CHA P. X. The author's oeconomy, and happy life, among the Houyhnhnms. His great improvement in virtue by converfing with them. Their converfations. The author bath notice given him by his master, that he must depart from the country. He falls into a fwoon for grief; but fubmits. He contrives and finishes a canoo by the help of a fellow fervant, and puts to fea at a venture. I Had fettled little my oeconomy to my own heart's content. My mafter had ordered a room to be made for me after their manner about fix yards from the house; the fides and floors of which I plaistered with clay, and covered with rufh-matts of my own contriving; I had beaten hemp, which there grows wild, and made of it a fort of ticking: this I filled with the feathers of several birds I had taken with springes made of yahoos hairs, and were excellent food. I had worked two chairs with my knife, the forrel nag helping me in the groffer and more laborious part. When my cloaths were worn to rags, I made myself others with the fkins of rabbets, and of a certain beautiful animal about the fame fize, called nnubnob, the skin of which is covered with a fine down. Of these I also made very tolerable ftockings. I foaled my fhoes with wood, which I cut from a tree, and fitted to the up per per-leather; and when this was worn out I fupplied it with the fkins of yahoos dried in the fun. I often got honey out of hollow trees, which I mingled with water, or eat with my bread. No man could more verify the truth of these two maxims, That nature is very eafily fatisfied; and, That necefity is the mother of invention. I enjoyed perfect health of body, and tranquillity of mind; I did not feel the treachery or inconftancy of a friend, nor the injuries of a fecret or open enemy. I had no occafion of bribing, flattering, or pimping, to procure the favour of any great man, or of his minion. I wanted no fence against fraud or oppreffion; here was neither phyfician to deftroy my body, nor lawyer to ruin my fortune; no informer to watch my words and actions, or forge accufations against me for hire: here were no gibers, cenfurers, backbiters, pickpockets, highway-men, house-breakers, attor nies, bawds, buffoons, gamefters, politicians, wits, fplenatics, tedious talkers, controvertists, ravishers, murderers, robbers, virtuofoes; no leaders or followers of party and faction; no encouragers to vice by feducement or examples; no dungeon, axes, gibbets, whippingpofts, or pillories; no cheating fhopkeepers or mechanics; no pride, vanity, or affectation; no fops, bullies, drunkards, ftrolling whores, or poxes; no ranting, lewd, expensive wives; no ftupid, proud pedants; no importunate, over-bearing, quarrelfome, noify, roaring, empty, conceited, fwearing companion no fcoun drels drels raised from the duft upon the merit of their vices, or nobility thrown into it on account of their virtues; no lords, fidlers, judges, or dancing-matters. I had the favour of being admitted to feveral Houyhnhnms, who came to vifit or dine with my mafter; where his honour graciously fuffered me to wait in the room, and liften to their discourse. Both he and his company would often defcend to ask me questions, and receive my anfwers. I had also fometimes the honour of attending my master in his visits to others. I never prefumed to fpeak, except in answer to a queftion; and then I did it with inward regret, because it was a loss of so much time for improving myself: but I was infinitely delighted with the ftation of an humble auditor in fuch converfations, where nothing paffed but what was useful, expreffed in the fewest and most fignificant words: where (as I have already faid) the greatest decency was obferved without the leaft degree of ceremony; where no person spoke without being pleafed himself, and pleafing his companions; where there was no interruption, tediousness, heat, or difference of fentiments. They have a notion, that, when people are met together, a fhort filence doth much improve converfation: this I found to be true; for during those little intermiffions of talk new ideas would arife in their minds, which very much enlivened the discourse. Their fubjects are generally on friendship and benevolence, on order and oeco nomy; nomy; fometimes upon the visible operations of nature, or ancient traditions; upon the bounds and limits of virtue; upon the unerring rules of reason, or upon fome determinations to be taken at the next great affembly; and often upon the various excellencies of poetry. I may add without vanity, that my presence often gave them fufficient matter for difcourfe, because it afforded my mafter an occafion of letting his friends into the hiftory of me and my country, upon which they were all pleased to defcant in a manner not very advantageous to human kind; and for that reafon I fhall not repeat what they faid only I may be allowed to obferve, that his honour to my great admiration appeared to understand the nature of yahoos, much better than myself. He went through all our vices and follies, and difcovered many, which I had never mentioned to him, by only foppofing what qualities a yahoo of their country with a small proportion of reafon might be capable of exerting; and concluded, with too much probability, how vile as well as miferable fuch a creature must be. I freely confefs, that all the little knowledge I have of any value, was acquired by the lectures I received from my mafter, and from hearing the difcourfes of him and his friends; to which I should be prouder to liften, than to dictate to the greatest and wifeft affembly in Europe. I admired the ftrength, comeliness, and speed of the inhabitants; and fuch a con ftellation ftellation of virtues, in fuch amiable perfons, produced in me the higheft veneration. At firft indeed I did not feel that natural awe, which the yahoos and all other animals bear towards them; but it grew upon me by degrees, much fooner than I imagined, and was mingled with a respectful love and gratitude, that they would condescend to distinguish me from the rest of my fpecies. When I thought of my family, my friends, my countrymen, or human race in general, I confidered them as they really were, yaboos in shape and difpofition, perhaps a little more civilized, and qualified with the gift of fpeech; but making no other use of reason, than to improve and multiply thofe vices, whereof their brethren in this country had only the share that nature allotted them. When I happened to behold the reflection of my own form in a lake or a fountain, I turned away my face in horror and deteftation of myself; and could better endure the fight of a common yahoo, than of my own perfon. By converfing with the Houyhnhnms, and looking upon them with delight, I fell to imitate their gait and gesture, which is now grown into an habit; and my friends often tell me in a blunt way, that I trot like a horfe; which however I take for a great compliment: neither fhall I difown, that in fpeaking I am apt to fall into the voice and manner of the Houyhnhnms, and hear myself ridiculed on that account without the leaft mortification. |