He knew not what could be the use of those feveral clefts and divifions in my feet behind; that these were too foft to bear the hardnefs and sharp. nefs of ftones, without a covering made from the fkin of fome other brute; that my whole body wanted a fence againft heat and cold, which I was forced to put on and off every day with tedioufnefs and trouble. And lastly, that he obferved every animal in this country naturally to abhor the yahoos, whom the weaker avoided, and the stronger drove from them. So that, fuppofing us to have the gift of reafon, he could not fee how it were poffible to cure that natural antipathy, which every creature difcovered 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 ftory, the country where I was born, and the feveral actions and events of my life before I came hither, I affured him, how extremely defirous I was, that he fhould be fatisfied in every point; but I doubted much, whether it would be poffible for me to explain myfelt on feveral fubjects, whereof. his honour could have no conception; because I faw nothing in his country, to which I could refemble them. That however I would do my best, and strive to exprefs myself by fimilitudes, humbly defiring his affiftance, when I wanted proper words; which he was pleased to promise me. I faid, my birth was of honeft parents, in an iland called England, which was remote from his country as many days journey, as the ftrongeft of his honour's fervants could travel in the annual course of the fun: That I was bred a furgeon, whofe trade it is to cure wounds and hurts in the body gotten by accident or violence: That my country was governed by a female man, whom we called Queen: That I left it to get riches, where R 2. by by I might maintain myself and family when I fhould return: That in my laft voyage I was com→ mander of the fhip, and had about fifty yahoos under me, many of which died at fea, and I was for. ced to fupply them by others picked out from feveral nations: That our fhip was twice in danger of being funk; the first time by a great ftorm, and the fecond by ftriking againft a rock. Here my mafter interpofed, by asking me, how I could perfuade ftrangers out of different countries to venture with me, after the loffes I had sustained, and the hazards I had run. I faid, they were fellows of defperate fortunes, forced to fly from the places of their birth on account of their poverty or their crimes. Some were undone by law-fuits; others spent all they had in drinking, whoring, and gaming; others fled for treafon; many for murder, theft, poisoning, robbery, perjury, forgery, coining falfe-money, for committing rapes or fodomy; for flying from their colours, or deferting to the enemy; and most of them had broken prifon; none of these durft return to their native countries for fear of being hanged, or of ftarving in a jail ; and therefore they were under a neceffity of fecking a livelihood in other places. During this difcourfe, my mafter was pleafed to interrupt me feveral times; I had made ufe of many circumlocutions in defcribing to him the nature of the feveral crimes, for which most of our crew had been forced to fly their country. This labour took up feveral days converfation before he was able to comprehend me. He was wholly at a lofs to know, what could be the ufe or neceffity of practising thofe vices. To clear up which, I endeavoured to give him fome ideas of the defire of power and riches; of the terrible effects of luft, intemperance, malice, and envy. All this I was forced to define and defcribe by putting cafes and making fuppofitions. After which, like one whofe imagination imagination was ftruck with fomething never feen or heard of before, he would lift up his eyes with amazement and indignation. Power, government, war, law, punishment, and a thoufand other things had no terms, wherein that language could exprefs them; which made the difficulty almoft infuperable to give my mafter any conception of what I meant. But being of an excellent understanding, much improved by contemplation and converfe, he at last arrivied at a competent knowledge of what human nature in our parts of the world is capable to perform, and defired I would give him fome particular account of that land, which we call Europe, but especially of my own country CHAP. V. The author, at his master's commands, informs him of the ftate of England. The caufes of war among the princes of Europe. The author begins to explain the Englifb conftitution. HE reader may pleafe to obferve, that the following extract of my converfatious I had with my mafter, contains a fummary of the most material points, which were difcourfed on at feve ral times for above two years; his honour often defiring fuller fatisfaction, 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 fciences; and the answers I gave to all the questions he made, as they arose upon several fubjects, were a fund of converfation not to be exhaufted. But I fhall here only fet down the fubftance of what paffed between us concerning my own country, re R 3 ducing ducing 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 master's arguments and expreffions, which muft needs fuffer by my want of capacity, as well as by a translation 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 fucceffor the prefent Queen, wherein the greatest powers of Chriftendom were engaged, and which ft.ll continued: I computed, at his requeft, that about a million of yahoos might have been killed in the whole progrefs of it; and perhaps a hundred or more cities taken, and five times as many fhips 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 stifle or divert the clamour of the fubjects 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, nar. Few or wide, dirty or clean, with many more **. Transubstantiation. Chu-ch-mufic. Kiffing a cross. **The colour and make of facred veftments, and different or ders of Popish ecclefiaftics, Neither Neither are any wars fo furious and bloody, or of fo long continuance, as thofe occafioned by difference in opinion, especially if it be in things indif ferent. 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 because he is too weak. Sometimes our neighbours want the things which we have, or have the things which we want; and we both fight, till they take ours, or give us theirs. It is a very juftifiable cause of a war, to invade a country after the people have been wafted by famine, deftroyed by peftilence, or embroiled by factions among themfelves. It is juftifiable to enter into a war againft our nearest ally, when one of his towns lies convenient for us, or a territory of land, that would render our dominions round and compact. If a prince fends forces into a nation, where the people are poor and ignorant, he may lawfully put the half of them to death, and make flaves 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, should seize on the dominions himself, and kill, imprison, or banish the prince he came to relieve. Alliance by blood, or marriage, is a frequent cause 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 these reasons the trade of a foldier is held the moft honourable of all others; because |