СНА Р. II.

The author conducted by a Houyhnhnm to his house. The houfe defcribed. The author's reception. The food of the Houyhnhnms. The author in distress for want of meat, is at last relieved.

ner of feeding in this country.

H

His man

The

AVING travelled about three miles, we came to a long kind of building, made of timber ftuck in the ground, and wattled a-crofs: The roof was low, and covered with ftraw. I now began to be a little comforted: And took out fome toys, which travellers ufually carry for prefents to the favage Indians of America and other parts, in hopes the people of the house would be thereby encouraged to receive me kindly. horse made me a fign to go in first ; it was à large room with a smooth clay floor, and a rack and manger, extending the whole length on one fide. There were three nags and two mares not eating, but fome of them fitting down upon their hams, which I very much wondered at; but wondered more to see the reft employed in domestic businefs; these feemed but ordinary cattle: However this confirmed my firft opinion, that a people, who could fo far civilize brute animals, muft needs excell in wifdom all the nations of the world. The grey came in juft after, and thereby prevent

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ed any ill treatment which the others might have given me. He neighed to them several times in a style of authority, and received anfwers.

Beyond this room there were three others reaching the length of the house, to which you paffed through three doors oppofite to each other, in the manner of a vista. We went through the fecond room towards the third; here the grey walked in first, beckoning me to attend : I waited in the fecond room, and got ready my prefents for the mafter and mistress of the house: They were two knives, three bracelets of false pearl; a small looking-glafs, and a bead necklace. The horse neighed three or four times, and I waited to hear fome anfwers in a human voice; but I heard no other returns, than in the same dialect, only one or two a little fhriller than his. I began to think, that this houfe muft belong to fome perfon of great note among them, because there appeared fo much ceremony before I could gain admittance. But, that a man of quality should be served all by horses, was beyond my comprehenfion. I feared my brain was disturbed by my fufferings and misfortunes: I roused myself, and looked about me in the room, where I was left alone; this was furnished like the firft, only after a more elegant manner. I rubbed my eyes often, but the fame objects ftill occurred. I pinched my arms and fides to awake myself, hoping I might be in a dream. I then abfolutely concluded, that all these appearances

could

could be nothing else but necromancy and magic. But I had no time to pursue thefe reflections; for the grey horfe came to the door, and made me a fign to follow him into the third room; where I faw a very comely mare, together with a colt and foal, fitting on their haunches upon matts of ftraw, not unartfully made, and perfectly neat and clean.

The mare, foon after my entrance, rofe from her matt, and coming up clofe, after having nicely obferved my hands and face, gave me a moft contemptuous look; then turning to the horse, I heard the word Yahoo often repeated betwixt them; the meaning of which word I could not then comprehend, although it were the firft I had learned to pronounce; but I was foon better informed, to my everlasting mortification; for the horse beckoning to me with his head, and repeating the word hhuun, hhuun, as he did upon the road, which I understood was to attend him, led me out into a kind of court, where was another building at some distance from the house. Here we entered, and I faw three of those deteftable creatures which I firft met after my landing, feeding upon roots and the flesh of fome animals, which I afterwards found to be that of affes and dogs, and now and then a cow, dead by accident or difeafe. They were all tyed by the neck with ftrong wyths faftened to a beam; they held their food between the claws of their fore-feet, and tore it with their teeth.

The master horfe ordered a forrel nag, one of his fervants, to untie the largest of these animals, and take him into the yard. The beast and I were brought clofe together; and our countenances diligently compared both by mafter and fervant, who thereupon repeated feveral times the word Yahoo. My horror and astonishment are not to be defcribed, when I obferved in this abominable animal, a perfect human figure: The face of it indeed was flat and broad, the nose depreffed, the lips large, and the mouth wide: But thefe differences are common to all favage nations, where the lineaments of the countenance are diftorted, by the natives fuffering their infants to lie grovelling on the earth, or by carrying them on their backs nuzling with their faces against the mother's fhoulders. The fore-feet of the Taboo differed from my hands, in nothing elfe but the length of the nails, thecoarfeness and brownnefs of the palms, and the hairiness on the backs. There was the fame refemblance between our feet, with the fame differences, which I knew very well, though the horses did not because of my fhoes and stockings; the fame in every part of our bodies, except as to hairiness and colour, which I have already defcribed.

The great difficulty that feemed to ftick with the two horfes, was, to fee the rest of my body fo very different from that of the Yahoos, for which I was obliged to my cloaths, whereof they had no conception. The forrel nag offered me a root which he held (after their manner, as we VOL. V. F f fhall

fhall defcribe in its proper place) between his hoof and paftern; I took it in my hand, and having finelt it, returned it to him again as civilly as I could. He brought out of the Yahoo's kennel, a piece of afs's flesh; but it fmelt so offensively, that I turned from it with loathing: He then threw it to the Yahoo, by whom it was greedily devoured *. He afterwards fhewed me a wifp of hay, and a fetlock full of oats; but I fhook my head, to fignify that neither of thefe were food for me. And indeed I now apprehended, that I muft abfolutely ftarve, if I did not get to fome of my own fpecies; for as to thofe filthy Yaboos, although there were few greater lovers of mankind at that time than myfelf; yet, I confefs, I never faw any fenfitive being fo deteftable on all accounts; and the more I came near them, the more hateful they grew, while I staid in that country. This the mafter horfe obferved by my behaviour, and therefore sent the Yahoo back to his kennel. He then put his fore-hoof to his mouth, at which I was much furprised, although he did it with eafe, and with a motion that appeared perfectly natural; and made other figns to know what I would eat; but I could not return him fuch an answer as he was able to apprehend; and if he had understood me, I did not

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Whoever is difgufted with this picture of a Yahoo, would do well to reflect, that it becomes his own in exact proportion as he deviates from virtue, for virtue is the perfection of reafon. The appetites of those abandoned to vice, are not lefs brutal and fordid, than that of a Yahoo for afles flesh; nor is their life a ftate of lefs abject fervility. Hawkef.