suckle, just as I have seen the same sort of creature do with a kitten in Europe; and when I offered to struggle, he squeezed me so hard, that I thought it more prudent to submit. I have good reason to believe that he took me for a young one of his own species, by his often stroking my face very gently with his other paw. In these diversions he was interrupted by a noise at the closet-door, as if somebody was opening it: whereupon he suddenly leaped up to the window, at which he had come in, and thence upon the leads and gutters, walking upon three legs, and holding me in the fourth, till he clambered up a roof next to ours. I heard Glumdalclitch give a shriek at the moment he was carrying me out. The poor girl was almost distracted: that quarter of the palace was all in an uproar; the servants ran for ladders: the monkey was seen by hundreds in the court, sitting upon the ridge of a building, holding me like a baby in one of his fore-paws, and feeding me with the other, by cramming into my mouth some victuals he had squeezed out of the bag on one side of his chaps, and patting me when I would not eat; whereat many of the rabble below could not forbear laughing; neither do I think they justly ought to be blamed, for without question, the sight was ridiculous enough to everybody but myself. Some of the people threw up stones, hoping to drive the monkey down but this was strictly forbidden, or else, very probably, my brains had been dashed out.

The ladders were now applied, and mounted by several men; which the monkey observing, and finding himself almost encompassed, not being able to make speed enough with his three legs, let me drop on a ridge tile, and made his escape. Here I sat for some time, five hundred yards from the ground, expecting every moment to be blown down by the wind, or to fall by my own giddiness, and come tumbling over and over from the ridge to the eaves: but an honest lad, one of my nurse's footmen, climbed up, and putting me into his breeches pocket, brought me down safe.*

This very ridiculous and amusing adventure was suggested to the mind of Swift by the traditional story as to the origin of the monkey having been assumed as the crest of the Offaly Geraldines. Indeed, the Marquis of Kildare, in his recent work on "The Earls of Kildare," states that the Dean, at the time that he was engaged in writing these Travels, was on bad terms with the great family of the Fitzgeralds, and, to indulge his spleen, took this singular mode of annoying them, by turning the legend into ridicule. O'Daly, in his "History of the Geraldines," translated into English by the Rev. C. P. Meehan, gives the following version of the tradition :-"Now it so happened that when Thomas, and his son John Fitz-Thomas, were upon an expedition for the king, these McCarthys, with their adherents, surprised them, between Kerry and Desmond. Fitzgerald had but few followers, and seeing no chance of

"Reaching one of his paws in at the door, as a cat does when she plays with a mouse."-Page 138.

I was almost choked with the filthy stuff the monkey crammed down my throat: but my dear little nurse picked it out of my mouth with a small needle, and then I fell a-vomiting, which gave me great

escaping, dashed boldly amongst the enemy; but, after he had given many and signal proofs of valour, slaying many of his foemen, he and his son fell by the swords of those who were allied to him by most sacred ties-for McCarthy Mor was the son-in-law of Fitzgerald. Alas! the whole family of the Geraldines had well nigh perished: at one blow they were cut off

relief. Yet I was so weak and bruised in the sides with the squeezes given me by this odious animal, that I was forced to keep my bed a fortnight. The king, queen, and all the court sent every day to inquire after my health; and her majesty made me several visits during my sickness. The monkey was killed, and an order made that no

such animal should be kept about the palace.

When I attended the king after my recovery, to return him thanks for his favours, he was pleased to rally me a good deal upon this adventure. He asked me what my thoughts and speculations were, while I lay in the monkey's paw; how I liked the victuals he gave me; his manner of feeding; and whether the fresh air on the roof had sharpened my stomach. He desired to know what I would have done upon such an occasion in my own country. I told his majesty that in Europe we had no monkeys, except such as were brought as curiosities from other places, and so small that I could deal with a dozen of them together, if they presumed to attack me. And as for that monstrous animal with whom I was so lately engaged (it was, indeed, as large as an elephant), if my fears had suffered me to think so far as to make use of my hanger (looking fiercely, and clapping my hand upon the hilt as I spoke), when he poked his paw into my chamber, perhaps I should have given him such a wound as would have made him glad to withdraw it with more haste than he put it in. This I delivered in a firm tone, like a person who was

father and son; and now there remained but an infant, one year old, to wit-the son of John Fitz-Thomas, recently slain. The nurse, who had heard the dismal tidings at Tralee, ran about here and there, distraught with grief, and left the cradle of the young Geraldine without a watcher. Thereupon an ape (which was kept for amusement's sake) came and raised the infant out of the cradle, and carried him to the top of the castle. Then, to the astonishment of those who passed by, the ape took off the babe's swaddling-clothes, licked him all over, clothed him again, and having brought him back to his cradle, safe and sound, on coming to the nurse, as it were in reproof for her neglect, dealt her a blow. But ever after was that babe called an apa, that is, 'of the ape;' and when he grew to man's estate, he was ennobled by many virtues. I have not been able," adds the learned translator, "to ascertain whether this legend caused the Geraldines to introduce the ape into their armorial ensigns. Certain it is that the Gherardini of Tuscany had no such device on theirs. Nor are we to rely on the story given above, for O'Daly himself seems to throw some doubt on it." Another tradition, of a different person, is also given by the Marquis of Kildare, in his work :-"John Fitz-Thomas, afterwards Earl of Kildare, then an infant, was in the Castle of Woodstock, near Athy, when there was an alarm of fire. In the confusion that ensued the child was forgotten, and when the servants returned to search for him, the room in which he lay was found in ruins. Soon after, a strange noise was heard on one of the towers, and, on looking up, they saw an ape, which they usually kept chained, carefully holding the child in his arms. The Earl afterwards, in gratitude for his preservation, adopted a monkey for his crest and supporters; and some of his descendants, in memory of it, took the additional motto of "Non immemor beneficii."

jealous lest his courage should be called in question. However, my speech produced nothing else besides a loud laughter, which all the respect due to his majesty from those about him could not make them. contain. This made me reflect how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavour to do himself honour among those who are out of all degrees of equality or comparison with him. And yet I have seen the moral of my own behaviour very frequent in England since my return; where a little contemptible varlet, without the least title to birth, person, wit, or common sense, shall presume to look with importance, and put himself upon a footing with the greatest person of the kingdom.

I was every day furnishing the court with some ridiculous story, and Glumdalclitch, although she loved me to excess, yet was arch enough to inform the queen whenever I committed any folly that she thought would be diverting to her majesty. The girl, who had been out of order, was carried by her governess to take the air about an hour's distance, or thirty miles from town. They alighted out of the coach near a small footpath in a field, and Glumdalclitch setting down my travelling box, I went out of it to walk. There was a small heap of dirt in the path, and I must needs try my activity by attempting to leap over it. I took a run, but unfortunately jumped short, and found myself just in the middle, up to my knees. I waded through with some difficulty, and one of the footmen wiped me as clean as he could with his handkerchief, for I was filthily bemired; and my nurse confined me to my box till we returned home, when the queen was soon informed of what had passed, and the footmen spread it about the court; so that all the mirth for some days was at my expense.