ground, if, by a presence of mind unusual to me, I
had not suddenly thought of an expedient. I
had, the evening before, drunk plentifully of a most
delicious wine called glimigrim, (the Blefuscudians
call it flunec, but ours is esteemed the better sort,)
which is very diuretic. By the luckiest 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 labouring to quench them,
made the wine begin to operate by urine; which I voided
in such a quantity, and applied so well to the proper
places, that in three minutes the fire was wholly extinguished,
and the rest of that noble pile, which had cost so
many ages in erecting, preserved from destruction.
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 majesty might resent
the manner by which I had performed it: for,
by the fundamental laws of the realm, it is capital
in any person, of what quality soever, to make water
within the precincts of the palace. But I was
a little comforted by a message from his majesty, “that
he would give orders to the grand justiciary for passing
my pardon in form:” which, however, I could
not obtain; and I was privately assured, “that
the empress, conceiving the greatest abhorrence of
what I had done, removed to the most distant side of
the court, firmly resolved that those buildings should
never be repaired for her use: and, in the presence
of her chief confidents could not forbear vowing revenge.”
CHAPTER 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.]
Although I intend to leave the description of this
empire to a particular treatise, yet, in the mean
time, I am content to gratify the curious reader with
some general ideas. As the common size of the
natives is somewhat under six inches high, so there
is an exact proportion in all other animals, as well
as plants and trees: for instance, the tallest
horses and oxen are between four and five inches in
height, the sheep an inch and half, more or less:
their geese about the bigness of a sparrow, and so
the several gradations downwards till you come to
the smallest, which to my sight, were almost invisible;
but nature has adapted the eyes of the Lilliputians
to all objects proper for their view: they see
with great exactness, but at no great distance.
And, to show the sharpness of their sight towards
objects that are near, I have been much pleased with
observing a cook pulling a lark, which was not so
large as a common fly; and a young girl threading an
invisible needle with invisible silk. Their
tallest trees are about seven feet high: I mean
some of those in the great royal park, the tops whereof
I could but just reach with my fist clenched.
The other vegetables are in the same proportion;
but this I leave to the reader’s imagination.
