnglishA substantial sum, enough to live on comfortably for a year or more in Britain at this time.grandeeA high-ranking nobleman.MunodiThe name Munodi is probably designed to echo the Latin phrase "mundum odi," or "I hate the world." Here, Munodi has withdrawn himself from Laputan society, for which he clearly has contempt.AcademyAs imagined in this part of the book, The Academy of Projectors in Lagado is a satire on the Royal Society, the world's first organization devoted to natural science, founded in London in 1660. The Royal Society is now remembered for its innovative sponsorship of experimental science, and some of the expriments mocked here are not all that far removed from experiments described in the Society's journal, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, a journal that is published to this day. Like many conservative thinkers of this era, Swift sees the Royal Society and experimental science as a kind of fad, its members wasting their time pursueing trivial things.projectorSomeone who came up with projects designed to advance the cause of science and improve society. By this time, the term "projector" was also sometimes used perjoratively to describe people who engaged in fraudulent activities like business scams. Audio21
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverhermeticallySealed so tightly that no contaminant can enter.rawCold and damp. Source: Oxford English DictionarytinctureColour, dye, or pigment. Source: Oxford English DictionarygallGall bladder. Source: Oxford English DictionarycalcineTo heat for the purpose of breaking down the item. Soruce: Oxford English DictionarymastThe fruit of various nut bearing trees. Source: Oxford English DictionaryweathercockA type of weather vane where the vane is a rooster that turns with the direction of the wind. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
diurnalDaily or day-long. Source: Oxford English DictionarycolicAbdominal pain such as to the stomach, colon, or bowels. Source: Oxford English DictionarybellowsA bellows is an instrument that blows air into a fire. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
lank"Loose from emptiness." Source: Oxford English DictionarynitrePottasium nitrate.percolateTo filter or sift a liquid. Source: Oxford English DictionaryfounderingBreaking. Source: Oxford English DictionarychaffThe husks of corn or other grain plants. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. That is, the projector wants to try to grow grain by using the husk rather than the seeds, which is, of course, impossible.seminalThat is, the husks, the projector believes, are where the real power of germination lies.superficiesThe surface layer. Source: Oxford English DictionarydelineateTo draw, portray, or write down. Source: Oxford English DictionarycephalicReferring to the head. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. It's not exactly clear how a tincture or extract could be made out of a head.bolusA very large pill.Audio22
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverchimerasFrom Greek mythology, a fantastical beast that is made up of various different parts of different animals. Source: Oxford English DictionarylicentiousnessLawlessness. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryebullientagitated Source: Oxford English DictionarypeccantDiseased. Source: Oxford English DictionaryscrofulousScrofula is a disease that causes the lymph nodes and glands to swell and deteriorate, especially around the neck. Source: Oxford English DictionaryfetidBad smelling. Source: Oxford English DictionarypurulentPus-like. Source: Oxford English DictionaryructationsBurps. Source: Oxford English Dictionarylenitives_A wide variety of different medicines. Source: Oxford English DictionarypertOutspoken. Source: Oxford English DictionaryocciputThe back of the head. Source: Oxford English DictionarycommodiusBeneficial, good. Source: Oxford English DictionaryTribniaAn anagram for "Britain."LangdenAn anagram for "England."forfeituresThe loss of property of money
given up as the result of a court case. The sense is that politicians are
in effect stealing money by seizing money forfeited in legal proceedings.gibbetGallows. Source: Oxford English DictionarycapA jester's cap. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
tunA cask. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio23
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverPortsmouthA town on the south coast of England and a major port, with a large dockyard.five_leaguesAbout 17 miles. Source: Oxford English DictionarybarqueA small sailing vessel, usually with three masts.WightThe Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England is about 150sq miles, thus Glubbdubrib is about 50sq miles. Source: Wikipedia.anticGross, weird, or absurd. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAlexanderAlexander the Great (356-323 BCE) was the king of the Macedonian empire who created the largest empire of the ancient world. His influence caused the emergence of the Hellenistic Period. he was rumored to have died by poison. Source: WikipediaArbela_The battle of Arbela, also known as the battle of Gaugamela, saw an outnumbered Alexander the Great defeat the Persians. Source: WikipediaHannibalHannibal Barca (247-183) BCE, a Cathaginian general who led one of the most famous military crusades when he took his army across the Alps to fight the Roman Republic. Source: WikipediavinegarAccording to the Roman historian Livy, Hannibal had his soldiers boil vinegar and pour it over rocks to break them up so that he could make his way through the Alps. The story may or many not be true. Source: WikipediaCaesarJulius Caesar (100-44 BCE) A Roman politician and general who was a member of the first triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey. With his hunger for power he declared himself dictator. He was assassinated by rivals on the Ides of March in 44 BCE, leading to a long civil war that resulted in the end of the Roman Republic and the foundation of the Roman Empire.
PompeyPompey (106-48 BCE), was a ruler of the late Roman Republic and general who was a part of the first triumvirate alongside Caesar. However, their friendship didn't last long as they fought for control of Rome. Losing against Caesar in the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE, Pompey fled to Egypt where he was later assassinated. Source: WikipediasenateA long enduring political body in Rome based on a Republican government where a state is ruled by a body of elected governing citizens. Source: WikipediaBrutusMarcus Junius Brutus, 85-42 BCE.
