of Things. I had not been a Year in this Coun try, before I contracted fuch a Love and Veneration for the Inhabitants, that I entered on a firm Refolution, never to return to Human Kind, but to pass the rest of my Life among these admirable Houyhnhnms, in the Contemplation and Practice of every Virtue; where I could have no Example or Incitement to Vice. But it was decreed by Fortune, my perpetual Enemy, that so great a Felicity fhould not fall to my Share. However, it is now fome Comfort to reflect, that, in what I faid of my Countrymen, I extenuated their Faults, as much as I durft, before fo ftri&t an Examiner ; and, upon every Article, gave as favourable a Turn as the Matter would bear. For, indeed, who is there alive, that would not be swayed by his Byafs and Partiality to the Place of his Birth?

I have related the Subftance of feveral Converfations I had with my Mafter, during the greatest Part of the Time I had the Honour to be in his Service; but have, indeed, for Brevity Sake, omitted much more than is here fet down.

When I had anfwered all his Questions, and his Curiofity feemed to be fully fatisfied; he fent for me one Morning early, and commanding me to fit down at fome Distance (an Honour which he had never before conferred upon me) he faid, be had been very seriously confidering my whole. Story, as far as it related both to myself and my Country: That he looked upon us as a Sort of Animals, to whofe Share, by what Accident he could not conjecture, fome fmall Pittance of Reason had fallen, whereof we made no other Ufe, than, by. its Affiftance, to aggravate our natural Corruptions, and to acquire new ones which Nature had

not

not given us That we difarmed ourselves of the few Abilities fhe had beftowed; had been very fuccefsful in multiplying our original Wants, and feemed to spend our whole Lives in vain Endeavours, to fupply them by our own Inventions. That as to myself, it was manifeft, I had neither the Strength or Agility of a common Yahoo; that I walked infirmly on my hinder Feet; had found out a Contrivance to make my Claws of no Ufe or Defence, and to remove the Hair from my Chin, which was intended as a Shelter from the Sun and the Weather. Laftly, That I could neither run with Speed, nor climb Trees like my Brethren (as he called them) the Yahoos in this Country.

That our Inftitutions of Government and Law were plainly owing to our grofs Defects in Reafon, and by Confequence, in Virtue; because Reafon alone is fufficient to govern a rational Creature; which was therefore a Character we had no Pretence to challenge, even from the Account I had given of my own People; although he manifeftly perceived, that, in order to favour them, I had concealed many Particulars, and often said the Thing which was not.

He was the more confirmed in this Opinion, because he observed, that as I agreed in every Feature of my Body with other Yaboos, except where it was to my real Disadvantage, in Point of Strength, Speed, and Activity, the Shortnefs of my Claws, and fome other Particulars, where Nature had no Part; fo, from the Representation I had given him of our Lives, our Manners, and our Actions, he found as near a Refemblance in the Difpofition of our Minds. He faid, the Yaboos were known to hate one another, more than

they

they did any different Species of Animals; and the Reason, ufually affigned, was, the Odioufness of their own Shapes, which all could fee in the reft, but not in themfelves. He had therefore begun to think it not unwife in us to cover our Bodies, and, by that Invention, conceal many of our own Deformities from each other, which would elfe be hardly fupportable. But he now found he had been mistaken, and that the Diffentions of those Brutes, in his Country, were owing to the fame Caufe with ours, as I had defcribed them. For, if (faid he) you throw among five Taboos as much Food as would be fufficient for fifty, they will, inftead of eating peaceably, fall together by the Ears, each fingle one impatient to have all to itself; and therefore a Servant was ufually employed to ftand by, while they were Feeding Abroad, and thofe, kept at Home, were tied at a Distance from each other; that if a Cow died of Age or Accident, before a Houyhnhnm could fecure it for his own Yahoos, thofe in the Neighbourhood would come in Herds to feize it, and then would enfue fuch a Battle as I had defcribed, with terrible Wounds made by their Claws on both Sides, although they feldom were able to kill one another, for Want of such convenient Inftruments of Death as we had invented. At other Times, the like Battles have been fought between the Yahoos of feveral Neigh bourhoods, without any vifible Caufe: Those of one District watching all Opportunities to furprife the next, before they are prepared. But, if they find their Project hath miscarried, they return Home, and, for Want of Enemies, engage in what I call a Civil War among themfelves.

That

That, in fome Fields of his Country, there are certain fhining Stones of feveral Colours, whereof the Taboos are violently fond; and when Part of thefe Stones is fixed in the Earth, as it fometimes happeneth, they will dig with their Claws for whole Days to get them out, then carry them away, and hide them by Heaps in their Kennels but ftill looking round with great Caution, for fear their Comrades fhould find out their Treasure. My Mafter faid, he could never difcover the Reafon of this unnatural Appetite, or how thele Stones could be of any Ufe to a Yahoo ; but now he believed it might proceed from the fame Principle. of Avarice, which I had afcribed to Mankind: That he had once, by Way of Experiment, privately removed a Heap of thefe Stones from the Place where one of his Yahoos had buried it: Whereupon, the fordid Animal miffing his Treafure, by his loud Lamenting, brought the whole Herd to the Place, there miferably howled, then fell to biting and tearing the reft; began to pine away, would neither eat, nor fleep, nor work, till he ordered a Servant privately to convey the Stones into the fame Hole, and hide them as before; which when his Taboo had found, he prefently recovered his Spirits, and good Humour, but took Care to remove them to a better Hidingplace, and hath ever fince been a very serviceable Brute.

My Mafter farther affured me, which I alfo obferved myself, that, in the Fields where the fi ning Stones abound, the fierceft and most frequent Battles are fought, occafioned by perpetual Inroads of the neighbouring Yahoos.

He faid, it was common, when two Yahoos difcovered fuch a Stone in a Field, and were con

tend

tending which of them should be the Proprietor; a third would take the Advantage, and carry it away from them both; which my Mafter would needs contend to have fome Kind of Refemblance with our Suits at Law; wherein I thought it for our Credit not to undeceive him; fince the Decifion he mentioned was much more equitable than many Decrees among us : Because the Plaintiff and Defendant there loft nothing befide the Stone they contended for, whereas our Courts of Equity would never have difmiffed the Cause, while either of them had any Thing left.

My Mafter, continuing his Difcourfe, faid, There was nothing that rendered the Yahoos more ódious, than their undiftinguishing Appetite to devour every Thing that came in their Way, whether Herbs, Roots, Berries, the corrupted Flesh of Animals, or all mingled together: And it was peculiar in their Temper, that they were fonder of what they could get by Rapine or Stealth, at a greater Distance, than much better Food provided for them at Home. If their Prey held out, they would eat till they were ready to burst, after which, Nature had pointed out to them a certain Root, that gave them a general Evacuation.

There was also another Kind of Root very juicy, but fomewhat rare and difficult to be found, which the Yahoos fought for with much Eagerness, and would fuck it with great Delight; it produced in them the fame Effects that Wine hath upon us. I would make them fometimes hug, and fometimes. tear one another; they would howl and grin, and chatter, and reel, and tumble, and then fall asleep in the Mud.

I did, indeed, observe, that the Yahoos were the only Animals in this Country fubject to any

Dif