apon my Valour and Generofity, invited me to that Kingdom in the Emperor their Master's Name, and defired me to fhew them fome Proofs of my prodigious Strength, of which they had heard fomaby Wonders; wherein I readily obliged them, but fhall not trouble the Reader with the Particulars.

When I had for fome Time entertained their Excellencies to their infinite Satisfaction and Surprize, I defired they would do me the Honour to prefent my most humble Refpects to the Emperor their Mafter, the Renown of whofe Virtues had fo juftly filled the whole World with Admiration, and whofe Royal Perfon I refolved to attend before I returned to my own Country: Accordingly, the next Time I had the Honour to see our Emperor, I defired his general Licence to wait on the Blefufcudian Monarch, which he was pleas'd to grant me, as I could plainly perceive, in a very cold Manner; but could not guess the Reafon, till I had a Whifper from a certain Perfon, that Flimnap and Bolgolam had reprefented my Intercourfe with those Ambaffadors as a Mark of Difaffection, from which I am fure my Heart was wholly free. And this was the firft Time I began to conceive fome imperfect Idea of Courts and Minifters.

It is to be obferved, that these Ambaffadors fpoke to me by an Interpreter, the Languages of both Empires differing as much from each other as any two in Europe, and each Nation priding itself upon the Antiquity, Beauty, and Energy of their own Tongues, with an avowed Contempt for that of their Neighbour; yet our Emperor, ftanding upon the Advantage he had got by the Seifure of their Fleet, obliged them to deliver their Credentials, and make their Speech in the Lilliputian

Tongue.

Tongue. And it must be confeffed, that from the great Intercourfe of Trade and Commerce between both Realms, from the continual Reception of Exiles, which is mutual among them, and from the Custom in each Empire to fend their young Nobility and richer Gentry to the other, in order to polish themselves by feeing the World, and understanding Men and Manners; there are few Perfons of Diftinction, or Merchants, or Seamen, who dwell in the maritime Parts, but what can hold Converfation in both Tongues; as I found fome Weeks after, when I went to pay my Refpects to the Emperor of Blefufcu, which, in the midst of great Misfortunes through the Malice of my Enemies, proved a very happy Adventure to me, as I fhall relate in its proper Place.

The Reader may remember, that, when I figned thofe Articles upon which I recovered my Liberty, there were fome which I disliked upon Account of their being too fervile, neither could any Thing but an extreme Neceffity have forced me to fubmit. But, being now a Nardac of the higheft Rank in that Empire, fuch Offices were looked upon as below my Dignity, and the Emperor (to do him Justice) never once mentioned them to me. However, it was not long before I had an Opportunity of doing his Majefty, at least, as I then thought, a molt fignal Service. I was a larmed at Midnight with the Cries of many hundred People at my Door; by which being fuddenly awaked, I was in fome kind of Terror. I heard the Word Burglum repeated inceffantly: Several of the Emperor's Court, making their Way through the Croud, intreated me to come immediately to the Palace, where her Imperial Majetty's Apartment was on Fire, by the Carelesneis of a Maid of

Honour

Honour who fell asleep while fhe was reading a Romance. I got up in an Inftant; and Orders being given to clear the Way before me, and it being likewife a Moon-fhine Night, I made a fhift to get to the Palace, without Trampling on any of the People. I found they had already ap-. plied Ladders to the Walls of the Apartment, and were well provided with Buckets, but the Water was at fome Distance. Thefe Buckets were about the Size of a large Thimble, and the poor People fupplied me with them as fast as they could; but the Flame was fo violent that they did little Good. I might eafily have ftifled it with my Coat, which I unfortunately left behind me for Hafte, and came away only in my leathern Jerkin. The Cafe feemed wholly defperate and deplorable, and this magnificent Palace would have infallibly been burnt down to the Ground, if, by a Prefence of Mind, unusual to me, I had not fuddenly thought of an Expedient. I had the Evening before drank plentifully of a moft delicious Wine called Glimigrim (the Blefufcudians call it Flunee, but ours is esteemed the better Sort) which is very diuretic. By the luckieft Chance in the World I had not discharged myself of any Part of it. The Heat I had contracted by coming very near the Flames, and by my labouring to quench them, made the Wine begin to operate by Urine; which I voided in fuch a Quantity, and applied fo well to the proper Places, that in three Minutes the Fire was wholly extinguished, and the rest of that noble Pile, which had coft fo many Ages in erecting, preferved from Deftruction.

It was now Day-light, and I returned to my House, without waiting to congratulate with the Emperor; becaufe, although I had done a very

eminent Piece of Service, yet I could not tell how his Majefty might refent the Manner by which I had performed it: For, by the fundamental Laws of the Realm, it is Capital in any Perfon, of what Quality foever, to make Water within the Precincts of the Palace. But I was a little comforted by a Meffage from his Majefty, that he would give Orders to the grand Justiciary for paffing my Pardon in Form; which, however, I could not obtain. And I was privately affured, that the Emprefs, conceiving the greatest Abhorrence of what I had done, removed to the moft diftant Side of the Court, firmly refolved that thofe Buildings fhould never be repaired for her Ufe; and, in the Prefence of her chief Confidents, could not forbear vowing Revenge.

Of the Inhabitants of Lilliput their Learning, Laws, and Customs, the Manner of educating their Children. The Author's Way of Liv ing in that Country, His Vindication of a great Lady.

A

LTH OF intend to leave the Description of this Empire to a particular Treatife, yet, in the mean Time, I am content to gratify the curious Reader with fome general Ideas. As the common Size of the Natives is somewhat under fix Inches high, fo there is an exact Proportion in all other Animals, as well as Plants and Trees: For Inftance, the tallest Horfes and Oxen are between four and five Inches in Height, the Sheep an Inch and half, more or lefs; their Geefe about the Big

nefs

nefs of a Sparrow, and fo the feveral Gradations downwards, till you come to the smallest, which to my Sight were almost invifible; but Nature hath adapted the Eyes of the Lilliputians to all Objects proper for their View: They fee with great Exactnefs, but at no great Distance. And, to fhew the Sharpness of their Sight towards Objects that are near, I have been much pleafed with obferving a Cook pulling a Lark, which was not fo large as a common Fly and a young Girl threading an invifible Needle with invifible Silk. Their talleft Trees are about feven Feet high I mean fome of those in the great Royal Park, the Tops whereof I could but just reach with my Fift clinched. The other Vegetables are in the fame Proportion; but this I leave to the Reader's Imagination.

I fhall fay but little at prefent of their Learning, which for many Ages hath flourished in all its Branches among them: But their Manner of Writing is very peculiar, being neither from the Left to the Right, like the Europeans; nor from the Right to the Left, like the Arabians; nor from up to down, like the Chinese; but aflant from one Corner of the Paper to the other, like Ladies in England.

They bury their Dead with their Heads directly downwards, because they hold an Opinion, that in eleven thousand Moons they are all to rife again, in which Period the Earth (which they conceive to be flat) will turn upfide down, and by this Means they fhall, at their Refurrection, be found ready ftanding on their Feet. The Learned among them confefs the Abfurdity of this Doctrine, but the Practice ftill continues, in Compliance to the Vulgar.