<p class="gutsumm">The author relates several particulars of the
<i>Yahoos</i>. The great virtues of the
<i>Houyhnhnms</i>. The education and exercise of their
youth. Their general assembly.</p>
<p>As I ought to have understood human nature much better than I
supposed it possible for my master to do, so it was easy to apply
the character he gave of the <i>Yahoos</i> to myself and my
countrymen; and I believed I could yet make further discoveries,
from my own observation. I therefore often begged his
honour to let me go among the herds of <i>Yahoos</i> in the
neighbourhood; to which he always very graciously consented,
being perfectly convinced that the hatred I bore these brutes
would never suffer me to be corrupted by them; and his honour
ordered one of his servants, a strong sorrel nag, very honest and
good-natured, to be my guard; without whose protection I durst
not undertake such adventures. For I have already told the
reader how much I was pestered by these odious animals, upon my
first arrival; and I afterwards failed very narrowly, three or
four times, of falling into their clutches, when I happened to
stray at any distance without my hanger. And I have reason
to believe they had some imagination that I was of their own
species, which I often assisted myself by stripping up my
sleeves, and showing my naked arms and breasts in their sight,
when my protector was with me. At which times they would
approach as near as they durst, and imitate my actions after the
manner of monkeys, but ever with great signs of hatred; as a tame
jackdaw with cap and stockings is always persecuted by the wild
ones, when he happens to be got among them.</p>
<p>They are prodigiously nimble from their infancy.
However, I once caught a young male of three years old, and
endeavoured, by all marks of tenderness, to make it quiet; but
the little imp fell a squalling, and scratching, and biting with
such violence, that I was forced to let it go; and it was high
time, for a whole troop of old ones came about us at the noise,
but finding the cub was safe (for away it ran), and my sorrel nag
being by, they durst not venture near us. I observed the
young animal’s flesh to smell very rank, and the stink was
somewhat between a weasel and a fox, but much more
disagreeable. I forgot another circumstance (and perhaps I
might have the reader’s pardon if it were wholly omitted),
that while I held the odious vermin in my hands, it voided its
filthy excrements of a yellow liquid substance all over my
clothes; but by good fortune there was a small brook hard by,
where I washed myself as clean as I could; although I durst not
come into my master’s presence until I were sufficiently
aired.</p>
<p>By what I could discover, the <i>Yahoos</i> appear to be the
most unteachable of all animals: their capacity never reaching
higher than to draw or carry burdens. Yet I am of opinion,
this defect arises chiefly from a perverse, restive disposition;
for they are cunning, malicious, treacherous, and
revengeful. They are strong and hardy, but of a cowardly
spirit, and, by consequence, insolent, abject, and cruel.
It is observed, that the red haired of both sexes are more
libidinous and mischievous than the rest, whom yet they much
exceed in strength and activity.</p>
<p>The <i>Houyhnhnms</i> keep the <i>Yahoos</i> for present use
in huts not far from the house; but the rest are sent abroad to
certain fields, where they dig up roots, eat several kinds of
herbs, and search about for carrion, or sometimes catch weasels
and <i>luhimuhs</i> (a sort of wild rat), which they greedily
devour. Nature has taught them to dig deep holes with their
nails on the side of a rising ground, wherein they lie by
themselves; only the kennels of the females are larger,
sufficient to hold two or three cubs.</p>
<p>They swim from their infancy like frogs, and are able to
continue long under water, where they often take fish, which the
females carry home to their young. And, upon this occasion,
I hope the reader will pardon my relating an odd adventure.</p>
<p>Being one day abroad with my protector the sorrel nag, and the
weather exceeding hot, I entreated him to let me bathe in a river
that was near. He consented, and I immediately stripped
myself stark naked, and went down softly into the stream.
