John Biddle

John Biddle, master of an English merchantman returning from Japan, is the man who plucks Lemuel Gulliver from the sea after his harrowing escape from Brobdingnag. As the first person of Gulliver's own size to encounter him after two years among giants, Biddle serves as a crucial bridge between the fantastic world Gulliver has left and the ordinary world he must re-enter. His skepticism, kindness, and eventual belief in Gulliver's story make him an indispensable figure in the narrative, grounding the reader's own transition from wonder to acceptance.

Identity and Background

Captain John Biddle hailed from Deptford, a shipbuilding and maritime center on the Thames near London. He commanded a vessel engaged in the lucrative trade route from Japan, sailing by way of the North and South Seas. When Gulliver came aboard on September 26, 1701, the ship carried a crew of about fifty men and was navigating in the latitude of 30 degrees south. Biddle is described by Gulliver as "a very civil man and an excellent sailor," a characterization that proves accurate through his subsequent conduct. Among the crew was Peter Williams, an old comrade of Gulliver's, who gave the captain a good character of the castaway, helping to establish initial trust.

The Rescue and Initial Skepticism

Biddle's first encounter with Gulliver was marked by profound disbelief. When Gulliver, weak and disoriented, gave a brief account of his origins, Biddle concluded that the dangers he had undergone had disturbed his mind. The captain thought Gulliver was raving. To prove his veracity, Gulliver produced his "black cattle and sheep" from his coat-pockets—the miniature livestock he had brought from Blefuscu. The sight of these tiny animals, after great astonishment, clearly convinced Biddle of the truth of Gulliver's story. Gulliver further showed him the gold given by the Emperor of Blefuscu, the emperor's full-length picture, and other rarities from that country, and presented Biddle with two purses of two hundred sprugs each, promising a cow and a sheep upon their arrival in England.

The Voyage Home and Growing Understanding

During the voyage, Biddle treated Gulliver with consistent kindness. He provided a cabin and, when Gulliver slept, ordered supper immediately upon his waking, thinking he had fasted too long. The captain observed Gulliver's odd behavior—his loud voice, his wonder at the size of dishes and food—and initially attributed it to a disordered brain. He even asked Gulliver, with some seriousness, whether he was a criminal being punished by exposure at sea, offering to set him ashore at the first port if so. But Gulliver's faithful relation of his story, from his last departure from England to the moment of rescue, convinced Biddle of his candor and veracity. The captain, who had "some tincture of learning and very good sense," was immediately won over. Gulliver further confirmed his tale by opening his cabinet and showing the comb made from the king's beard stumps, a collection of giant needles and pins, four wasps' stings, combings of the queen's hair, and a gold ring the queen had given him. Biddle refused a gift of the ring but accepted a footman's tooth with great thanks.

The Return to England and Aftermath

Biddle's ship made a prosperous voyage, calling at one or two ports for provisions, but Gulliver never left the vessel until they reached the Downs on June 3, 1706, about nine months after his escape. When Gulliver offered to leave goods in security for payment of his freight, Biddle protested he would not receive a farthing. They took a kind leave, and Biddle promised to visit Gulliver at his house in Redriff. Gulliver borrowed five shillings from the captain to hire a horse and guide for the journey home. Biddle's role thus extends beyond mere rescue: he is the first person to hear Gulliver's full story and to urge him to publish it, saying he hoped Gulliver would "oblige the world by putting it on paper, and making it public." This encouragement directly frames the narrative that the reader holds, making Biddle a foundational figure in the very existence of Gulliver's Travels as a published work.