Famed assassin of Caesar, Brutus was a Roman politician of the Roman Republic. During the civil war between Pompey and Caesar for power, Brutus sided with Pompey, but surrendered to Caesar after Pompey's defeat. After assassinating Caesar with his fellow liberators, Brutus later went on to commit suicide after being defeated by Caesar's grandnephew Octavian. Source: Wikipedia
venerationRespect. Source: Oxford English DictionaryconsummateComplete or perfect. Source: Oxford English DictionarylineamentPortion. Source: Oxford English DictionaryJuniusJunius is a famous family of Rome; the specific reference is probably to Lucius Junius Brutus, a founder of the Roman Republic. Source: WikipediaSocrates_Socrates (470-399 BCE) Famed Greek philosopher and in a real sense the origin point of European philosophy. While Socrates never wrote anything himself, his method of "Socratic inquiry" conducted through intense dialogue and his theories live through the writings of his student Plato. Source: WikipediaEpimanandas_Epaminondas (?-362 BCE) A Greek general who free Thebes from Spartan Control. Source: WikipediaCatoCato the Younger (95-6 BCE).
A statesman of the Roman Republic. He was a famous orator known for hatred for corruption. Cato became a figure of admiration among eighteenth-century British political thinkers for his integrity. Source: WikipediaMoreSir Thomas More 1478-1535 CE. A Renaissance humanist who was famed as a lawyer, philosopher, statesman, and councilor to the King. He opposed the Protestant Reformation. Source: WikipediasextumviriteA group of six. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio24
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverHomerThe author of the Greek epic poems The Iliad and "The Odyssey">Source: Oxford English DictionaryAristotleAristotle (384-322 BCE)
Greek scientist and philosopher.DidymusDidymus is the author of a commentary on Homer. Source: WikipediaEustathiusEustathius was another commentator on the works of Homer Source: WikipediaScotusJohn Duns Scotus (1266-1308) was a philosopher and interpretor of Aristotle. Source: WikipediaRamusPetrus Ramus (1515-1572) was a French philosopher and logician.DescartesRene Descartes (1596-1650)
A French philosopher and mathematician, and speaker of the phrase, "I think therefore I am." Source: Wikipedia
GassendiPierre Gassendi (1592-1655), French philosopher, priest, and mathematician. Descartes and Aristotle did not get along intellectually with Gassendi due to his beliefs in the atomic theory of Epicurus. Source: WikipediaEpicurusEpicurus (341-270 BCE). A Greek philosopher famed for founding a school of philosophy that became known as Epicureanism. Epicureanism was a form of hedonism, focusing of maximization of pleasure. However, Epicurus put a focus on living a simple life of happiness. Thus instead of falling to any extremes, he advocated living within the mean. Source: WikipeadiavorticesVortexes. Source: Oxford English DictionaryemperorsThe first five Roman emperors were as follows: Augustus Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and NeroEliogabalus
Roman emperor who ruled from 218-222 AD, and died at the age of eighteen. Eglabalus was known for his emphasis on luxury. Source: WikipediahelotA kind of Spartan serf who were lesser than a regular citizen, but higher than a slave. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAgesilaus
A Spartan king.diademsOrnate jeweled crowns. Source: Oxford English DictionarycourtiersLive court attendants.prelateA highly ranked cleric or priest. Source: Oxford English DictionaryabbotAn abbot is the head of a Christian abbey. Source: Oxford English DictionarycardinalsThe highest rank in the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church.Male servants or pages. Source: Oxford English Dictionarycrack-brainedIntellectually impaired or crazy. Source: Oxford English DictionarysharpersSwindlers. Source: Oxford English DictionaryPolydorePolydore Virgil 1470-1555 AD
An Italian scholar famed as the "father of English history." Source: Oxford English DictionaryNecThis Latin phrase translates as "not a man was brave, nor a woman chaste." Source: WikipediavaletA personal attendant. Source: Oxford English DictionarycoachmenCoach drivers. Source: Oxford English DictionarygamestersgamblerssodomitesGay men.bawdsGenerally someone in charge of a brothel or a pimp. Source: Oxford English DictionaryrogueryMisconduct. Source: Oxford English DictionarypanderismThe act of pimping. Source: Oxford English DictionaryabateDiminish or reduce. Source: Oxford English DictionaryActiumThe battle of Actium (31 BCE) is a famous naval battle that was considered to be the final war of the Roman Republic. The battle was between Octavian and the forces of Antony and Cleopatra. The battle was won by Octavian, who then became the first emperor of Rome. Source: Wikipedia
AntonyMark Antony (83-30 BCE).
He was a Roman Politician, and one of the Second Triumvirate. He followed Julius Caesar and killed his assassins at the battle of Philippi. However, quickly tensions grew between Octavian and Antony, and just as it did with the first triumvirate, a second civil war broke out. Antony, married to Octavian's sister Octavia, was having an affair with Cleopatra and had her kingdom fight alongside him in the war. After their loss, the couple both committed suicide. Source: WikipediaAugustusCaesar Augustus, the title that Octavian took after he had defeated Marc Antony and became the ruler and first emperor of Rome. Source: WikipediaPublicolaPublicola was one of the Roman aristocrats who helped overthrow Julius Caesar. Source: WikipediaAgrippaAgrippa (64-12 BCE), Roman general and friend of Octavian. Source: WikipediayeomenIndependent farmers.stamp"Of the old stamp" means that the English yeomen operate by the old English ways. Source: Oxford English DictionarylenityMercifulness. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio25
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie Driversixty_leaguesAbout 207 miles.shoalsShallow waters or a sand bar. Source: Oxford English DictionarylengthAbout 607 feet. Source: Oxford English DictionarysentryA guard. Source: Oxford English DictionaryretinueGroup or entourage. Source: Oxford English DictionaryclemencyMercy. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio26
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverappelationnamethreepenceCompass refers to the circumference. The circumference of a silver threepence would be about the circumference of an American dime. Source: Oxford English Dictionary and WikipediashillingAn English shilling's diameter is 23mm or a bit bigger than an Americain Nickel. Source: Wikipedia
shillingsixty Source: Oxford English Dictionaryfourscore_Eighty years old. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydotage_extreme old agepittanceA small amount of money. Source: Oxford English DictionarymeersBoundaries or property lines. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio27
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverAmboynaAmbon, Indonesia. Source: WikipediaGelderlandA province of the Netherlands. Source: WikipediaYahoosSwift invented this word, which has gone on to have a wide range of uses, from designating an uncultured rube to an internet portal.Audio28
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DrivermerchantmanA ship that deals in merchandise or trading. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
TeneriffeNow generally spelled Tenerife, this is the largest of the Canary Islands, off the coast of north Africa; then and now, an island that is ruled by Spain. It was a very important port in the trans-Atlantic trade of the early eighteenth century, a logical place for Gulliver to have stopped on his way to the Americas.CampechyNow generally spelled Campeche, this is an enormous bay on the east coast of Mexico, which would at this time have been part of the Spanish empire in the Americas.
