Ground, one standing at my Neck, and another at my Mid-Leg, with a ftrong Cord extended, that each held by the End, while the Third measured the Length of the Cord with a Rule of an Inch long. Then they measured my right Thumb, and defired no more; for by a Mathematical Computation, that twice round the Thumb is once round the Wrift, and fo on to the Neck and the Waist; and by the Help of my old Shirt, which I displayed on the Ground before them for a Pattern, they fitted me exactly. Three hundred Taylors were employed in the fame Manner to make me Clothes; but they had another Contrivance for taking my Measure. I kneeled down, and they raised a Ladder from the Ground to my Neck; upon this Ladder one of them mounted, and let fall a Plum-Line from my Collar to the Floor, which just answered the Length of my Coat; but my Waist and Arms I measured my felf. When my Clothes were finifhed, which was done in my Houfe, (for the largest of theirs would not have been able to hold them) they looked like the Patch-work made by the Ladies in England, only that mine were all of a Colour.

I HAD three hundred Cooks to drefs my Victuals, in little convenient Huts built above my House, where they and their Families lived, and prepared me two Dishes a-piece. I took up twenty Waiters: in my Hand, and placed them on the Table; an hundred more attended below on the Ground, fome with Dishes of Meat, and fome with Barrels of Wine, and other Liquors, flung on their Shoulders; all which the Waiters above drew up as I wanted, in a very ingenious Manner, by certain Cords, as we draw the Bucket up a Well in Europe. A Difh of their Meat was a good Mouthful, and a Barrel

of

of their Liquor a reasonable Draught. Their Mutton yields to ours, but their Beef is excellent. I have had a Sirloin fo large, that I have been forced to make three Bits of it; but this is rare. My Servants were aftonished to fee me eat it Bones and all, as in our Country we do the Leg of a Lark. Their Geefe and Turkeys I usually eat at a Mouthful, and I must confefs they far exceed ours. Of their smaller Fowl I could take up twenty or thirty at the End of my Knife.

ONE Day his Imperial Majesty being informed of my Way of living, defired that himself, and his Royal Confort, with the young Princes of the Blood of both Sexes, might have the Happiness (as he was pleafed to call it) of dining with me. They came accordingly, and I placed them upon Chairs of State on my Table, juft over against me, with their Guards about them. Flimnap the Lord High Treasurer attended there likewife, with his white Staff; and I obferved he often looked on me with a four Countenance, which I would not seem to regard, but eat more than ufual, in Honour to my dear Country, as well as to fill the Court with Admiration. I have fome private Reasons to believe, that this Vifit from his Majefty gave Flimnap an Opportunity of doing me ill Offices to his MafThat Minister had always been my fecret Enemy, although he outwardly careffed me more than was ufual to the Morofeness of his Nature. He reprefented to the Emperor the low Condition of his Treasury; that he was forced to take up Money at a great Discount; that Exchequer Bills would not circulate under nine per Cent. below Par; that I had coft his Majefty above a Million and a half of Sprugs, (their greatest Gold Coin, about the Bignefs of a Spangle ;) and upon the

ter.

whole,

whole, that it would be advifeable in the Emperor to take the firft fair Occafion of difmiffing me.

I AM here obliged to vindicate the Reputation of an excellent Lady, who was an innocent Sufferer upon my Account. The Treasurer took a Fancy to be jealous of his Wife, from the Malice of fome evil Tongues, who informed him, that her Grace had taken a violent Affection for my Perfon; and the Court-Scandal ran for some Time, that fhe once came privately to my Lodging. This, I folemnly declare, to be a most infamous Falfhood, without any Grounds, farther than that her Grace was pleased to treat me with all innocent Marks of Freedom and Friendship. I own, fhe came often to my House, but always publickly, nor ever without three more in the Coach, who were usually her Sifter and Young Daughter, and fome particular Acquaintance; but this was common to many other Ladies of the Court. And I ftill appeal to my Servants round, whether they at any Time faw a Coach at my Door without knowing what Perfons were in it. On thofe Occafions, when a Servant had given me Notice, my Custom was to go immediately to the Door; and after paying my Refpects, to take up the Coach and two Horfes very carefully in my Hands, (for if there were fix Horfes, the Poftilion always unharnaffed four) and placed them on a Table, where I had fixed a moveable Rim quite round, of five Inches high, to prevent Accidents. And I have often had four Coaches and Horses at once on my Table full of Company, while I fat in my Chair leaning my Face towards them; and when I was engaged with one Sett, the Coachman would gently drive the others round my Table. I have paffed many an Afternoon very agreeably in thefe Conversations: VOL. III. F

But,

But, I defy the Treasurer, or his two Informers, (I will name them, and let them make their best of i) Cluftril and Drunlo, to prove that any Perfon ever came to me incognito, except the Secretary Reldrefal, who was fent by express Command of his Imperial Majefty, as I have before related. I fhould not have dwelt fo long upon this Particular, if it had not been a Point wherein the Reputation of a great Lady is fo nearly concerned; to fay nothing of my own; although I had the Honour to be a Nardac, which the Treasurer himself is not; for all the World knows he is only a Clumglum, a Title inferior by one Degree, as that of a Marquefs is to a Duke in England; yet I allow he preceded me in right of his Poft. These falfe Informations, which I afterwards came to the Knowledge of, by an Accident not proper to mention, made the Treasurer fhew his Lady for fome Time an ill Countenance, and me a worfe: For although, he were at laft undeceived and reconciled to her, yet I loft all Credit with him; and found my Interest decline very fast with the Emperor himself, who was indeed too much governed by that Favourite.

CHA P. VII.

The Author being informed of a Design to accuse him of High Treafon, maketh his Escape to BLEFUSCU. His Reception there.

B

EFORE I proceed to give an Account of my leaving this Kingdom, it may be proper to inform the Reader of a private Intrigue, which had been for two Months forming against

me.

I HAD been hitherto all my Life a Stranger to Courts, for which I was unqualified by the Meannefs of my Condition. I had indeed heard and read enough of the Difpofitions of great Princes and Minifters; but never expected to have found fuch terrible Effects of them in fo remote a Country, governed as I thought by very different Maxims from those in Europe.

WHEN I was juft preparing to pay my Attendance on the Emperor of Blefufcu; a confiderable Perfon at Court (to whom I had been very serviceable at a Time when he lay under the highest Dif pleasure of his Imperial Majefty) came to my House very privately at Night in a clofe Chair, and with

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out