vants to fetch
something, to turn about, to make a bow, to sit, or to stand, or walk,
and the like. Then I took down the sentence in writing. He showed me
also, in one of his books, the figures of the sun, moon, and stars, the
zodiac, the tropics, and polar circles, together with the denominations
of many plains and solids. He gave me the names and descriptions of all
the musical instruments, and the general terms of art in playing on each
of them. After he had left me, I placed all my words, with their
interpretations, in alphabetical order. And thus, in a few days, by the
help of a very faithful memory, I got some insight into their language.
The word, which I interpret the flying or floating island, is in the
original _Laputa_, whereof I could never learn the true etymology.
_Lap_, in the old obsolete language, signifies high; and _untuh_, a
governor; from which they say, by corruption, was derived _Laputa_, from
_Lapuntuh_. But I do not approve of this derivation, which seems to be a
little strained. I ventured to offer to the learned among them a
conjecture of my own, that Laputa was _quasi lap outed_; _lap_,
signifying properly, the dancing of the sunbeams in the sea, and _outed_,
a wing; which, however, I shall not obtrude, but submit to the judicious
reader.

Those to whom the king had entrusted me, observing how ill I was clad,
ordered a tailor to come next morning, and take measure for a suit of
clothes. This operator did his office after a different manner from
those of his trade in Europe. He first took my altitude by a quadrant,
and then, with a rule and compasses, described the dimensions and
outlines of my whole body, all which he entered upon paper; and in six
days brought my clothes very ill made, and quite out of shape, by
happening to mistake a figure in the calculation. But my comfort was,
that I observed such accidents very frequent, and little regarded.

During my confinement for want of clothes, and by an indisposition that
held me some days longer, I much enlarged my dictionary; and when I went
next to court, was able to understand many things the king spoke, and to
return him some kind of answers. His majesty had given orders, that the
island should move north-east and by east, to the vertical point over
Lagado, the metropolis of the whole kingdom below, upon the firm earth.
It was about ninety leagues distant, and our voyage lasted four days and
a half. I was not in the least sensi