founderedFilled with water and sank. Source: Oxford English DictionarycalenturesA general term for a variety of tropical diseases (such as yellow fever and malaria), characterized by a high fever and often delirium. Sailors in the grip of such a fever were often said to have hallucinated that the ocean was a grassy plain, and to have jumped overboard to reach it. Swift is perhaps having a joke at Gulliver's expense; though he is trained both in internal medicine and surgery, many of the men on his ships tend to get sick.buccaneersA type of pirates. Source: Oxford English DictionarySouth_SeaThe south Atlantic Ocean. Source: Oxford English DictionarydebauchedTo corrupt one's morality or to seduce away from virtue. Source: Oxford English DictionarypieceGun. Source: Oxford English DictionaryexpostulatedAsk, demand, or plead. Source: Oxford English DictionaryladingCargo. Source: Oxford English DictionarytoysSome of these sailor's "toys" may have included a hanger, an astrolabe or quadrant, some hardtack, rope or pack-thread, a compass, a scarf or cravat to keep off the sun, and some gold coins.thicketthicketShrubs or bushes. Source: Oxford English DictionarypudendaGenitals. Source: Oxford English DictionarydugsBreasts. Source: Oxford English DictionaryantipathyHostility or anger. Source: Oxford English DictionaryvisageFace. Source: Oxford English DictionarypasternPart of a horse's leg, essentially the ankle.
orthographySpelling. Source: Oxford English DictionaryHouyhnhnmSwift is probably imagining a pronunciation like "hu-wee-nim," to imitate the whinnying of a horse.Audio29
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverwattledConstructed with interlaced rods, posts, or twigs. Source: Oxford English DictionaryrackA rack and manger is where a horse stores and eats food. Source: Oxford English DictionarynagsA nag is most typically an older female horse; sometimes used to refer to a small horse. Source: Oxford English DictionarymaresAdult female horses, of breeding age. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhamsThe thigh or crook of the knee. Source: Oxford English DictionarycoltA young male horse. Source: Oxford English DictionaryfoalA young female horse. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhaunchesThe haunches of a horse refers to its buttocks and backs of the legs. Source: Oxford English DictionarywithesStrong ties or shackles. Source: Oxford English DictionarysorrelChestnut or reddish brown. Source: Oxford English DictionaryfetlockThe fetlock is the part of the horse's leg right above the pastern. Source: Oxford English DictionarysteedA stallion or adult strong male horse. Source: Oxford English DictionarywinnowTo sift the extra particles from grains. Source: Oxford English DictionaryinsipidTasteless. Source: Oxford English DictionaryfondThis is not true. Salt licks are a common meeting grounds for many animals like cattle, deer, moose, elephants, and many others. In fact, hunters will occasionally lay out salt blocks to attract deer or other game.Audio30
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriveretymologyThe origin or root meaning of a word.divertingAmusing, diverting. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio31
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverdrudgeryGrueling work. Source: Oxford English DictionaryindignationDisdain or disregard. Source: Oxford English DictionarydraughtCarrying. Source: Oxford English DictionarycircumlocutionsTalking in " a roundabout" way to explain something. Source: Oxford English DictionarysimilitudesSimilar things. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryperjur_Lying or making false statements in a legal setting such as a courtroom or deposition.>flyingSimilar to evading the draft; military desertion.intemperanceLack of restraint or the exercising of excess. Source: Oxford English DictionarysuppositionsHypothesesinsuperableInvincible. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryconverse_Conversation.Audio32
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverextractAn excerpt. Source: Oxford English DictionaryRevolutionThe so-called "Glorious Revolution" (1688-1689), when King James II was overthrown when Parliament invited the William, the Prince of Orange, and his wife Mary, who was James II's daughter, to take the monarchy. They ruled as William and Mary. warThe Nine Years War (1688-1697). The war was between a coalition of England, Austria, the Holy Roman Empire, Savoy, Spain, and the Dutch Republic against the French king Louis XIV.queenQueen Anne, who ruled from 1702 to 1714, the year when this part of the story is set.millionThis is a wild guess on Gulliver's part; casualty figures from warfare were not kept with any degree of accuracy. But there's no doubt that the loss of life from what amounted to a quarter-century of near-continuous warfare in Europe was tremendous.whistlingGulliver is describing various doctrinal disputes among Christian sects. Singing--which is what Gulliver probably means by "whistling," was banned by Presbyterian congregations.postPost refers to an idol, used for religious observance. Here Swift is commenting on the debate about the presence of statuary and other images in churches, which was banned by Calvinist sects.pestilenceAn epidemic or disease like the plague. Source: Oxford English DictionaryembroiledMade chaotic by or interfered with. Source: Oxford English DictionarytradeJob. Source: Oxford English DictionarybeggarlyImpoverished. Source: Oxford English DictionaryculverinsA small hand-gun. Source: Oxford English DictionarycarabinesA medium sized gun somewhere between a musket and a hand-gun. Source: Oxford English DictionaryunderminesA reference to the military tactic of mining tunnels underneath the opposing army and exploding the ground underneath them. Source: Oxford English DictionarycounterminesA coutner-plot or a secret plan. Source: Oxford English DictionarysqualledScreamed or yelled. Source: Oxford English DictionaryinjureTo wrong. Source: Oxford English DictionaryiniquitousUnjust. Source: Oxford English DictionaryadjournSuspend or defer a proceeding until a later time. Source: Oxford English DictionaryissueA decision. Source: Oxford English DictionarycantVernacular or jargonAudio33
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverforswearingCommitting perjury. Source: Oxford English DictionarysuborningBribing someone, often times to commit a crime. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhectoringTo bully or intimidate. Source: Oxford English DictionarylibelingDefaming someone in writing. Source: Oxford English DictionaryrepletionLiving in excess. Source: Oxford English DictionaryintromissionInsertion. Source: Oxford English DictionaryprognosticsPredicting. Source: Oxford English DictionaryportendingForewarning. Source: Oxford English DictionaryobsequiousCompliant. Source: Oxford English DictionaryseminaryAn educational institution or school.porterA gatekeeper or a servant who carries heavy items. Source: Oxford English DictionarybayA red-brown colour. Source: Oxford English DictionaryspleenDepression or melancholy. Gulliver is using a vocabulary that comes from the theory of "humours" psychology, which argued that a person's emotional disposition derived from the proportion and interaction of fluids in the body; spleen was believed to produce black bile, an excess of which could lead to despression. The humours theory was already becoming supreceded by science in this period, but was still widely used. Even now, people sometimes use the word "splenetic" to describe a person who is peevish and irritable.Audio34
