a degree, as to cut us to pieces; so we made a fine expedition of it, and returned in safety to our boats, which conveyed us on board, where when we appeared with our empty stocks without barrels, we were heartily laughed at by our ship-mates. Here _Hugh of the Borough_ interrupted _Tom Traveller_, by asking him, what manner of people the natives of the island were, seeing they were so grave, reserved, and silent, to which _Tom_ replied, will you believe me, _Hugh_, every mother soul of them _Monkeys_.—_Monkeys_, I assure you upon the word of a traveller, and ever since from our journal of observations, we have marked down the place, and given it the name of _Monkey-Island_, and it is well known in a true and correct map, since engraved and published.—Now as we cannot attest the truth of this last part of _Tom Traveller_’s relation, concerning either the discovery of this new island, or the circumstantial particulars of their being disarmed, yet this we are sure of, that there are several miraculous events, and as equally unknown islands set down in the maps, charts, journals, voyages, and travels of very grave and credible writers both ancient and modern, whom, nevertheless we do not pretend to discredit, nor do presume to dis-authenticate, since they, bear an equal shew of probability with the relation of _Tom Traveller_, who by his name has a right to stretch as well as those worthy voyagers or map-makers. Here ended his narrative, however, and upon that sole account here endeth the twelfth chapter of our history. CHAP. XIII. _The Biographer returns to the history of his own hero, after a short remark on landing on an enemy’s country._ We would not be understood to reflect any oblique hints, innuendos, or insinuations on our own affairs, by this landing of a single ship’s company on an enemy’s coast, and we desire the politicians to forbear construing the affair of the barrels being taken from the stocks by an army of Monkeys, to the disadvantage of the ministry. Far be it from us to frame any such sly reflections: This landing of forty men, on an unknown island, can bear no analogy to a premeditated plan of harrassing the well-known boast of a well-known enemy. There is so great a disparity between the two incidents, that we hope to be acquitted of this charge, by every wise politician, as it is remote from our purpose to make any such odious comparisons. We shall resume our respectable history, verily believing, and nearly assured, that when it is read and thoroughly examined by the reviewers, whether monthly, or critical, it will appear, for truth, candor, wit, humour, learning, ingenuity and invention to exceed, either the ancient history of _Reynard_ the Fox, or the modern one of _Pompey_ the little.