Lemuel Gulliver
Lemuel Gulliver (Nottinghamshire, England 16- - 17-, Rotherhithe, England) was a travel writer, surgeon and Captain of several ships, most famous for being credited as the first European to discover Lilliput, Blefuscu, Brobdingnag and Laputa. The details of his discoveries are explained in his book Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Lemuel Gulliver was the third of three sons and lived in his father's estate in Nottinghamshire until he was sent to Emmanuel College in Cambridge at the age of fourteen. Gulliver remained in this college for three years until it became too expensive for him to remain there. Gulliver then became apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent surgeon in London. Gulliver remained with him four years, using allowances sent to him by his father to learn navigation and other areas of mathematics. In his book Gulliver explains that his reason for learning navigation was that "I always believed it would be, some time or other, my fortune to [travel]."jkdfjklj
Once he left Mr. Bates Gulliver returned home and his father who, along with some relatives, had gathered together the necessary funds to pay for Gulliver's education in Leyden where he studied physic for two years and seven months. After his return from Leyden he was recommended by his master, Mr. Bates, to be a surgeon to the Swallow' under the command of Captain Abraham Pannel, with whom Gulliver continued working for three and a half years. During this time Gulliver made several journeys into the Levant and other areas of the Mediterranean Sea before returning to London in order to practice as a surgeon. Gulliver eventually married Mrs. Mary Burton, second daughter to a Mr. Edmund Burton. Two years later James Bates died and Gulliver's surgery began to fail.
Gulliver then sought employment on the sea. He worked aboard two ships and made several voyages for six years to the East and West Indies.