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverappetitesThat is, homosexual desire. Same-sex desire was stigmatized in the eighteenth century, and men having sex with other men faced prosecution and possibly even the death penalty.Audio35
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie Driverjackdawa kind of small crow, with a characteristically white or grey head that looks like a caprestiveRestless. Source: Oxford English DictionarylibidinousSexful, lustful, or lewd. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. Red-haired people were stereotypically promiscuous.fulsomegenerous to the point of excesspropensityInclination. Source: Oxford English DictionarysloeThe fruit of a blackthorn. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
enjoinedurged uponAudio36
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverindocibleUnteachable. Source: Oxford English DictionaryengenderedReproduced. Source: Oxford English DictionarysheavesBundles of crops or wheat. Source: Oxford English DictionaryfourscoreEighty. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio37
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverrushmatsMats woven together out of reeds or rushes.gibersTaunters. Source: Oxford English DictionarycensuresOne who blames or condemns others. Source: Oxford English DictionarybackbitersSimilar to a backstabber or someone who talks behind your back. Source: Oxford English DictionaryspleneticsAccording to the "humours" theory of human personality, in which people's dispositions were determined by the mixture of humours or fluids in their body, a "spenetic" person would be angry, spiteful, ill-tempered.ravishersRapistspilloriesWooden structures in which people sentenced for certain kinds of crimes in this period (such as seditious libel) would have their head and hands immobilized for the sake of public humiliation.fopsFools. Source: Oxford English DictionarypoxesDiseases, in particular sexually-transmitted diseases like syphilis.pedantsboring teachersdescantTo comment on. Source: Oxford English DictionarypravityPerversion. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryfive_leaguesAbout seventeen miles.copseA thicket of trees or underbrush. Source: Oxford English Dictionarytallowanimal fatstaunchWatertight. Source: Oxford English DictionarycensuredJudged harshly.New-HollandThe landmass now known as Australia; in Swift's period, Europeans most often called it "New Holland" after the name given to it by Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, in the 1640s. Audio38
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie DriverCapeThe Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa.limpetsAn edible aquatic snail, with a shell like a clam or scallop.leagueJust under two miles.LisbonLisbon is the capital city of Portugal.veracityTruthfulness. Source: Oxford English DictionaryinviolableNot subject to corruption or violation. Source: Oxford English DictionaryaccoutredEquipped. Source: Oxford English DictioanrydeportmentThe way a person carries themselves; their self-presentation to others.rueA common shrub, that can have a strong odor.twentyGenerally you could live frugally on 30 to 40 pounds a year in this period, so Gulliver has been given quite a lot of money.Audio39
Librivox recording, read by Lizzie Drivercredulitywillingness to believe somethingSinonem "Nor, if fortune has made Sinon wretched, will she also in her spite make him false and a liar"; Virgil Aeneid, Book II. The speaker here is Sinon, recounting the notorious incident in the Trojan War where he convinced the Trojans that the giant wooden horse left by the Greeks was a peace offering and that they should bring it into the city of Troy. The famous "Trojan Horse" was actually filled with Greek soldiers, leading to the destruction of the city. Sinon for this reason has long been associated with lying and treachery. Gulliver seems to have misread or misunderstood the point of the story completely, taking Sinon's claim here that he is a truthful person at face value.missiveMissiles.yerksKicks. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryrecalcitrat"He kicks back, at every point on his guard." Horace's Satire IImagnanimousGreat, noble, or brave. Source: Oxford English DictionaryexecrableCursed, terrible.evidenceSomeone who bribes others to commit crimes. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Source: Title page of first edition
There was no one quite like the book’s real author, Jonathan Swift, either. He was born in Ireland in 1667 to a family that was a part of the wave of English people who went there in that period, English Protestants who were encouraged to emigrate and take positions in Irish institutions in order to bind that island more tightly to English domination. Almost all biographical accounts state that his father, also named Jonathan Swift, died seven months before he was born. But there is no documentary evidence for that, or for his parents’ marriage, the date of his father’s death, or even for Swift’s baptism. Swift’s most recent biographer, Leo Damrosch, suggests that his real father may have been Sir John Temple, a wealthy English nobleman who was living in Ireland at the time and who knew Swift’s mother and her family. There is no way of proving this, and we will probably never know one way or the other. But if Sir John Temple were Swift's father, that would explain some things, such as how Swift would become the private secretary to William Temple, Sir John Temple’s son. Swift, who had an undistinguished career as a student at Trinity College in Dublin, would not have been an obvious choice, and he seems not to have met William Temple before he began working for him. Again, we will probably never be certain of the truth here, and Swift seems to have cultivated a certain amount of mystery about his private life. Although we know, for example, that he had intimate friendships with several women, notably Esther Johnson (to whom he gave the name “Stella") and Esther Vanhomrigh (who he referred to as Vanessa, a name that he invented), the full nature of these relationships eluded, even mystified people then, and frustrates us now. (Some people believed that Swift and Stella had been secretly married; others thought that idea was ridiculous.) Friends found him to be witty and generous, but he could also be demanding and moody. He suffered for much of his life from Meniere’s disease, a disorder where fluid builds up in the inner ear. The condition sometimes left him bedridden for days as he dealt with intense vertigo and nausea; he eventually went deaf. Satirists are often outsiders, and it is not hard to imagine how Swift might have felt himself to be an outsider to his society, set apart by his birth and his health to be an ironic observer as often as a full participant.
