His Majefty defired I would take fome other Opportanity of bringing all the reft of his Enemies Ships into his Ports. And so unmeasurable is the Ambition of Princes, that he feemed to think of nothing lefs than reducing the whole Empire of Blefufcu into a Province, and governing it by a Viceroy; of deftroying the Big-Endian Exiles, and compelling that People to break the fmaller End of their Eggs; by which he would remain fole Monarch of the whole World. But I endeavoured to divert him from this Defign, by many Arguments drawn from the Topicks of Policy as well as Juftice: And I plainly protefted, that I would never be an Inftrument of bringing a free and brave People into Slavery: And when the Matter was debated in Council, the wifest Part of the Miniftry were of my Opinion.

THIS open bold Declaration of mine was fo oppofite to the Schemes and Politicks of his Imperial Majefly, that he could never forgive me: He mentioned it in a very artful Manner at Council, where, I was told, that fome of the wifeft appeared, at least by their Silence, to be of my Opinion; but others, who were my fecret Enemies, could not forbear fome Expreffions which by a Side-wind reflected on me. And from this Time began an Intrigue between his Majefty, and a Junta of Minifters maliciously bent against me, which broke out in lefs than two Months, and. had like to have ended in my utter Destruction. Of fo little Weight are the greatest Services to Princes, when put into the Balance with a Refufal to gratify their Paffions.

ABOUT three Weeks after this Exploit, there arri ved a folemn Embaffy from Blefufcu, with humble Of fers of a Peace; which was foon concluded upon Conditions very advantageous to our Emperor; wherewith I fhall not trouble the Reader. There were fix Ambaffadors, with a Train of about five hundred Perfons; and their Entry was very magnificent, suitable to the Grandeur of their Mafter, and the Importance of their Bufinefs. When their Treaty was finished, wherein

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wherein I did them feveral good Offices by the Credit I now had, or at leaft appeared to have at Court; their Excellencies, who were privately told how much I had been their Friend, made me a Vifit in Form. They began with many Compliments upon 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 fo many Wonders; wherein I readily obliged them, but fhall not interrupt 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 moft humble Refpects to the Emperor their Mafter, the Renown of whose 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 pleased to grant me, as I could plainly perceive, in a very cold Manner; but could not guefs the Reafon, till I had a Whisper from a certain Perfon, that Flimnap and Bolgolam had reprefented my Intercourfe with thofe Ambaffadors, as a Mark of Difaffection, from which I am fure my Heart was wholly free. And this was the first Time I began to conceive fome imperfect Idea of Courts and Minifters.

Ir is to be observed, that these Ambassadors spoke 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 Seizure of their Fleet, obliged them to defiver their Credentials, and make their Speech in the Lilliputian Tongue. And it must be confeffed, that from the great Intercourse of Trade and Commerce

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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 themfelves, by feeing the World, and understanding Men and Manners; there are few Persons of Diftinction, or Merchants, or Seamen, who dwell in the maritime Parts, but what can hold Conversation in both Tongues; as I found fome Weeks after, when I went to pay my Refpects to the Emperor of Blefufcu, which in the Midft 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 those Articles upon which I recovered my Liberty, there were fome which I difliked upon account of their being too fervile, neither could any thing but an extreme Neceflity have forced me to fubmit. But being now a Nardac, of the highest 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 leaft, as I then thought, a moft fignal Service. I was

alarmed 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; feveral of the Emperor's Court making their Way through the Crowd, intreated me to come immediately to the Palace, where her Imperial Majefty's Apartment was on Fire, by the Careleffness of a Maid of 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 Moonshine Night, I made a fhift to get to the Palace without trampling on any of the People. I found they had already applied 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 so violent, that they did little Good. I might eafily have ftifled it with my Coat, which I unfortunately left be-hind me for Hafte, and came away only in my leathern Jerkin. The Cafe feemed wholly defperate and deplorable; and this magnificent Palace would have been burnt down to the Ground, if, by a Presence of Mind unusual to me, I had not fuddenly thought of an Expedient. I had the Evening before drank plentifully of a most delicious Wine, called Glimigrim, (the Blefufcudians call it Flunec, but ours is esteemed the better Sort) which is very diuretick. By theluckieft 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 Mi-nutes the Fire was wholly extinguished; and the rest of that noble Pile, which had coft fo many Ages ins erecting, preferved from Deftruction.

It was now Day-light, and I returned to my House, without waiting to congratulate with the Emperor ;. because, 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 Jufticiary for paffing my Pardon in Form; which, however, I could not obtain. And I was privately affured, that the Empress, conceiving the greatest Abhorrence of what I had done, removed to the most distant 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.

CHAP

CHAP. VI:

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

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LTHOUGH I intend to leave the Defcription of this Empire to a particular Treatise, yet, in the mean time, I am content to gratify the curious Rea-der with fome general Ideas. As the common Size of the Natives is fomewhat under fix Inches, 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 a half, more or lefs; their Geese about the Bignefs of a Sparrow; and fo the feveral Gradations downward, until you come to the fmalleft, which, to my Sight, were almost invifible; but Nature hath adapted the Eyes of the Lilliputians to all Objects proper for their Views: They fee withgreat Exactnefs, but at no great Distance. And, to fhow the Sharpness of their Sight towards Objects that are near, I have been much pleased with a Cook pul-. ling a Lark, which was not fo large as a common Ely; and a young Girl threading an invisible Needle with invifible Silk. Their talleft Trees are about seven 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

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