It happened that a young female <i>Yahoo</i>, standing behind a
bank, saw the whole proceeding, and inflamed by desire, as the
nag and I conjectured, came running with all speed, and leaped
into the water, within five yards of the place where I
bathed. I was never in my life so terribly
frightened. The nag was grazing at some distance, not
suspecting any harm. She embraced me after a most fulsome
manner. I roared as loud as I could, and the nag came
galloping towards me, whereupon she quitted her grasp, with the
utmost reluctancy, and leaped upon the opposite bank, where she
stood gazing and howling all the time I was putting on my
clothes.</p>
<p>This was a matter of diversion to my master and his family, as
well as of mortification to myself. For now I could no
longer deny that I was a real <i>Yahoo</i> in every limb and
feature, since the females had a natural propensity to me, as one
of their own species. Neither was the hair of this brute of
a red colour (which might have been some excuse for an appetite a
little irregular), but black as a sloe, and her countenance did
not make an appearance altogether so hideous as the rest of her
kind; for I think she could not be above eleven years old.</p>
<p>Having lived three years in this country, the reader, I
suppose, will expect that I should, like other travellers, give
him some account of the manners and customs of its inhabitants,
which it was indeed my principal study to learn.</p>
<p>As these noble <i>Houyhnhnms</i> are endowed by nature with a
general disposition to all virtues, and have no conceptions or
ideas of what is evil in a rational creature, so their grand
maxim is, to cultivate reason, and to be wholly governed by
it. Neither is reason among them a point problematical, as
with us, where men can argue with plausibility on both sides of
the question, but strikes you with immediate conviction; as it
must needs do, where it is not mingled, obscured, or discoloured,
by passion and interest. I remember it was with extreme
difficulty that I could bring my master to understand the meaning
of the word opinion, or how a point could be disputable; because
reason taught us to affirm or deny only where we are certain; and
beyond our knowledge we cannot do either. So that
controversies, wranglings, disputes, and positiveness, in false
or dubious propositions, are evils unknown among the
<i>Houyhnhnms</i>. In the like manner, when I used to
explain to him our several systems of natural philosophy, he
would laugh, “that a creature pretending to reason, should
value itself upon the knowledge of other people’s
conjectures, and in things where that knowledge, if it were
certain, could be of no use.” Wherein he agreed
entirely with the sentiments of Socrates, as Plato delivers them;
which I mention as the highest honour I can do that prince of
philosophers. I have often since reflected, what
destruction such doctrine would make in the libraries of Europe;
and how many paths of fame would be then shut up in the learned
world.</p>
<p>Friendship and benevolence are the two principal virtues among
the <i>Houyhnhnms</i>; and these not confined to particular
objects, but universal to the whole race; for a stranger from the
remotest part is equally treated with the nearest neighbour, and
wherever he goes, looks upon himself as at home. They
preserve decency and civility in the highest degrees, but are
altogether ignorant of ceremony. They have no fondness for
their colts or foals, but the care they take in educating them
proceeds entirely from the dictates of reason. And I
observed my master to show the same affection to his
neighbour’s issue, that he had for his own. They will
have it that nature teaches them to love the whole species, and
it is reason only that makes a distinction of persons, where
there is a superior degree of virtue.</p>
<p>When the matron <i>Houyhnhnms</i> have produced one of each
sex, they no longer accompany with their consorts, except they
lose one of their issue by some casualty, which very seldom
happens; but in such a case they meet again; or when the like
accident befalls a person whose wife is past bearing, some other
couple bestow on him one of their own colts, and then go together
again until the mother is pregnant. This caution is
necessary, to prevent the country from being overburdened with
numbers. But the race of inferior <i>Houyhnhnms</i>, bred
up to be servants, is not so strictly limited upon this article:
these are allowed to produce three of each sex, to be domestics
in the noble families.</p>
<p>In their marriages, they are exactly careful to choose such
colours as will not make any disagreeable mixture in the
breed. Strength is chiefly valued in the male, and
comeliness in the female; not upon the account of love, but to
preserve the race from degenerating; for where a female happens
to excel in strength, a consort is chosen, with regard to
comeliness.</p>
<p>Courtship, love, presents, jointures, settlements have no
place in their thoughts, or terms whereby to express them in
their language. The young couple meet, and are joined,
merely because it is the determination of their parents and
friends; it is what they see done every day, and they look upon
it as one of the necessary actions of a reasonable being.
But the violation of marriage, or any other unchastity, was never
heard of; and the married pair pass their lives with the same
friendship and mutual benevolence, that they bear to all others
of the same species who come in their way, without jealousy,
fondness, quarrelling, or discontent.</p>
<p>In educating the youth of both sexes, their method is
admirable, and highly deserves our imitation. These are not
suffered to taste a grain of oats, except upon certain days, till
eighteen years old; nor milk, but very rarely; and in summer they
graze two hours in the morning, and as many in the evening, which
their parents likewise observe; but the servants are not allowed
above half that time, and a great part of their grass is brought
home, which they eat at the most convenient hours, when they can
be best spared from work.</p>
<p>Temperance, industry, exercise, and cleanliness, are the
lessons equally enjoined to the young ones of both sexes: and my
master thought it monstrous in us, to give the females a
different kind of education from the males, except in some
articles of domestic management; whereby, as he truly observed,
one half of our natives were good for nothing but bringing
children into the world; and to trust the care of our children to
such useless animals, he said, was yet a greater instance of
brutality.</p>
<p>But the <i>Houyhnhnms</i> train up their youth to strength,
speed, and hardiness, by exercising them in running races up and
down steep hills, and over hard stony grounds; and when they are
all in a sweat, they are ordered to leap over head and ears into
a pond or river. Four times a year the youth of a certain
district meet to show their proficiency in running and leaping,
and other feats of strength and agility; where the victor is
rewarded with a song in his or her praise. On this
festival, the servants drive a herd of <i>Yahoos</i> into the
field, laden with hay, and oats, and milk, for a repast to the
<i>Houyhnhnms</i>; after which, these brutes are immediately
driven back again, for fear of being noisome to the assembly.</p>
<p>Every fourth year, at the vernal equinox, there is a
representative council of the whole nation, which meets in a
plain about twenty miles from our house, and continues about five
or six days. Here they inquire into the state and condition
of the several districts; whether they abound or be deficient in
hay or oats, or cows, or <i>Yahoos</i>; and wherever there is any
want (which is but seldom) it is immediately supplied by
unanimous consent and contribution. Here likewise the
regulation of children is settled: as for instance, if a
<i>Houyhnhnm</i> has two males, he changes one of them with
another that has two females; and when a child has been lost by
any casualty, where the mother is past breeding, it is determined
what family in the district shall breed another to supply the
loss.</p>
<h3>IV - CHAPTER IX.</h3>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />
1 of 2
2 of 2
Previous
Next
Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.