Source: Portrait of Jonathan Swift by Francis Bindon, c. 1735, National Portrait Gallery, London
Gulliver's Travels was immediately a hit with readers,
and it did not take long for its real author to be identified, even though Swift
publicly stayed silent about his role for several years. The book was translated
into French and other European languages very early on; theatrical versions,
some with children playing the Lilliputians, were on the stage in London within
a few years. Gulliver's adventures, particularly his experiences with the small
but ruthless Lilliputians and the large but gentle Brobdignagians, have become
myths of the modern world, stories that everyone knows the general outlines of
even if they have never opened the book. But fully grasping what Swift was up to
has proven to be a challenge. Swift provided no gloss on his own work, and the
book defies an easy moral or satisfying conclusion. What, exactly, are we to
make of the Houyhnhnms, the intelligent horses of book IV? They seem have come
up with the kind of minimal, direct mode of governance that Swift, in other writings,
often advocated. But they are also able to contemplete genocide, casually
thinking of exterminating all the Yahoos, a fact that Gulliver does not comment upon. What do all of the encounters of Book
III, where Gulliver visits a series of miserable projectors of various kinds,
add up to, if anything? Who is this Gulliver, anyway, and what kind of character
are we dealing with? Swift plays with, defies, and undercuts our expectations
for what either a truthful travel narrative or a fictional story should be. Gulliver's Travels is one of the greatest books in
English from the eighteenth century. - [JOB]Audio1
Source: Oxford English Dictionary.NottinghamshireNottinghamshire is a county in the English Midlands, about 125 miles north of London. There is probably no special significance attached to the fact that Gulliver comes from there, which may be part of the point; this is as nondescript and middle-of-the-road kind of place for the protagonist of a story to have come from. Gulliver is, in every way, an unremarkable person. - [JOB]eminentSurgery was not a prestigious part of the medical profession in this period because it was such a hands-on, often bloody business. Surgeons were responsible for pulling teeth, amputating limbs, lancing boils, letting blood from patients, and also (because it was another procedure that involved using sharp instruments to cut away part of the body) cutting hair, which is why the profession was organized under the aegis of the guild of Barber-Surgeons. Doctors of "physic," who diagnosed diseases and dispensed medicine (and from which our modern term "physicians" derives) tended to look down upon surgeons. There is a sense in which the term "eminent surgeon" is a contradiction in terms: surgeons were by definition not particularly eminent. - [JOB]apprenticeshipA typical apprenticeship in this period would have lasted at least seven years. It would thus likely have been deeply embarrassing to Gulliver and his family for him to have failed to complete this apprenticeship. The reasons why Gulliver abandoned his apprenticeship are never explained, although as the following clause suggests, Gulliver may not have been all that interested in surgery, spending more time on other subjects. - [JOB]poundsForty pounds would be worth about 5,600 pounds today or $8,000. It is always hard to compare the cost of living in an era so far removed from our own, but contemporary readers would have recognized that Gulliver's family is giving him pretty minimal support, just enough to keep him going. - [JOB]LeydenThe University of Leyden (now more frequently spelled Leiden) was a well-known and prestigious school for studying medicine, and was a much better option at the time than any school in the British Isles.physic"Physic" was the period's term for what we would now call internal medicine; it is where we get the term "physician" from. Physic was a more prestigious branch of the medical profession than surgery; physicians thought of themselves as members of a profession, and looked down on surgeons--who worked with their hands--as being more working class, just another kind of manual laborer. But as with his apprenticeship to the surgeon James Bates, Gulliver did not complete his program of study in this profession, which would have lasted at least three years. And again Gulliver gives no explanation for his early departure. But any contemporary reader who knew anything about the training of people in medical fields would have noticed there is something amiss here. - [JOB]Levant The Levant is composed of the countries on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea spanning from approximately Greece to Egypt. Source: Oxford English DictionaryJuryThe Old Jury, or the Old Jewry, is a street in the City of London, the main financial and commercial district in England. It was not a fashionable residential area. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryhosier A hosier is a maker of women's panty hose, stockings, or tights. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryportion Portion refers to the dowry that Gulliver received from his wife's family at the time of his marriage. Four hundred pounds would have been a modest dowry by the standards of the period.BatesAfter having teased the reader by presenting the name of Gulliver's master in a number of different combinations, Swift finally comes out and makes the joke that we have been waiting for: "master Bates." Gulliver does not seem aware that he is making a joke about masturbation. We can be certain, however, that Swift knows exactly what he is doing. The precise point of the joke is, as often in this book, not easy to figure out, opening up a number of possibilities but not securely picking any one of them. How are we supposed to understand this bawdy joke? Masturbation, or, as it was called at the time "onanism," was written about in a number of pamphlets and books in this period, most famously in a book called Onania: or, the Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution, and All its Frightful Consequences, in Both Sexes, Considered, published sometime in the early part of the century and reproduced dozens of times over the course of the eighteenth century. Many readers of the period would have come across a copy of this book at some point.
