I hope you will be ready to own publicly, whenever you shall be called to it,that by your great and frequent urgency you prevailed on me to publish a veryloose and uncorrect account of my travels, with directions to hire some younggentleman of either university to put them in order, and correct the style, asmy cousin Dampier did, by my advice, in his book called “A Voyage roundthe world.” But I do not remember I gave you power to consent that anything should be omitted, and much less that any thing should be inserted therefore, as to the latter, I do here renounce every thing of that kind particularly a paragraph about her majesty Queen Anne, of most pious andglorious memory although I did reverence and esteem her more than any of humanspecies. And if any traveller hath a curiosityto see the whole work at large, as it came from the hands of the author, I willbe ready to gratify him.Īs for any further particulars relating to the author, the reader will receivesatisfaction from the first pages of the book.Ī LETTER FROM CAPTAIN GULLIVER TO HIS COUSINSYMPSON. But I was resolvedto fit the work as much as possible to the general capacity of readers.However, if my own ignorance in sea affairs shall have led me to commit somemistakes, I alone am answerable for them. This volume would have been at least twice as large, if I had not made bold tostrike out innumerable passages relating to the winds and tides, as well as tothe variations and bearings in the several voyages, together with the minutedescriptions of the management of the ship in storms, in the style of sailors likewise the account of longitudes and latitudes wherein I have reason toapprehend, that Mr. Gulliver had spoken it.īy the advice of several worthy persons, to whom, with the author’spermission, I communicated these papers, I now venture to send them into theworld, hoping they may be, at least for some time, a better entertainment toour young noblemen, than the common scribbles of politics and party. There is an air of truth apparent through the whole and indeed the author was so distinguished for his veracity, that it became asort of proverb among his neighbours at Redriff, when any one affirmed a thing,to say, it was as true as if Mr. The style is very plain and simple and theonly fault I find is, that the author, after the manner of travellers, is alittle too circumstantial. I havecarefully perused them three times. Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire, where his father dwelt, yetI have heard him say his family came from Oxfordshire to confirm which, I haveobserved in the churchyard at Banbury in that county, several tombs andmonuments of the Gullivers.īefore he quitted Redriff, he left the custody of the following papers in myhands, with the liberty to dispose of them as I should think fit. Gulliver growing weary of the concourse of curiouspeople coming to him at his house in Redriff, made a small purchase of land,with a convenient house, near Newark, in Nottinghamshire, his native country where he now lives retired, yet in good esteem among his neighbours.Īlthough Mr. Lemuel Gulliver, is my ancient and intimatefriend there is likewise some relation between us on the mother’s side.About three years ago, Mr.
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