The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen Read Online Free PDF Page A

indebtedness to his illustrations, already very great, has been more than doubled.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
    BARON MUNNIKHOUSON OR MUNCHAUSEN, of Bodenweder, near Hamelyn on the Weser, belongs to the noble family of that name, which gave to the King’s German dominions the late prime minister and several other public characters equally bright and illustrious. He is a man of great original humour; and having found that prejudiced minds cannot be reasoned into common sense, and that bold assertors are very apt to bully and speak their audience out of it, he never argues with either of them, but adroitly turns the conversation upon indifferent topics and then tells a story of his travels, campaigns, and sporting adventures, in a manner peculiar to himself, and well calculated to awaken and shame the common sense of those who have lost sight of it by prejudice or habit.
    As this method has been often attended with good success, we beg leave to lay some of his stories before the public, and humbly request those who shall find them rather extravagant and bordering upon the marvellous, which will require but a very moderate share of common sense, to exercise the same upon every occurrence of life, and chiefly upon our English politics, in which old habits and bold assertions , set off by eloquent speeches and supported by constitutional mobs, associations, volunteers, and foreign influence, have of late, we apprehend, but too successfully turned our brains, and made us the laughing-stock of Europe, and of France and Holland in particular.

TO THE PUBLIC
    HAVING HEARD, FOR THE FIRST TIME, that my adventures have been doubted, and looked upon as jokes, I feel bound to come forward and vindicate my character for veracity , by paying three shillings at the Mansion House of this great city for the affidavits hereto appended.
    This I have been forced into in regard of my own honour, although I have retired for many years from public and private life; and I hope that this, my last edition, will place me in a proper light with my readers.

AT THE CITY OF LONDON, ENGLAND.
    WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, as true believers in the profit , do most solemnly affirm, that all the adventures of our friend Baron Munchausen, in whatever country they may lie , are positive and simple facts. And , as we have been believed, whose adventures are tenfold more wonderful, so do we hope all true believers will give him their full faith and credence.
    GULLIVER. x
    SINBAD. x
    ALADDIN. x
    Sworn at the Mansion House
9th Nov. last, in the absence of the Lord Mayor.
    JOHN (the Porter).

CHAPTER I
    [THE BARON IS SUPPOSED TO RELATE THESE ADVENTURES TO HIS FRIENDS OVER A BOTTLE.]
    The Baron relates an account of his first travels—The astonishing effects of a storm—Arrives at Ceylon; combats and conquers two extraordinary opponents—Returns to Holland.
    SOME YEARS BEFORE MY BEARD announced approaching manhood, or, in other words, when I was neither man nor boy, but between both, I expressed in repeated conversations a strong desire of seeing the world, from which I was discouraged by my parents, though my father had been no inconsiderable traveller himself, as will appear before I have reached the end of my singular, and, I may add, interesting adventures. A cousin, by my mother’s side, took a liking to me, often said I was fine forward youth, and was much inclined to gratify my curiosity. His eloquence had more effect than mine, for my father consented to my accompanying him in a voyage to the island of Ceylon, where his uncle had resided as governor many years.
    We sailed from Amsterdam with despatches from their High Mightinesses the States of Holland. The only circumstance which happened on our voyage worth relating was the wonderful effects of a storm, which had torn up by the roots a great number of trees of enormous bulk and height, in an island where we lay at anchor to take in wood and water; some of these trees weighed many tons, yet they were carried by