Source: Title Page of fourt edition, Google Books
Masturbation was widely condemned as a sin that was both anti-social and also dangerous, likely to damage one's health. And it was also seen as an unhealthy indulgence of fantasy at the expense of reality. Which suggests that one possibility for the book that follows is that it is also a fantasy, a kind of day-dream of Gulliver's, a man who does not seem to enjoy a lot of success in the real world here making up a far more interesting life for himself than he had ever really led. Swift never gives us enough information to decide this question one way or another, but the joke, and the fact that Gulliver seems oblivious to it, is one of many details in the book that should lead a careful reader to be a little dubious about the narrator's veracity. - [JOB]voyagesGulliver does not say so, but it seems very likely that at least some of these voyages would have been on ships transporting enslaved people to work on plantations in the Caribbean and South America.East-Indies In this period, the "East Indies" referred to the Indian subucontinent and also regions such as the island archpeligo now known as Indonesia.West-Indies The islands in the Caribbean.account To "turn to account" is turn something into your advantage. That is to say that Gulliver is not making any money trying to treat sailors. Which is a little strange, because Wapping in this period was located right in the heart of London's docklands, and would have been teeming with sailors. It is hard not to suspect that Gulliver does not have a great reputation as a doctor among his potential clientele. - [JOB]South-SeaThe "South-Sea" in this period could refer either to the southern Atlantic Ocean or the southern Pacific Ocean. It is notable that Gulliver does not want to "trouble the reader" with the details of the voyage, except to note that it was "very prosperous" at first. One possibility, perhaps hinted at by the fact that the ship left from Bristol, was that the first part of the voyage involved kidnapping people into slavery in west Africa and then selling them in the Americas; Bristol was at this time a prominent port for departing ships in the Atlantic slave trade. - [JOB]Van_Diemen Van Diemen's Land was the Dutch name used for what is now the Australian island of Tasmania.cable A cable's length is a nautical measurement that is roughly 608 feet. So the rock was spied approximately 304 feet off the ship. Source: Oxford English DictionaryleagueA league is about three nautical miles, so three leagues would be about nine nautical miles.declivityA declivity is a descending incline. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryjerkin A yellow or beige vest or short jacket, typically made of leather, which would explain why it can resist the arrows.page A page is a servant, often young. Source: Oxford English Dictionarytrain A train is the bottom of a robe, dress, or coat. If a train is long enough it will drag on the ground, and thus a monarch's train would be carried by servants. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryforbear Forbear means "to bear, endure, or submit to." Source: Oxford English Dictionarylark A lark is a type of small brown bird, often known as a songbird. Source: Oxford English Dictionarybullet The diameter of a musket ball was half an inch on average.hogsheads A hogshead is a cask or barrel. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydraught Draught is the "drawing of liquid into the mouth or down the throat; an act of drinking, a drink; the quantity of drink swallowed at one 'pull.'" Source: Oxford English Dictionaryprodigious Prodigious is an adjective meaning amazing, or extraordinary. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryretinue The king's retinue is a group of his attendants or closest servants. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydisapprobation Disapprobation is "the act of disapproving." Source: Oxford English Dictionarysmart A smart is the feeling of sharp pain inflicted by some outside source. Source: Oxford English Dictionarymake_water To "make water" is to urinate. Source: Oxford English DictionarydaubedTo cover or put on. In this context the Lilliputions are putting on the ointment. Source: Oxford English DictionaryvictualsFood, thus they're providing Gulliver with food and drink.packthread Small twine or thread used to sew or close up bags. Source: Oxford English Dictionarygirt bound or secured sopiferousTo cause someone to fall asleep. The medicine will cause Gulliver to fall sleep or pass out. Source: Oxford English Dictionarymurder Swift is probably referring to the execution of Charles I by Parliament in 1649, at the end of the English Civil War. It took place on Whitehall, in front of the Banqueting House, designed by Inigo Jones for Charles's father, James I, and still a landmark that can be visited in London. For conservatives like Swift, the execution of a monarch was indeed "unnatural"; even now, the execution of the head of state is shocking to imagine.
