native Country, to relate my Travels hither, as I refolved to do, every Body would believe that I Jaid the Thing which was not; that I invented the Story out of my own Head; and, with all poffible Refpect to himself, his Family, and Friends, and under his Promife of not being offended, our Countrymen would hardly think it probable, that a Houyhnhnm fhould be the prefiding Creature of a Nation, and a Yahoo the Brute.

CHA P. IV.

The Houyhnhnms Notion of Truth and Falfhood. The Author's Difcourfe difapproved by his Mafter. The Author gives a more particular Account of himself, and the Accidents of his Voyage.

M

Y Mafter heard me with great Appearances of Uneafinefs in his Countenance; becaufe Doubting, or not Believing, are fo little known in this Country, that the Inhabitants cannot tell how to behave themselves under fuch Circumftances. And I remember, in frequent Difcourfes with my Mafter, concerning the Nature of Manhood, in other Parts of the World, having Occafion to talk of Lying, and falfe Representation, it was with much Difficulty that he comprehended what I meant; although he had otherwise a moft acute Judgment. For he argued thus: That the Ufe of Speech was to make us understand one another, and to receive Information of Facts; now, if any one faid the Thing that was not, thefe Ends were defeated; because I cannot properly be faid to understand him; and I am so far from receiving Information, that he leaves me worse than in IgT 2

norance,

norance, for I am led to believe a Thing Black when it is White, and Short when it is Long. And thefe were all the Notions he had concerning that Faculty of Lying, fo perfectly well understood, and fo univerfally practifed, among human ́Crea

tures.

To return from this Digreffion; when I afferted that the Yahoos were the only governing Animals in my Country, which, my Mafter faid, was altogether paft his Conception, he defired to know, whether we had Houyhnhnms among us, and what was their Employment: I told him, we had great Numbers; that in Summer they grazed in the Fields, and in Winter were kept in Houfes, with Hay and Oats, where Yahoo-Servants were employed to rub their Skins fmooth, comb their Manes, pick their Feet, ferve them with Food, and make their Beds. I understand you well, faid my Mafter; it is now very plain, from all you have spoken, that, whatever Share of Reason the Yahoos pretend to, the Houyhnhnms are your Mafters; I heartily with our Yahoos would be fo tractable. I begged his Honour would pleafe to excufe me from proceeding any farther, because I was very certain, that the Account he expected from me would be highly difpleafing. But he infifted in commanding me to let him know the beft and the worft 1 told him, he fhould be obeyed. I owned, that the Houyhnhnms among us, whom we called Horfes, were the most generous and comely Animal we had ; that they excelled in Strength and Swiftnefs; and when they belonged to Perfons of Quality, employed in Travelling, Racing, or drawing Chariots, they were treated with much Kindness and Care, till they fell into Diseases, or became foundered in the Feet; bat

then

then they were fold, and ufed to all Kind of Drudgery, till they died; after which their Skins were stripped, and fold for what they were worth, and their Bodies left to be devoured by Dogs and Birds of Prey. But the common Race of Horfes had not fo good Fortune, being kept by Farmers and Carriers, and other mean People, who put them to greater Labour, and fed them worse. I described, as well as I could, our Way of Riding; the Shape and Ufe of a Bridle, a Saddle, a Spur, and a Whip; of Harnefs and Wheels. I added, that we fastened Plates of a certain hard Substance, called Iron, at the Bottom of their Feet, to preferve their Hoofs from being broken by the ftony Ways on which we often travelled.

My Mafter, after fome Expreffions of great Indignation, wondered how we dared to venture upon a Houyhnhnm's Back; for he was fure, that the weakest Servant in his Houfe would be able to shake off the ftrongest Yahoo; or by lying down, and rolling on his Back, fqueefe the Brute to Death. I answered, That our Horfes were trained up, from three or four Years old, to the feveral Ufes we intended them for; That, if any of them proved intolerably vicious, they were employed for Carriages; that they were feverely beaten, while they were young, for any mischievous Tricks: That the Males, defigned for common Ufe of Riding or Draught, were generally caftrated about two Years after their Birth, to take down their Spirits, and make them more tame and gentle; that they were, indeed, fenfible of Rewards and Punishments; but his Honour would please to confider, that they had not the leaft Tincture of Reafon, any more than the Yahoos in this Country.

It put me to the Pains of many Circumlocutions to give my Mafter a right Idea of what I fpoke; for their Language doth not abound in Variety of Words, because their Wants and Paffions are fewer than among us. But it is impoffible to reprefent his noble Réfentment at our favage Treatment of the Houynhnm Race; particularly after I had explained the Manner and Use of Caftrating Horfes among us, to hinder them from propagating their Kind, and to render them more fervile. He faid, if it were poffible there could be any Country where Yahoos alone were endued with Reason, they certainly muft be the governing Animal; because Reason will in Time always prevail against brutal Strength. But, confidering the Frame of our Bodies, and especially of mine, he thought no Creature of equal Bulk was fo ill contrived, for employing that Reafon in the common Offices of Life; whereupon, he defired to know, whether thofe, among whom I lived, refembled me, or the Yahoos of his Country. I affured him, that I was as well fhaped as moft of my Age: But the Younger, and the Females, were much more foft and tender, and the Skins of the latter, generally as white as Milk. He faid, I differed, indeed, from other Yahoos, being much more cleanly, and not altogether fo deformed; but, in Point of real Advantage, he thought I differed for the worse. That my Nails were of no Ufe, either to my Fore or Hinder-feet; as to my Fore-feet, he could not properly call them by that Name, for he never obferved me to walk upon them; that they were too foft to bear the Ground; that I generally went with them uncovered, neither was the Covering, I fometimes wore on them, of the fame Shape, or fo ftrong

as

as that on my Feet behind. That I could not walk with any Security, for, if either of my Hinder-feet flipped, I muft inevitably fall. He then began to find Fault with other Parts of my Body; the Flatnefs of my Face, the Prominence of my Nose, mine Eyes placed directly in Front, fo that I could not look on either Side, without turning my Head: That I was not able to feed myself, without lifting one of my Forefeet to my Mouth: And therefore Nature had placed those Joints to answer that Neceffity. He knew not what could be the Use of those several Clefts and Divifions in my Feet behind, that these were too soft to bear the Hardness and Sharpnefs of Stones, without a Covering made from the Skin of fome other Brute; that my whole Body wanted a Fence against Heat and Cold, which I was forced to put on and off every Day with Tediousness and Trouble. And lastly, that he observed every Animal in this Country naturally to abhor the Yahoos, whom the Weaker a. voided, and the Stronger drove from them. So that, fuppofing us to have the Gift of Reason, he could not fee how it were poffible to cure that natural Antipathy which every Creature discovered against us; nor confequently, how we could tame and render them ferviceable. However, he would (as he faid) debate the Matter no farther, because he was more defirous to know my own Story, the Country where I was born, and the several Actions and Events of my Life before I came hither.

I affured him, how extremely defirous I was, that he should be fatisfied in every Point; but I doubted much, whether it would be poffible for me to explain myself on several Subjects, whereof his Honour could have no Conception, because I faw

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