An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 2378 words)
he author, by a lucky accident, finds means to leave Blefuscu; and,
after some difficulties, returns safe to his native country.
Three days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the north-east
coast of the island, I observed, about half a league off in the sea,
somewhat that looked like a boat overturned. I pulled off my shoes and
stockings, and, wading two or three hundred yards, I found the object
to approach nearer by force of the tide; and then plainly saw it to be
a real boat, which I supposed might by some tempest have been driven
from a ship. Whereupon, I returned immediately towards the city, and
desired his imperial majesty to lend me twenty of the tallest vessels
he had left, after the loss of his fleet, and three thousand seamen,
under the command of his vice-admiral. This fleet sailed round, while I
went back the shortest way to the coast, where I first discovered the
boat. I found the tide had driven it still nearer. The seamen were all
provided with cordage, which I had beforehand twisted to a sufficient
strength. When the ships came up, I stripped myself, and waded till I
came within a hundred yards of the boat, after which I was forced to
swim till I got up to it. The seamen threw me the end of the cord,
which I fastened to a hole in the fore-part of the boat, and the other
end to a man of war; but I found all my labour to little purpose; for,
being out of my depth, I was not able to work. In this necessity I was
forced to swim behind, and push the boat forward, as often as I could,
with one of my hands; and the tide favouring me, I advanced so far that
I could just hold up my chin and feel the ground. I rested two or three
minutes, and then gave the boat another shove, and so on, till the sea
was no higher than my arm-pits; and now, the most laborious part being
over, I took out my other cables, which were stowed in one of the
ships, and fastened them first to the boat, and then to nine of the
vessels which attended me; the wind being favourable, the seamen towed,
and I shoved, until we arrived within forty yards of the shore; and,
waiting till the tide was out, I got dry to the boat, and by the
assistance of two thousand men, with ropes and engines, I made a shift
to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but little damaged.
I shall not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was under, by
the help of certain paddles, which cost me ten days making, to get my
boat to the royal port of Blefuscu, where a mighty concourse of people
appeared upon my arrival, full of wonder at the sight of so prodigious
a vessel. I told the emperor “that my good fortune had thrown this boat
in my way, to carry me to some place whence I might return into my
native country; and begged his majesty’s orders for getting materials
to fit it up, together with his license to depart;” which, after some
kind expostulations, he was pleased to grant.
I did very much wonder, in all this time, not to have heard of any
express relating to me from our emperor to the court of Blefuscu. But I
was afterward given privately to understand, that his imperial majesty,
never imagining I had the least notice of his designs, believed I was
only gone to Blefuscu in performance of my promise, according to the
license he had given me, which was well known at our court, and would
return in a few days, when the ceremony was ended. But he was at last
in pain at my long absence; and after consulting with the treasurer and
the rest of that cabal, a person of quality was dispatched with the
copy of the articles against me. This envoy had instructions to
represent to the monarch of Blefuscu, “the great lenity of his master,
who was content to punish me no farther than with the loss of my eyes;
that I had fled from justice; and if I did not return in two hours, I
should be deprived of my title of nardac, and declared a traitor.”
The envoy further added, “that in order to maintain the peace and amity
between both empires, his master expected that his brother of Blefuscu
would give orders to have me sent back to Lilliput, bound hand and
foot, to be punished as a traitor.”
The emperor of Blefuscu, having taken three days to consult, returned
an answer consisting of many civilities and excuses. He said, “that as
for sending me bound, his brother knew it was impossible; that,
although I had deprived him of his fleet, yet he owed great obligations
to me for many good offices I had done him in making the peace. That,
however, both their majesties would soon be made easy; for I had found
a prodigious vessel on the shore, able to carry me on the sea, which he
had given orders to fit up, with my own assistance and direction; and
he hoped, in a few weeks, both empires would be freed from so
insupportable an encumbrance.”
With this answer the envoy returned to Lilliput; and the monarch of
Blefuscu related to me all that had passed; offering me at the same
time (but under the strictest confidence) his gracious protection, if I
would continue in his service; wherein, although I believed him
sincere, yet I resolved never more to put any confidence in princes or
ministers, where I could possibly avoid it; and therefore, with all due
acknowledgments for his favourable intentions, I humbly begged to be
excused. I told him, “that since fortune, whether good or evil, had
thrown a vessel in my way, I was resolved to venture myself on the
ocean, rather than be an occasion of difference between two such mighty
monarchs.” Neither did I find the emperor at all displeased; and I
discovered, by a certain accident, that he was very glad of my
resolution, and so were most of his ministers.