Source: A contemporary engraving by an unknown artist of the execution of Charles I. Note the blood spurting from the decapitated body and the executioner holding the head of the dead King up for the crowd to see. Source: National Portrait Gallery, London
- [JOB]fourscoreFourscore is four times twenty or eighty. 80+11=91: there were ninety-one chains. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio2
Source: Portrait of William III, National Portrait Gallery, LondonSource: National Portrait Gallery, London - [UVAStudStaff]deportmentDeportment is the manner with which one conducts oneself. Source: Oxford English Dictionary - [UVAStudStaff]prime This may be a dig at George I, who was King of England at the time of the publication of Swift's book, and was 66 years old. - [UVAStudStaff]sevenAnother way of associating the Lillipution King with George I of England, who had also reigned for seven years at the time of the publication of Gulliver's Travels. - [UVAStudStaff]felicity Felicity is the quality or state of being happy. Source: Oxford English DictionaryscabbardA sheath for a sword. Source: Oxford English DictionaryDutch"High" Dutch (an English corruption of the German word "Deutsch") refers to the dialect spoken by people in what is now southern Germany, and is the ancestor of modern German. "Low" Dutch refers to the language spoken in what is now northern Germany and the Netherlands.Lingua A mix of the southern Romance languages. Source: Oxford English DictionaryBeeves Oxen or cattle. Source: Oxford English Dictionarydemesnes Land held by the state, or, in this case, by the monarch himself. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryfobs A small pocket, usually for watches, money, or small valuables. Source: Oxford English DictionaryImprimisLegal term denoting a list of items. Placed at the top of many legal documents of the time, from wills to inventories. Source: perspectiveTelescope or spyglass. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio3
Source: Image of the Greek astronomer PtolemyAudio4
Source: A view of Surat in about 1690. Note the European ships in the harbor, and, to the left of the shore, a long jetty at which they can dock. From Jacob Peeters, Description des principales ville, havres et isles due golfe de Venise de cote oriental, Antwerp, 1690. Image source: Wikimedia CommonsAudio9
Image source: Wikimedia CommonsFindingIn this paragraph, Swift makes use of many nautical terms to the point of excess. He is most likely trying to poke fun at the travel narratives of the time which were often filled with obscure nautical terminology and jargon.longboatA longboat is one of the many boats that were carried along bigger sailing ships, such as a man-of-war ship. Longboats were manned by men with oars (usually about eight or ten men). They were used to bring sailors from the main ship to the beach, as often the main ship was too big to dock by the beach. Source: Oxford English DictionarystileA structure of steps that allows for passage over fences and hedges. Source: Oxford English DictionarygrievouslyVery severely, even painfully.supplicatingThe act of begging (often used in a religious context) that is often marked by being down on one's knees with palms facing towards the sky. Source: Oxford English DictionarylappetLapel or a flap in a garmet. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhindsLaborers or workers. Source: Oxford English Dictionarypistoles"Pistole" was a word used to refer to a number of different kinds of gold coins in this period; they would have been comparatively valuable simply because they were gold. The joke is that Gulliver is trying in effect to buy his freedom with coins so tiny as to be completely worthless in this land.trencherA trencher is a flat piece of wood or a flat piece of bread that was used as a plate during a meal. Source: Oxford English DictionarydramA dram is a unit of measurement defined as about 3.5ml of fluid, but of course in this world, a "dram cup" holds vastly more than that. Source: Oxford English DictionaryarchMischevious. Source: Oxford English DictionaryboxTo box someone's ear means to slap them on the side of the head. Source: Oxford English DictionaryChelseaA distance of about five miles.oratorySpeaking, or in the case of an infant, probably screaming. Source: Oxford English Dictionary. Gulliver is being a little sarcastic.dugNipple. Source: Oxford English DictionarydiscoursingSpeaking about. Source: Oxford English DictionarycomelyAttractive or agreeable. Source: Oxford English DictionaryhangerA short, usually curved sword. They were called "hangers" because they were hung from a belt. Source: Oxford English Dictionary Audio10
Image source: Wikimedia Commons journeyA distance of about twenty miles.fopperiesFoolishness. Source: Oxford English Dictionaryvexationdistress or anxiety pumpionAn archaic word for pumpkin.scoreA "score" is 20, so they would have travelled something like 140 to 160 miles a day. This was much more than anyone could plausibly travel in the early eighteenth century, when a good day's journey on horseback or coach would be more like 30 miles.palisadoedEnclosed; fenced in. Source: Oxford English DictionarySansonNicholas Sanson was a French cartographer who created multiple atlases. These would have been large books in Europe, folio sized volumes around 19 x 12 inches; in Brobdignag, such a large book fits into a child's pocket.Audio11
A louse as seen under a microsope, from Robert Hooke, Micrographia. Image source: Wikimedia CommonsrootedRooting is the action of digging with one's snout. Rooting is a common act done by pigs. Source: Oxford English Dictionary sedanA sedan-chair, a chair by which a wealthy person would have been carried by servants.liveryDress or uniform. Source: Oxford English DictionarySalisburyThe steeple at the Salisbury Cathedral is 404 feet tall. cupolaThe diameter of the cupola, or dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London is 112 feet. shewsAn older spelling for shows. Source: Oxford English DictionaryAudio13
TRAVELSTravels
INTO SEVERAL
Remote NATIONS
OF THE
WORLD.
IN FOUR PARTS
By LEMUEL GULLIVER,
first a Surgeon, and then a Captain
of several SHIPS
VOL. I.
LONDON: Printed for BENJ. MOTTE, at the
Middle Temple-Gate in Fleet-street
MDCCXXVI
INTO SEVERAL
Remote NATIONS
OF THE
WORLD.
IN FOUR PARTS
By LEMUEL GULLIVER,
first a Surgeon, and then a Captain
of several SHIPS
VOL. I.
LONDON: Printed for BENJ. MOTTE, at the
Middle Temple-Gate in Fleet-street
MDCCXXVI
Page Footnotes
inducements_Inducements are something that persuades or leads someone to take a course of action.
Source: Oxford English Dictionary.
Source: Oxford English Dictionary.
Nottinghamshire_Nottinghamshire is a county in the English Midlands, about 125 miles north of London. There is probably no special significance attached to the fact that Gulliver comes from there, which may be part of the point; this is as nondescript and middle-of-the-road kind of place for the protagonist of a story to have come from. Gulliver is, in every way, an unremarkable person.
eminent_Surgery was not a prestigious part of the medical profession in this period because it was such a hands-on, often bloody business. Surgeons were responsible for pulling teeth, amputating limbs, lancing boils, letting blood from patients, and also (because it was another procedure that involved using sharp instruments to cut away part of the body) cutting hair, which is why the profession was organized under the aegis of the guild of Barber-Surgeons. Doctors of "physic," who diagnosed diseases and dispensed medicine (and from which our modern term "physicians" derives) tended to look down upon surgeons. There is a sense in which the term "eminent surgeon" is a contradiction in terms: surgeons were by definition not particularly eminent.
apprenticeship_A typical apprenticeship in this period would have lasted at least seven years. It would thus likely have been deeply embarrassing to Gulliver and his family for him to have failed to complete this apprenticeship. The reasons why Gulliver abandoned his apprenticeship are never explained, although as the following clause suggests, Gulliver may not have been all that interested in surgery, spending more time on other subjects.
pounds_Forty pounds would be worth about 5,600 pounds today or $8,000. It is always hard to compare the cost of living in an era so far removed from our own, but contemporary readers would have recognized that Gulliver's family is giving him pretty minimal support, just enough to keep him going.
