ears old, who were brought to me at several times
by some of my friends; but although they were told, "that I was a great
traveller, and had seen all the world," they had not the least curiosity
to ask me a question; only desired "I would give them _slumskudask_," or
a token of remembrance; which is a modest way of begging, to avoid the
law, that strictly forbids it, because they are provided for by the
public, although indeed with a very scanty allowance.

They are despised and hated by all sorts of people. When one of them is
born, it is reckoned ominous, and their birth is recorded very
particularly so that you may know their age by consulting the register,
which, however, has not been kept above a thousand years past, or at
least has been destroyed by time or public disturbances. But the usual
way of computing how old they are, is by asking them what kings or great
persons they can remember, and then consulting history; for infallibly
the last prince in their mind did not begin his reign after they were
fourscore years old.

They were the most mortifying sight I ever beheld; and the women more
horrible than the men. Besides the usual deformities in extreme old age,
they acquired an additional ghastliness, in proportion to their number of
years, which is not to be described; and among half a dozen, I soon
distinguished which was the eldest, although there was not above a
century or two between them.

The reader will easily believe, that from what I had hear and seen, my
keen appetite for perpetuity of life was much abated. I grew heartily
ashamed of the pleasing visions I had formed; and thought no tyrant could
invent a death into which I would not run with pleasure, from such a
life. The king heard of all that had passed between me and my friends
upon this occasion, and rallied me very pleasantly; wishing I could send
a couple of _struldbrugs_ to my own country, to arm our people against
the fear of death; but this, it seems, is forbidden by the fundamental
laws of the kingdom, or else I should have been well content with the
trouble and expense of transporting them.

I could not but agree, that the laws of this kingdom relative to the
_struldbrugs_ were founded upon the strongest reasons, and such as any
other country would be under the necessity of enacting, in the like
circumstances. Otherwise, as avarice is the necessary consequence of old
age, those immortals would in time become proprietors of the who