f
at his majesty's feet: but he commanded me to rise; and after many
gracious expressions, which, to avoid the censure of vanity, I shall not
repeat, he added, that he hoped I should prove a useful servant, and
well deserve all the favors he had already conferred upon me, or might
do for the future.

The reader may please to observe, that, in the last article for the
recovery of my liberty, the emperor stipulates to allow me a quantity of
meat and drink sufficient for the support of 1724 Lilliputians. Some
time after, asking a friend at court, how they came to fix on that
determinate number, he told me, that his majesty's mathematicians having
taken the height of my body by the help of a quadrant,[22] and finding
it to exceed theirs in the proportion of twelve to one, they concluded,
from the similarity of their bodies, that mine must contain at least
1724 of theirs, and consequently would require as much food as was
necessary to support 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 economy of so great a prince.

CHAPTER IV.

MILENDO, THE METROPOLIS OF LILLIPUT, DESCRIBED TOGETHER WITH THE
EMPEROR'S PALACE. A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE AUTHOR AND A PRINCIPAL
SECRETARY, CONCERNING THE AFFAIRS OF THAT EMPIRE. THE AUTHOR OFFERS
TO SERVE THE EMPEROR IN HIS WARS.

The first request I made, after I had obtained my liberty, was, that I
might have license to see Milendo, 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 design to visit the town.

The wall, which encompassed it, is two feet and a half high, and at
least eleven inches broad, so that a coach and horses may be driven very
safely round it; and it is flanked with strong towers at ten feet
distance. I stept over the great western gate, and passed very gently,
and sideling, through the two principal streets, only in my short
waistcoat, for fear of damaging the roofs and eaves of the houses with
the skirts[23] of my coat. I walked with the utmost circumspection, to
avoid treading on any stragglers 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 houses
were so crowded with spectators, that I thought in al