Leyden_The University of Leyden (now more frequently spelled Leiden) was a well-known and prestigious school for studying medicine, and was a much better option at the time than any school in the British Isles.
physic_"Physic" was the period's term for what we would now call internal medicine; it is where we get the term "physician" from. Physic was a more prestigious branch of the medical profession than surgery; physicians thought of themselves as members of a profession, and looked down on surgeons--who worked with their hands--as being more working class, just another kind of manual laborer. But as with his apprenticeship to the surgeon James Bates, Gulliver did not complete his program of study in this profession, which would have lasted at least three years. And again Gulliver gives no explanation for his early departure. But any contemporary reader who knew anything about the training of people in medical fields would have noticed there is something amiss here.
Bates_After having teased the reader by presenting the name of Gulliver's master in a number of different combinations, Swift finally comes out and makes the joke that we have been waiting for: "master Bates." Gulliver does not seem aware that he is making a joke about masturbation. We can be certain, however, that Swift knows exactly what he is doing. The precise point of the joke is, as often in this book, not easy to figure out, opening up a number of possibilities but not securely picking any one of them. How are we supposed to understand this bawdy joke? Masturbation, or, as it was called at the time "onanism," was written about in a number of pamphlets and books in this period, most famously in a book called Onania: or, the Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution, and All its Frightful Consequences, in Both Sexes, Considered, published sometime in the early part of the century and reproduced dozens of times over the course of the eighteenth century. Many readers of the period would have come across a copy of this book at some point.Source: Title Page of fourt edition, Google Books
Masturbation was widely condemned as a sin that was both anti-social and also dangerous, likely to damage one's health. And it was also seen as an unhealthy indulgence of fantasy at the expense of reality. Which suggests that one possibility for the book that follows is that it is also a fantasy, a kind of day-dream of Gulliver's, a man who does not seem to enjoy a lot of success in the real world here making up a far more interesting life for himself than he had ever really led. Swift never gives us enough information to decide this question one way or another, but the joke, and the fact that Gulliver seems oblivious to it, is one of many details in the book that should lead a careful reader to be a little dubious about the narrator's veracity.
Source: Title Page of fourt edition, Google Books
Masturbation was widely condemned as a sin that was both anti-social and also dangerous, likely to damage one's health. And it was also seen as an unhealthy indulgence of fantasy at the expense of reality. Which suggests that one possibility for the book that follows is that it is also a fantasy, a kind of day-dream of Gulliver's, a man who does not seem to enjoy a lot of success in the real world here making up a far more interesting life for himself than he had ever really led. Swift never gives us enough information to decide this question one way or another, but the joke, and the fact that Gulliver seems oblivious to it, is one of many details in the book that should lead a careful reader to be a little dubious about the narrator's veracity.account_ To "turn to account" is turn something into your advantage. That is to say that Gulliver is not making any money trying to treat sailors. Which is a little strange, because Wapping in this period was located right in the heart of London's docklands, and would have been teeming with sailors. It is hard not to suspect that Gulliver does not have a great reputation as a doctor among his potential clientele.
South-Sea_The "South-Sea" in this period could refer either to the southern Atlantic Ocean or the southern Pacific Ocean. It is notable that Gulliver does not want to "trouble the reader" with the details of the voyage, except to note that it was "very prosperous" at first. One possibility, perhaps hinted at by the fact that the ship left from Bristol, was that the first part of the voyage involved kidnapping people into slavery in west Africa and then selling them in the Americas; Bristol was at this time a prominent port for departing ships in the Atlantic slave trade.
murder_ Swift is probably referring to the execution of Charles I by Parliament in 1649, at the end of the English Civil War. It took place on Whitehall, in front of the Banqueting House, designed by Inigo Jones for Charles's father, James I, and still a landmark that can be visited in London. For conservatives like Swift, the execution of a monarch was indeed "unnatural"; even now, the execution of the head of state is shocking to imagine.
Source: A contemporary engraving by an unknown artist of the execution of Charles I. Note the blood spurting from the decapitated body and the executioner holding the head of the dead King up for the crowd to see. Source: National Portrait Gallery, London
Source: A contemporary engraving by an unknown artist of the execution of Charles I. Note the blood spurting from the decapitated body and the executioner holding the head of the dead King up for the crowd to see. Source: National Portrait Gallery, London
alighted_ Got down off his horse.
nose_The Lilliputian King's facial features would have reminded Swift's readers of those of William III (1650-1702). An "Austrian lip," a thick lower lip and jaw, was common among members of the Hapsburg family, the dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire and whose members were found in royal families throughout continental Europe in this era. William's jaw and arched nose are clearly depicted in this portrait from the 1680s, believed to be a copy of a now-lost original painting by Willem Wissing.
Source: Portrait of William III, National Portrait Gallery, London
Source: National Portrait Gallery, London
Source: Portrait of William III, National Portrait Gallery, LondonSource: National Portrait Gallery, London
deportment_Deportment is the manner with which one conducts oneself. Source: Oxford English Dictionary
prime_ This may be a dig at George I, who was King of England at the time of the publication of Swift's book, and was 66 years old.
seven_Another way of associating the Lillipution King with George I of England, who had also reigned for seven years at the time of the publication of Gulliver's Travels.
