The Author, at his Mafter's Commands, informs him of the State of ENGLAND. The Caufes of War among the Princes of EUROPE. The Author begins to explain the English Conftitution.

HE Reader may please to observe, that the following Extract of many Converfations I had with my Master, contains a Summary of the moft material Points, which were difcourfed at feveral Times for above two Years; his Honour often defiring fuller Satisfaction, as I farther improved in the Houyhnhnm Tongue. I laid before him, as well as I could, the whole State of Europe; I difcourfed of Trade and Manufactures, of Arts and Sciences; and the Anfwers I gave to all the Queftions he made, as they arose upon feveral Subjects, were a Fund of Converfation not to be exhausted. But, I fhall here only fet down the Substance of what paffed between us concerning my own Country, reducing it into Order as well as I can, without any Regard to Time or other Circumftances, while I ftrictly adhere to Truth. My only Concern is, that I fhall hardly be able to do Juftice to

my

my Master's Arguments and Expreffions, which muft needs fuffer by my Want of Capacity, as well as by a Tranflation into our barbarous English.

IN Obedience therefore to his Honour's Commands, I related to him the Revolution under the Prince of Orange; the long War with France, entered into by the faid Prince, and renewed by his Succeffor the prefent QUEEN; wherein the greatest Powers of Christendom were engaged, and which ftill continued: I computed, at his Requeft, that about a Million of Yaboos might have been killed in the whole Progrefs of it; and perhaps a hundred or more Cities taken, and five times as many Ships burnt or funk.

HE asked me what were the ufual Causes or Motives, that made one Country go to War with another. I answered they were innumerable; but I fhould only mention a few of the chief. Sometimes the Ambition of Princes, who never think they have Land or People enough to govern: Sometimes the Corruption of Minifters, who engage their Mafter in a War, in order to ftifle or divert the Clamour of the Subjects against their evil Administration. Difference in Opinions hath coft many Millions of Lives: For Inftance, whether Flesh be Bread, or Bread be Flesh: Whether the Juice of a certain Berry be Blood or Wine: Whether Whistling be a Vice or a Virtue: Whether it be better to kiss a Poft, or throw it into the Fire: What is the best Colour for a Coat, whether Black, White, Red, or Grey; and whether it fhould be long or short, narrow or wide, dirty or clean ; with many more. Neither are any Wars fo furious and bloody, or of fo long Continuance, as those occafioned by difference in Opinion, especially if it be in Things indifferent,

SOMETIMES

SOMETIMES the Quarrel between two Princes is to decide which of them fhall difpoffefs a Third of his Dominions, where neither of them pretend to any Right. Sometimes one Prince quarrelleth with another, for fear the other fhould quarrel with him. Sometimes a War is entered upon, because the Enemy is too strong, and fometimes becaufe he is too weak. Sometimes our Neighbours want the Things which we have, or have the Things which we want; and we both fight, until they take ours, or give us theirs. It is a very juftifiable Cause of War, to invade a Country after the People have been wafted by Famine, deftroyed by Peftilence, or embroiled by Factions amongst themselves. It is juftifiable to enter into a War against our nearest Ally, when one of his Towns lie convenient for us, or a Territory of Land, that would render our Dominions round and compact. If a Prince fend Forces into a Nation, where the People are poor and igno-, rant, he may lawfully put half of them to Death, and make Slaves of the reft, in order to civilize and reduce them from their barbarous Way of Living. It is a very kingly, honourable, and frequent Practice, when one Prince defires the Affiftance of another to fecure him against an Invafion, that the Affiftant, when he hath driven out the Invader, fhould feize on the Dominions himfelf, and kill, imprifon, or banish the Prince he came to relieve. Alliance by Blood or Marriage, is a fufficient Caufe of War between Princes; and the nearer the Kindred is, the greater is their Difpofition to quarrel: Poor Nations are hungry, and rich Nations are proud; and Pride and Hunger will ever be at Variance. For thefe Reafons, the Trade of a Soldier is held the moft honourable of all others: Becaufe a Soldier is a Taboo hired to kill in cold Blood

as

as many of his own Species, who have never offended him, as poffibly he can.

THERE is likewife a Kind of beggarly Prince in Europe, not able to make War by themselves, who hire out their Troops to richer Nations for fo much a Day to each Man; of which they keep three Fourths to themselves, and it is the best Part of their Maintenance; fuch are thofe in many Northern Parts of Europe.

WHAT you have told me (faid my Master) upon the Subject of War, doth indeed difcover most admirably the Effects of that Reafon you pretend to: However, it is happy that the Shame is greater than the Danger; and that Nature hath left you utterly uncapable of doing much Mifchief: For, your Mouths lying flat with your Faces, you can hardly bite each other to any Purpose, unless by Confent. Then, as to the Claws upon your Feet before and behind, they are so short and tender, that one of our Yaboos would drive a Dozen of yours before him. And therefore, in recounting the Numbers of thofe who have been killed in Battle, I cannot but think, that you have faid the Thing which is not.

I COULD not forbear fhaking my Head and fmiling a little at his Ignorance. And, being no Stranger to the Art of War, I gave him a Defcription of Cannons, Culverines, Mufkets, Carabines, Pistols, Bullets, Powder, Swords, Bayonets, Sieges, Retreats, Attacks, Undermines, Countermines, Bombardments, Sea-fights; Ships funk with a thousand Men; twenty thoufand killed on each Side, dying Groans, Limbs flying in the Air: Smoak, Noife, Confufion, trampling to Death under Horfes Feet: Flight, Purfuit, Victory: Fields ftrewed with Carcafes left for Food to

Dogs,

Dogs, and Wolves, and Birds of Prey; Plundering, Stripping, Ravifhing, Burning and Deftroying. And, to fet forth the Valour of my own dear Countrymen, I affured him, that I had seen them blow up a hundred Enemies at once in a Siege, and as many in a Ship; and beheld the dead Bodies drop down in Pieces from the Clouds, to the great Diversion of all the Spectators.

I WAS going on to more Particulars, when my Mafter commanded me Silence. He faid, whoever understood the Nature of Yahoos, might easily be→ hieve it poffible for fo vile an Animal, to be capable of every Action I had named, if their Strength and Cunning equalled their Malice. But, as my Difcourfe had increased the Abhorrence of the whole Species, fo he found it gave him a Disturbance in his Mind, to which he was wholly a Stranger before. He thought his Ears being used to fuch abominable Words, might by Degrees admit them with lefs Deteftation. That, although he hated the Yaboos of this Country, yet he no more blamed them for their odious Qualities, than he did a Gnnayh (a Bird of Prey) for its Cruelty, or a fharp Stone for cutting his Hoof. But, when a Creature pretending to Reafon, could be capable of fuch Enormities, he dreaded, left the Corruption of that Faculty, might be worfe than Brutality itfelf. He feemed therefore confident, that instead of Reason, we were only poffeffed of fome Quality fitted to increase our natural Vices; as the Reflection from a troubled Stream, returns the Image of an ill-fhapen Body, not only large, but more distorted.

He added, That he had heard too much upon the Subject of War, both in this, and fome former Difcourfes. There was another Point which a

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