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run off into fome convenient place, where the knew the male would follow her.

At other times, if a female stranger came among them, three or four of her own fex would get about her, and ftare, and chatter, and grin, and fimell her all over; and then turn off, with geftures that feemed to exprefs contempt and dildain,

Perhaps my mafter might refine a little on these speculations, which he had drawn from what he obferved himself, or had been told him by others: however I could not reflect without fome amazement and much forrow, that the rudiments of lewdness, coquetry, cenfure and fcandal fhould have place by instinct in womankind.

I expected every moment, that my master would accufe the yahoos of those unnatural appetites in both fexes, fo common among us. But nature, it seems, hath not been fo expert a school-mistress; and thefe politer pleasures are intirely the productions of art and reafon our fide of the globe.

CHAP. VHI.

The author relates feveral particulars of the yahoos. The great virtues of the Houyhahums. The education and exercife of their youth. Their general affembly.

A

SI ought to have understood human nature much better, than I fupposed it possible for my mafter to do, fo it was eafy to apply the character he gave of the yahoos to myself, and iny countrymen ; and I believed, 1 could yet make farther discoveries from my own obfervation. I therefore often begged his honour to let me go among the herds of yahoos in the neighbourhood, to which he always very graciously confented, being perfectly convinced, that the hatred I bore these brutes would never fuffer me to be corrupted by them; and his honour ordered one of his fervants, a ftrong forrel-nag, very ho neft and good-natured, to be my guard, without whofe protection I durft not undertake fuch adventures. For! have already told the reader, how much I was pestered

by

by thofe odious animals upon my first arrival. And I afterwards failed very narrowly three or four times of falling into their clutches, when I happened to ftray at any distance without my hanger. And I have reafon to

believe they had fome imagination that I was of their own fpecies, which I often affifted myfelf, by fiipping up my fleeves, and fhewing my naked arms and breast in their fight, when my protector was with me. At which times they would approach as near as they durft, and imitate my actions after the manner of monkics, but ever with great figns of hatred; as a tame jack-daw with cap and ftockings is always perfecuted by the wild ones, when he happens to be got among them."

They are prodigioufly nimble from their infancy; how ever I once caught a young male of three years old, and endeavoured by all marks of tenderness to make it quiet; but the little imp fell a fqualing, and feratching, and biting, with fuch violence, that I was forced to let it go; and it was high time; for a whole troop of old ones came about us at the noife; but finding the cub was fafe (for away it ran), and my forrel nag being by, they durft not venture near us. I obferved the young animal's fh to fmell very rank, and the ftink was fomewhat beyond a weafel and a fox, but much more difagreeable. 1 forgot another circumftance (and perhaps I might have the reader's pardon, if it were wholly omitted), that while I held the odious vermin in my hands, it voided its filthy excrements, of a yellow liquid fübftance, all over my cloaths; but by good fortune there was a finall brook hard by, where I washed myself as clean as I could; although I durft not come into my master's prefence, until I were fufficiently aired.

Yet I

By what I could difcover, the yahoos appear to be the most unteachable of all animals; their capacities never reaching higher than to draw or carry burdens. am of opinion, this defect arifeth chiefly from a perverte, reftive difpofition: For they are cunning, malicious, treacherous, and revengeful. They are ftrong and bardy, but of a cowardly fpirit, and by confequence info lent, abject, and cruel. It is obferved, that the redhaired of both fexes are more libidinous and mifchievous VOL. IV.

than

than the reft, whom yet they much exceed in ftrength and activity.

The Houyhnhnms keep the yahoos for present use in buts not far from the houfe; but the reft are fent abroad to certain fields, where they dig up roots, eat feveral kinds of herbs, and fearch about for carrion, or fometimes catch weafels and luhimuh (a fort of wild rat), which they greedily devour. Nature hath taught them to dig deep holes with their nails on the fide of a rifing ground, wherein they lie by themselves; only the kennels of the females are larger, fufficient to hold two or three cubs.

They swim from their infancy like frogs, and are able to continue long under water, where they often take fish, which the females carry home to their young. And upon this occafion I hope the reader will pardon my relating an odd adventure.

Being one day abroad with my protector, the forrel nag, and the weather exceeding hot, I intreated him to let me bathe in a river that was near. He confented, and I immediately ripped myself stark naked, and went down foftly into the ftream, It happened that a young female yahoo, ftanding behind a bank, faw the whole proceeding, and inflammed by defire, as the nag and I conjectured, came running with all speed, and leaped into the water within five yards of the place where I bathed, I was never in my life fo terribly frighted; the nag was gazing at fome diftance, not fufpecting any harm. She embraced me, after a most fulfome manner: I roared as loud as I could, and the nag came galloping towards me; whereupon fhe quitted her grafp with the utmost reluctancy, and leaped upon the oppofite bank, where the food gazing and howling all the time I was putting on my cloaths.