These considerations moved me to hasten my departure somewhat sooner
than I intended; to which the court, impatient to have me gone, very
readily contributed. Five hundred workmen were employed to make two
sails to my boat, according to my directions, by quilting thirteen
folds of their strongest linen together. I was at the pains of making
ropes and cables, by twisting ten, twenty, or thirty of the thickest
and strongest of theirs. A great stone that I happened to find, after a
long search, by the sea-shore, served me for an anchor. I had the
tallow of three hundred cows, for greasing my boat, and other uses. I
was at incredible pains in cutting down some of the largest
timber-trees, for oars and masts, wherein I was, however, much assisted
by his majesty’s ship-carpenters, who helped me in smoothing them,
after I had done the rough work.
In about a month, when all was prepared, I sent to receive his
majesty’s commands, and to take my leave. The emperor and royal family
came out of the palace; I lay down on my face to kiss his hand, which
he very graciously gave me: so did the empress and young princes of the
blood. His majesty presented me with fifty purses of two hundred
sprugs a-piece, together with his picture at full length, which I put
immediately into one of my gloves, to keep it from being hurt. The
ceremonies at my departure were too many to trouble the reader with at
this time.
I stored the boat with the carcases of a hundred oxen, and three
hundred sheep, with bread and drink proportionable, and as much meat
ready dressed as four hundred cooks could provide. I took with me six
cows and two bulls alive, with as many ewes and rams, intending to
carry them into my own country, and propagate the breed. And to feed
them on board, I had a good bundle of hay, and a bag of corn. I would
gladly have taken a dozen of the natives, but this was a thing the
emperor would by no means permit; and, besides a diligent search into
my pockets, his majesty engaged my honour “not to carry away any of his
subjects, although with their own consent and desire.”
Having thus prepared all things as well as I was able, I set sail on
the twenty-fourth day of September 1701, at six in the morning; and
when I had gone about four leagues to the northward, the wind being at
south-east, at six in the evening I descried a small island, about half
a league to the north-west. I advanced forward, and cast anchor on the
lee-side of the island, which seemed to be uninhabited. I then took
some refreshment, and went to my rest. I slept well, and as I
conjectured at least six hours, for I found the day broke in two hours
after I awaked. It was a clear night. I ate my breakfast before the sun
was up; and heaving anchor, the wind being favourable, I steered the
same course that I had done the day before, wherein I was directed by
my pocket compass. My intention was to reach, if possible, one of those
islands which I had reason to believe lay to the north-east of Van
Diemen’s Land. I discovered nothing all that day; but upon the next,
about three in the afternoon, when I had by my computation made
twenty-four leagues from Blefuscu, I descried a sail steering to the
south-east; my course was due east. I hailed her, but could get no
answer; yet I found I gained upon her, for the wind slackened. I made
all the sail I could, and in half an hour she spied me, then hung out
her ancient, and discharged a gun. It is not easy to express the joy I
was in, upon the unexpected hope of once more seeing my beloved
country, and the dear pledges I left in it. The ship slackened her
sails, and I came up with her between five and six in the evening,
September 26th; but my heart leaped within me to see her English
colours. I put my cows and sheep into my coat-pockets, and got on board
with all my little cargo of provisions. The vessel was an English
merchantman, returning from Japan by the North and South seas; the
captain, Mr. John Biddel, of Deptford, a very civil man, and an
excellent sailor.
We were now in the latitude of 30 degrees south; there were about fifty
men in the ship; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter
Williams, who gave me a good character to the captain. This gentleman
treated me with kindness, and desired I would let him know what place I
came from last, and whither I was bound; which I did in a few words,
but he thought I was raving, and that the dangers I underwent had
disturbed my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and sheep out of my
pocket, which, after great astonishment, clearly convinced him of my
veracity. I then showed him the gold given me by the emperor of
Blefuscu, together with his majesty’s picture at full length, and some
other rarities of that country. I gave him two purses of two hundreds
sprugs each, and promised, when we arrived in England, to make him a
present of a cow and a sheep big with young.
I shall not trouble the reader with a particular account of this
voyage, which was very prosperous for the most part. We arrived in the
Downs on the 13th of April, 1702. I had only one misfortune, that the
rats on board carried away one of my sheep; I found her bones in a
hole, picked clean from the flesh. The rest of my cattle I got safe
ashore, and set them a-grazing in a bowling-green at Greenwich, where
the fineness of the grass made them feed very heartily, though I had
always feared the contrary: neither could I possibly have preserved
them in so long a voyage, if the captain had not allowed me some of his
best biscuit, which, rubbed to powder, and mingled with water, was
their constant food. The short time I continued in England, I made a
considerable profit by showing my cattle to many persons of quality and
others: and before I began my second voyage, I sold them for six
hundred pounds. Since my last return I find the breed is considerably
increased, especially the sheep, which I hope will prove much to the
advantage of the woollen manufacture, by the fineness of the fleeces.
