minent 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 Emprefs conceiving the greatest Abhorrence of what I had done, remoyed 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.

CHAP.

CHAP. VI.

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

LTHOUGH I 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 fomewhat under fix Inches, fo there is an exact Proportion in all other Animals, as well as Plants and Trees: For Instance, the tallest Horfes and Oxen are between four and five Inches in height, the Sheep an Inch and a Half, more or lefs; their Geefe about the Bignefs of a Sparrow; and fo the several Gradations downwards, until you come to the finalleft, 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 Diftance. 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 seven Foot high; I mean fome of those in the great Royal Park, the Tops whereof I could but just reach with my Fist clinched. The other Vegetables are in the fame Proportion: But this I leave to the Reader's Imagination.

I SHALL 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; nor from down to up, like the Cafcagians; 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 rise 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 standing on their Feet. The Learned among them confefs the Abfurdity of this Doctrine; but the Practice ftill continues, in Compliance to the Vulgar.

THERE are fome Laws and Customs in this Empire very peculiar; and if they were not fo directly contrary to thofe of my own dear Country, I fhould be tempted to fay a little in their Juftificati

on.

It is only to be wished, that they were as well executed. The first I fhall mention, relateth to Informers. All Crimes against the State, are punished here with the utmost Severity; but if the Perfon accufed make his Innocence plainly to appear upon

his

his Tryal, the Accufer is immediately put to an ignominious Death; and out of his Goods or Lands, the innocent Perfon is quadruply recompenced for the Lofs of his Time, for the Danger he underwent, for the Hardship of his Imprisonment, and for all the Charges he hath been at in making his Defence. Or, if that Fund be deficient, it is largely fupplied by the Crown. The Emperor doth alfo confer on him fome publick Mark of his Favour; and Proclamation is made of his Innocence through the whole City.

THEY look upon Fraud as a greater Crime than Theft, and therefore feldom fail to punish it with Death: For, they alledge, that Care and Vigilance, with a very common Understanding, may preferve a Man's Goods from Thieves; but Honefty hath no Fence against fuperior Cunning; And fince it is neceffary that there fhould be a perpetual Intercourse of buying and felling, and dealing upon Credit ; where Fraud is permitted or connived at, or hath no Law to punish it, the honeft Dealer is always undone, and the Knave gets the Advantage. I remember when I was once interceeding with the King for a Criminal who had wronged his Mafter of a great Sum of Money, which he had received by Order, and ran away with; and happening to tell his Majefty, by Way of Extenuation, that it was only a Breach of Truft; the Emperor thought it monftrous in me to offer, as a Defence, the greatest Aggravation of the Crime: And truly I had little to fay in Return, farther than the common Answer, that different Nations had different Customs; for, I confefs, I was heartily afhamed.

ALTHOUGH We ufually call Reward and Punishment, the two Hinges upon which all Government turns; yet I could never obferve this Maxim to be

put

put in Practice by any Nation except that of Lilliput. Whoever can there bring fufficient Proof, that he hath ftrictly obferved the Laws of his Country for feventy-three Moons, hath a Claim to certain Privileges, according to his Quality and Condition of Life, with a proportionable Sum of Money out of a Fund appropriated for that Use: He likewife acquires the Title of Snilpall, or Legal, which is added to his Name, but doth not defcend to his Pofterity. And these People thought it a prodigious Defect of Policy among us, when I told them that our Laws were enforced only by Penalties, without any Mention of Reward. It is upon this Account that the Image of Justice, in their Courts of Judicature, is formed with fix Eyes, two before, as many behind, and on each Side one, to fignify Circumfpection; with a Bag of Gold open in her right Hand, and a Sword fheathed in her Left, to fhew fhe is more difposed to reward than to punish.

IN chufing Perfons for all Employments, they have more Regard to good Morals than to great Abilities: For, fince Government is neceffary to Mankind, they believe that the common Size of human Understandings, is fitted to fome Station or other; and that Providence never intended to make the Management of publick Affairs a Myftery, to be comprehended only by a few Perfons of fublime Genius, of which there feldom are three born in an Age: But, they fuppofe Truth, Juftice, Temperance, and the like, to be in every Man's Power; the Practice of which Virtues, affifted by Experience and a good Intention, would qualify any Man for the Service of his Country, except where a Course of Study is required. But they thought the Want of Moral Virtues was fo far from being fup