three in the afternoon I got fafe to my houfe at Rother hithe. My wife and family received me with great furprize and joy, because they concluded me certainly dead; but I must freely confefs the fight of them filled me only with hatred, difguft, and contempt; and the more by reflecting on the near alliance I had to them. For although, fince my unfortunate exile from the Houyhnhnin country, I had compelled myself to tolerate the fight of yahoos, and to converte with Don Pedro de Mendez, yet my memory and imagination were perpetually filled with the virtues and ideas of those exalted Houyhnhnms. And when I began to confider, that, by copulating with one of the yahoo fpecies, I had become a parent of more, it ftruck me with the utmost shame, confufion, and horror. As foon as I entered the houfe, my wife took me in her arms, and kiffed me; at which, not having been used to the touch of that odious animal for fo many years, I fell into a fwooh for almost an hour. At the time I am writ ing, it is five years fince my laft return to England*: du ring the first year I could not endure my wife or children in my prefence; the very finell of them was intolerable; much lefs could I fuffer them to eat in the fame room. To this hour they dare not prefume to touch my bread, or drink out of the fame cup; neither was I ever able to let them take me by the hand. The first money I laid out was to buy two young ftone-horfes, which I keep in a good ftable, and next to them the groom is my greatest favourite; for I feel my fpirits revived by the smell he contracts in the ftable. My horfes understand me tolerably well; I converfe with them at least four hours every day. They are ftrangers to bridle or faddle; they live in great amity with me, and friendship to each other. * This was intended as a mark, whereby the exact point of time, when Dr. Swift had finished this noble and grand performance, which, in the prophetic ftyle of his friend Pope, will in future ages be the admiration of all men [vol. 8. p. 60.], fhould be known to pofterity. Swift. VOL. IV. Bb CHAP. The author's veracity. His defign in publishing this work. His cenfure of thofe travellers who fwerve from the truth. The author clears himself from any finifter ends in writing. An objection anfwered. The method of planting colonies. His native country commended. The right of the crown to those countries defcribed by the author, is juftified. The difficulty of conquering them. The author takes his last leave if the reader; propofeth his manner of living for the future; gives good advice, and concludeth. HUS, gentle reader, I have given thee a faithful TH hiftory of my travels for fixteen years and above feven months; wherein I have not been fo ftudious of ornament as of truth. I could perhaps, like others, have aftonished thee with ftrange improbable tales; but I rather chofe to relate plain matter of fact in the fimpleft manner and style, because my principal defign was to inform, and not to amufe thee. It is eafy for us who travel into remote countries, which are feldom vifited by Englishmen, or other Euro. peans, to form defcriptions of wonderful animals both at fea and land. Whereas a traveller's chief aim fhould be to make men wifer and better, and to improve their minds by the bad, as well as good examples, of what they deliver concerning foreign places. I must confefs, in the fpirit of candour and fincerity, that I heartily with this 12th chapter, which is, without exception, the dullest piece (at least that I can remember) in his whole ́writings, were either burnt or annihilated. This, indeed, like the rest of his critics, I could easily have paffed over uncenfured; perhaps they never obferved it and yet all that I mean by this gentle feverity (for I defpife the reputation of a little cenfuring critic), is, to fhew the world, that I would feorn to approve, through thick and thin. the works of the moft approved, confummate genius, in defpite to rhat little knowledge which I have endeavoured to acquire, as a ditection to my own tafte and judgment, Swift. I I could heartily with a law was enacted, that every traveller, before he were permitted to publifh his voyages, fhould be obliged to make oath before the Lord high Chancellor, that all he intended to print was abfolutely true to the best of his knowledge; for then the world would no longer be deceived, as it ufually is; while fome writers, to make their works pafs the better upon the public, impofe the groffeft falfities on the unwary reader. I have perused several books of travels with great delight in my younger days; but having fince gone over molt parts of the globe, and been able to contradict many fa bulous accounts from my own obfervation, it hath given me a great difguft against this part of reading, and fome indignation to fee the credulity of mankind fo impudently abufed. Therefore, fince my acquaintances were plea. fed to think my poor endeavours might not be unaccep. table to my country, I impofed on myself as a maxim never to be fwerved from, that I would frictly adhere to truth; neither indeed can I be ever under the least temptation to vary from it, while I retain in my mind the leAtures and example of my noble mafter, and the other ilTuftrious Houyhnhnms, of whom I had fo long the ho nour to be an humble hearer. -Nec fi miferum fortuna Sinonem Finxit, vanum et am, mendacemque, improba finget. I know very well how little reputation is to be got by writings, which