Chapter 6

           AlthoughIintendtoleavethedescriptionofthisempiretoaparticulartreatise,yet,inthemeantime,Iamcontenttogratifythecuriousreaderwithsomegeneralideas.Asthecommonsizeofthenativesissomewhatundersixincheshigh,sothereisanexactproportioninallotheranimals,aswellasplantsandtrees:forinstance,thetallesthorsesandoxenarebetweenfourandfiveinchesinheight,thesheepaninchandhalf,moreorless:theirgeeseaboutthebignessofasparrow,andsotheseveralgradationsdownwardstillyoucometothesmallest,whichtomysight,werealmostinvisible;butnaturehasadaptedtheeyesoftheLilliputianstoallobjectsproperfortheirview:theyseewithgreatexactness,butatnogreatdistance.And,toshowthesharpnessoftheirsighttowardsobjectsthatarenear,Ihavebeenmuchpleasedwithobservingacookpullingalark,whichwasnotsolargeasacommonfly;andayounggirlthreadinganinvisibleneedlewithinvisiblesilk.Theirtallesttreesareaboutsevenfeethigh:Imeansomeofthoseinthegreatroyalpark,thetopswhereofIcouldbutjustreachwithmyfistclenched.Theothervegetablesareinthesameproportion;butthisIleavetothereader’simagination.

           Ishallsaybutlittleatpresentoftheirlearning,which,formanyages,hasflourishedinallitsbranchesamongthem:buttheirmannerofwritingisverypeculiar,beingneitherfromthelefttotheright,liketheEuropeans,norfromtherighttotheleft,liketheArabians,norfromuptodown,liketheChinese,butaslant,fromonecornerofthepapertotheother,likeladiesinEngland.

           Theyburytheirdeadwiththeirheadsdirectlydownward,becausetheyholdanopinion,thatineleventhousandmoonstheyarealltoriseagain;inwhichperiodtheearth(whichtheyconceivetobeflat)willturnupsidedown,andbythismeanstheyshall,attheirresurrection,befoundreadystandingontheirfeet.