This was a matter of diverfion to my mafter and his family, as well as of mortification to myfelf. For now I could no longer deny, that I was a real yahoo in every limb and feature, fince the females had a natural propenfity to me, as one of their own fpecies: neither was the hair of this brute of a red colour (which might have been fome excufe for an appetite a little irregular), but black as a floe, and her countenance did not make an ap

pearance

pearance altogether fo hideous as the rest of her kind; for, I think, he could not be above cleven years old.

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Having lived three years in this country, the reader, I fuppofe, will expect, that Ifhould, like other travellers, give him fome account of the manners and cuftoms of its inhabitants, which it was indeed my principal ftudy to learn.

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As thefe noble Houyhnhnms are ended by nature with a general difpofition to all virtues, and have no conceptions or ideas of what is evil in a rational creature; fo their grand maxim is, to cultivate reason, and to be wholly governed by it. Neither is reafon among them a point problematical, as with us, where men can argue with plaufibility on both fides of a queftion; but ftrikes you with immediate conviction; as it must needs do, where it is not mingled, obfcured, or difcoloured, by paffion and intereft. I remember it was with extreme difficulty, that I could bring my master to understand the meaning of the word opinion, or how a point could be difputable; because reafon taught us to affirm or deny only where we are certain; and beyond our knowledge we cannot do either: So that controverfies, wranglings, difputes, and pofitiveness, in falfe or dubious propofitions, are evils unknown among the Houyhnhums. In the like manner, when I ufed to explain to him our several fÿstems of natural philofophy, he would laugh, that a creature pretending to reafon, fhould value itfelf upon the knowledge of orher people's conjectures, and in things where that knowledge, if it were certain, could be of no use ; wherein he agreed entirely with the fentiments of Socra-tes, as Plato delivers them; which I mention as the higheft honour I can do that prince of philofophers. I have often fince reflected, what destruction such a doctrine would make in the libraries of Europe; and how many paths to fame would be then shut up in the learned world.

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Friendship and benevolence are the two principal vir ` tues among the Houyhnhnms *; and thefe not confined to particular objects, but univerfal, to the whole race. For a ftranger from the remoteft parts is equally treated with the nearest neighbour; and where-ever he

+ Their virtuous qualities are only negative.
Z2-

Orrery.

goes,

goes, looks upon himself as at home. They preferve decency and civility in the highest degrees; but are alto gether ignorant of ceremony. They have no fondness for their colts or foles; but the care they take in educa. ting them, proceedeth intirely from the dictates of reafon*. And Lob/erved my master to shew the fame affection to his neighbour's iffue, that be had for his own. They will have it that noture teaches them to love the whole fpecies, and it is reafon only that maketh a diftinct on of perfons, where there is a fuperior degree of virtue t.

When the matron Houyhnhnmns have produced one of each fex, they no longer accompany with their conforts, except they lofe one of their flue by fome cafualty, which very feldom happens: but in fuch a cafe they meet again; or when the like accident befals a perfon whofe wire is paft bearing, fome other couple bestow on him one of their own colts, and then go together again until the mother is pregnant. The caution is neceffary to pre vent the country from being over-burdened with numbers. But the race of inferior Houyhnhums, bred up to be fervants, is not fo ftrily limited upon this article; thefe are allowed to produce three of each sex to be domeftics in the noble families.

In their marriages, they are exactly careful to choose fuch colours as will not make any difagreeable mixture in the breed. Strength is chiefly valued in the male,

We here view the pure inflincts of brutes, afting in their narrow fphere, therely for their immediate preservation. Orrery Sce above, P. 219. 227.

↑ it may perhaps be be thought, fomewhat frange, that the fenfe of the noble Commentator fhould appear to be directly *pposite to that of the author, in the paffages which these notes were intended to illuftrate. But this apparent oppofition may arise merely from their using the fame word in au-opposite sense; as by the word candour, his Lordship always means a quality which inclines a man to put the worst construction upon the words and actions of another; and by candour, the Dean always means just the contrary.

Compare the note from Orrery, in Gulliver's Travels, vol. 4. p. 50. with Swift's apology for the Tale of a Tub, in vol. 1. p. 2. and

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