I fwore and fubfcribed to these articles with great chearfulness and content, although fome of them were not fo honourable, as I could have wished; which proceeded wholly from the malice of Skyref Bolgolam, the high admiral; whereupon my chains were immediately unlocked, and I was at full liberty. The emperor himself in person did me the honour to be by at the whole ceremony. I made my acknowledgments by proftrating myself at his majesty's feet: but he commanded me to rise; and after many gracious expreffions, which, to avoid the cenfure of vanity, I fhall not repeat, he added, that he hoped I fhould prove a useful fervant, and well deferve all the favours he had already conferred upon me, or might do for the future, The reader may please to obferve, that, in the laft article for the recovery of my liberty, the emperor ftipulates to allow me a quantity of meat and drink fufficient for the fupport of 1724 Lilliputians. Some time after afking a friend at court, how they came to fix on that determinate number; he told me, that his majesty's mathe maticians having taken the height of my body by the help of a quadrant, and finding it to exceed theirs in the proportion of twelve to one, they concluded from the fimilarity of their bodies, that mine must contain at least 1724 of theirs, and confequently would require as much food as was neceffary to fupport that number of Lilliputians. By which the reader may conceive an idea of the ingenuity of that people, as well as the prudent and exact œconomy of fo great a prince. CHA P. IV. Mildendo, the metropolis of Lilliput, defcribed, together with the emperor's palace. A converfation between the author and a principal fecretary concerning the affairs of that empire. The author's offers to ferve the emperor in his wars. TH HE firft requeft I made, after I had obtained my liberty, was, that I might have licence to fee Mildendo, the metropolis; which the emperor easily granted me, but with a special charge to do no hurt either to the inhabitants or their houses. The people had notice by proclamation of my defign to vifit the town. The wall, which encompaffed it, is two feet and a half high, and at least eleven inches broad, fo that a coach and horses may be driven very fafely round it ; and it is flanked with ftrong towers at ten feet diftance. I ftept over the great weftern gate, and paffed very gently, and fideling, through the two principal ftreets, only in my fhort waift-coat, for fear of damaging the roofs and eves of the houses with the skirts of my coat. I walked with the utmost circumfpection to avoid treading on any ftragglers, who might remain in the streets; although the orders were very strict, that all people should keep in their houses at their own peril. The garret-windows and tops of houfes were fo crouded with spectators, that I thought in all my travels I had not seen a more populous place. The city is an exact square, each fide of the wall being five hundred feet long. The two great. ftreets, which run cross and divide it into four quarters, are five feet wide. The lanes and alleys, which I could not enter, but only viewed them them as I paffed, are from twelve to eighteen inches. The town is capable of holding five hundred thousand fouls: the houses are from three to five ftories: the shops and markets well provided. The emperor's palace is in the center of the city, where the two great streets meet. It is inclosed by a wall of two feet high, and twenty feet diftance from the buildings. I had his majesty's permiffion to ftep over this wall; and the space being fo wide between that and the palace, I could eafily view it on every fide. The outward court is a fquare of forty feet, and includes two other courts: in the inmost are the royal apartments, which I was very defirous to fee, but found it extremely difficult; for the great gates, from one fquare into another, were but eighteen inches high, and seven inches wide. Now the buildings of the outer court were at least five feet high, and it was impoffible for me to ftride over them without infi nite damage to the pile, though the walls were ftrongly built of hewn ftone, and four inches thick. At the fame time the emperor had a great defire, that I should fee the the magnificence of his palace; but this I was not able to do till three days after, which I spent in cutting down with my knife fome of the largest trees in the royal park, about an hundred yards distance from the city. Of these trees I made two ftools, each about three feet high, and strong enough to bear my weight. The people having received notice a fecond time, I went again through the city to the palace with my two ftools in my hands. When I came to the fide of the outer court, I ftood upon one stool, and took the other in my hand; this I lifted over the roof, and gently fet it down on the space between the first and second court, which was eight feet wide. I then stept over the building very conveniently from one ftool to the other, and drew up the first after me with a hooked stick. By this contrivance I got into the inmost court; and, lying down upon my fide, I applied my face to the windows of the middle ftories, which were left open on purpofe, and discovered the most splendid apartments that can be imagined. There I faw the emprefs and the young princes in their feveral lodgings with their chief at ten |