I stayed but two months with my wife and family, for my insatiable
desire of seeing foreign countries, would suffer me to continue no
longer. I left fifteen hundred pounds with my wife, and fixed her in a
good house at Redriff. My remaining stock I carried with me, part in
money and part in goods, in hopes to improve my fortunes. My eldest
uncle John had left me an estate in land, near Epping, of about thirty
pounds a year; and I had a long lease of the Black Bull in Fetter Lane,
which yielded me as much more; so that I was not in any danger of
leaving my family upon the parish. My son Johnny, named so after his
uncle, was at the grammar school, and a towardly child. My daughter
Betty (who is now well married, and has children) was then at her
needlework. I took leave of my wife, and boy and girl, with tears on
both sides, and went on board the Adventure, a merchant ship of three
hundred tons, bound for Surat, captain John Nicholas, of Liverpool,
commander. But my account of this voyage must be referred to the Second
Part of my Travels.
PART II. A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Powerful people offer protection to create dependence, then use that dependence to control behavior and extract value.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to distinguish between genuine help and control disguised as protection.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone offers help—ask yourself what they might gain and whether accepting creates dependence you can't easily escape.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I would never be an instrument of bringing a free and brave people into slavery"
Context: When refusing to help either emperor against the other
This shows Gulliver's moral evolution from someone who blindly followed orders to someone who recognizes the human cost of political games. He's learned that being useful to power makes you complicit in its abuses.
In Today's Words:
I'm not going to help anyone crush other people's freedom
"I rather chose to trust myself to the mercy of the waves than to the protection of princes"
Context: Deciding to risk the ocean rather than accept political asylum
This captures the chapter's central theme: honest danger is preferable to false security. Gulliver has learned that royal 'protection' always comes with a price that compromises your integrity.
In Today's Words:
I'd rather take my chances alone than owe favors to powerful people
"The captain was at first ready to think me raving, but when he saw me pull out the cattle and sheep alive out of my pocket"
Context: When Gulliver tries to convince the English captain of his adventures
This moment highlights how extraordinary experiences can isolate you from normal life. Gulliver needs physical proof to bridge the gap between his reality and others' understanding.
In Today's Words:
He thought I was crazy until I showed him the proof
Thematic Threads
Independence
In This Chapter
Gulliver chooses the dangerous ocean over comfortable dependence on royal protection
Development
Evolved from naive trust in authority to hard-won understanding that independence requires risk
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when deciding whether to accept help that comes with strings attached.
Power
In This Chapter
Both emperors want to control Gulliver, framing control as protection or honor
Development
Developed from seeing power as benevolent to understanding it as self-serving
In Your Life:
You see this when authority figures offer help that primarily benefits them.
Growth
In This Chapter
Gulliver has learned to read political motivations and choose his own path
Development
Progressed from naive participation in politics to strategic withdrawal
In Your Life:
You experience this when you learn to say no to opportunities that compromise your values.
Addiction
In This Chapter
Despite finding safety and profit at home, Gulliver craves more adventure after just two months
Development
Introduced here as a new complication to his character
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in your own restlessness with stability or routine.
Proof
In This Chapter
Gulliver brings tiny livestock as evidence of his incredible journey
Development
Evolved from being the spectacle to controlling the narrative of his experiences
In Your Life:
You see this when you need concrete evidence to make others believe your experiences.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Gulliver choose to risk the dangerous ocean voyage instead of accepting the Blefuscu emperor's protection?
analysis • surface - 2
What pattern do you notice in how both the Lilliput and Blefuscu emperors want to use Gulliver for their own purposes?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about your workplace or family relationships. When has someone offered you 'help' that came with strings attached?
application • medium - 4
Gulliver leaves home again after just two months. What does this suggest about the addictive nature of adventure versus the challenge of ordinary life?
reflection • deep - 5
How do you maintain independence while still accepting help when you genuinely need it?
application • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Protection Network
List three people or institutions that currently provide you with some form of help or protection (job, family member, government program, etc.). For each one, honestly assess: What do they gain from helping you? What do they expect in return? What would happen if you disappointed them or no longer served their interests?
Consider:
- •Not all help comes with strings—some people genuinely care with no agenda
- •Even well-meaning helpers sometimes unconsciously expect gratitude or compliance
- •The goal isn't to reject all help, but to recognize when help becomes control
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to choose between accepting someone's protection and maintaining your independence. What did you learn from that experience?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 9: Giant Among Giants
Gulliver's next voyage takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself in a land where he's no longer the giant—he's become the tiny one. His perspective on size, power, and vulnerability is about to be completely reversed.