require neither genius nor learning, nor indeed any other talent, except a good memory, or an exact journal. I know likewife, that writers of travels, like dictionary-makers, are funk into oblivion, by the weight and bulk of thofe who came laft, and therefore Jie uppermoft. And it is highly probable, that fuch travellers, who fall hereafter vifit the countries defcribed in this work. of mine, may, by detecting my errors (if there be any), and adding many new difcoveries of their own, justle me out of vogue, and ftand in my place, making the world forget that ever I was an author. This indeed would be too great a mortification, if I wrote for fame but as my fole intention was the public good, I cannot be altogether difappointed. For who can read of the virtues I have mentioned in the glorious Houyhnhnms without being afhamed of his own vices, when he confi : ders himself as the reafoning, governing animal of his country? I fhall fly nothing of thofe remote nations, where yahoos prefide; amongst which the leaft corrupted are the Brobdingnagians, whofe wife maxims in morality and government it would be our happiness to obferve. But I forbear defcanting farther, and rather leave the judicious reader to his own remarks and applications. I am not a little pleafed, that this work of mine can poffibly meet with no cenfurers: for what objection can be made against a writer, who relates only plain facts, that happened in fuch dittant countries, where we have not the leaft intereft with refpect either to trade or nego. tiations? I have carefully avoided every fault, with which common writers of travels are often too justly charged. Besides, I meddle not the leaft with any party, but write without paffion, prejudice, or ill-will against any man, or number of men whatfoever. I write for the nobleft end, to inform and instruct mankind, over whom I may, without breach of modesty, pretend to fome fuperiority, from the advantages I received by converfing fo long among the moft accomplished Houyhahams. I write without any view towards profit or prife. I never fuifer a word to pafs, that may look like reflection, or poffibly give the leaft offence, even to thofe who are most ready to take it. So that I hope, I may with juftice pronounce myfelf an author perfectly blameless; agaiuft whom the tribes of anfwerers, confi derers, obfervers, reflecters, detecters, remarkers, will never be able to find matter for exercising their talents. I confels, it was whispered to me, that I was bound in duty, as a fubje&t of England, to have given in a memorial to a fecretary of thate at my filt coming over; because, whatever lands are difcovered by a fubje&t, belong to the crown. But I doubt whether our conquefts, in the countries I treat of, would be as eafy as those of Ferdinando Cortez over the naked Americans. The Lilliputians, I think, are hardly worth the charge of a feet and army to reduce them; and I queftion whether might be prudent or fafe to attempt the Brobdingnagi ans: Or whether an English army would be inuch at their eafe with the flying ifland over their heads. Houyhnhnms, indeed, appear not to be fo well prepared The for for war, a science to which they are perfect ftrangers, and especially against millive weapons. However, fuppofing myself to be a minifter of state, I could never give my advice for invading them. Their prudence, unani-mity, unacquaintednefs with fear, and their love of their country, would amply supply all defects in the military art. Imagine twenty thousand of them breaking into the midst of an European army, confounding the ranks, overturning the carriages, battering the warriors faces into mummy by terrible yerks from their hinder-hoofs; for they would well deferve the character given to Augustus :: recalcitrat undique tutus. But instead of proposals for conquering that magnanimous nation, I rather wifh they. were in a capacity, or difpofition, to fend a fufficient. number of their inhabitants for civilizing Europe, by teaching us the firft principles of honour, justice, truth, temperance, public fpirit, fortitude, chastity, friendship,, benevolence, and fidelity: The names of all which virtues are still retained among us in moft languages, and are to be met with in modern, as well as ancient authors; which I am able to affert from my own small reading. But I had another reason, which made me lefs forward to enlarge his majesty's do.ninions by my difcoveries: To fay the truth, I had conceived a few fcruples with relation to the diftributive justice of princes upon thofe occafions. For inftance, a crew of pyrates are driven by a ftorm, they know not whither; at length a boy difcovers land from the top maft; they go on fhore to rob and plunder; they fee an harmlefs people, are entertained with kindness; they give the country a new name; they take formal poffeffion of it for their king; they fet up a rotten plank or a stone for a memorial; they murder two or three dozen of the natives, bring away a couple more by force for a fample, return home, and get their pardon. Here commences a new dominion, acquired with a title by divine right. Ships are fent with the first opportunity; the natives driven out or destroyed; their princes tortured to discover their gold; a free licence given to all acts of humanity and luft; the earth reeking with the blood of its inhabitants: aud this execrable crew of butchers employed in fo pious an expedition, is a modern colony, B.b 3. fent: |