if it were certain, could be of no ufe: wherein he agreed entirely with the fentiments of Socrates, as Plato delivers them; which I mention as the highest honour I can do that prince of philofophers. I have often fince reflected, what deftruction fuch a doctrine would make in the libraries of Europe; and how many paths to fame would be then fhut up in the learned world.

Friendship and benevolence are the two principal virtues among the Houyhnhnms; and these not confined to particular objects, but univerfal, to the whole race. For a stranger from the remoteft parts is equally treated with the neareft neighbour; and where ever he goes, looks upon himself as at home. They preferve decency and civility in the highest degrees; but are altogether ignorant of ceremony. They have no fondness for their colts or foles; but the care they take in educating them, proceed eth entirely from the dictates of reafon +. And I obferved my mafter to fhew the fame affection to his neighbour's iffue, that he had for his own. They will have it, that Nature teaches them to love the whole fpecies, and it is reafon only that maketh a diftinction of perfons, where there is a fu perior degree of virtue

When the matron Houyhnhnms have produced one of each fex, they no longer accompany with their conforts, except they lofe one of their iffue

Their virtuous qualities are only negative. Orrery.

We here view the pure inftincts of brutes, acting in their narrow fphere, merely for their immediate prefervation. Orrery.

It may perhaps be thought fomewhat frange, that the fenfe of the noble Commentator should appear to be directly oppofite to that of the author, in the paffages which these notes were intended to ilInftrate. But this apparent oppofition may arife merely from their ufing the fame word in an oppofite fenfe; as by the word candour, his Lordship always means a quality which inclines a man to put the worst conftruction upon the words and actions of another; and by candour, the Dean always means juft the contrary.

Compare the note from Orrery, in Gulliver's Travels, vol. iv. P. 363. with Swift's apology for the Tale of a Tub, in vol. i. p. 2.

by

by fome cafualty, which very feldom happens: but in fuch a cafe they meet again; or when the like accident befals a person whose wife is past bearing, fome other couple bestow on him one of their own colts, and then go together again until the mother is pregnant. The caution is neceffary to prevent the country from being over burdened with numbers. But the race of inferior Houyhnhnms, bred up to be fervants, is not fo ftrictly limited upon this article; these are allowed to produce three of each sex to be domestics in the noble families.

In their marriages, they are exactly careful to choofe fuch colours as will not make any difagreeable mixture in the breed. Strength is chiefly va lued in the male, and comeliness in the female; not upon the account of love, but to preferve the race from degenerating; for where a female happens to excel in ftrength, a confort it chofen with regard to comeliness.

Courtship, love, presents, jointures, fettlements, have no place in their thoughts; or terms whereby to exprefs 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 fee done every day, and they look up. on it as one of the neceffary actions of a reasonable being. But the violation of marriage, or any other unchastity, was never heard of; and the married pair pafs their lives with the fame friendship, and mutual benèvolenee, that they bear to others of the fame fpecies who come in their way; without jealoufy, fondnefs, quarrelling, or difcontent.

In educating the youth of both fexes, their method is admirable, and highly deferveth our imita tion. Thefe are not fuffered to tafte a grain of oats, except upon certain days, till eighteen years old; nor milk, but very rarely; and in fummer they graze two hours in the morning, and as many in the evening, which their parents likewife ob

ferve; but the fervants are not allowed above half that time, and a great part of their grafs is brought home, which they eat at the most convenient hours, when they can be beft fpared from work.

Temperance, induftry, exercise, and cleanliness, are the leffons equally enjoined to the young ones of both fexes: and my matter thought it monstrous in us to give the females a different kind of education from the males, except in fome articles of domeftic management; whereby, as he truly obferved, one half of our natives were good for nothing but bringing children into the world; and to truft the care of our children to fuch useless animals, he faid, was yet a greater instance of brutality.

But the Houyhnhnms train up their youth to ftrength, fpeed, and hardiness, by exercifing them in running races up and down fteep hills, and over hard ftony grounds, and when they are all in a fweat, they are ordered to leap over head and ears into a pond or river. Four times a year the youth of a certain diftrict meet to fhew their proficiency in running and leaping, and other feats of ftrength and agility; where the victor is rewarded, with a fong in his or her praife. On this feftival the fervants drive a herd of yahoos into the field, laden with hay, and oats, and milk, for a repaft to the Houyhnhnms; after which thefe brutes are immediately driven back again, for fear of being noisome to the affembly.

Every fourth year, at the vernal equinox, there is a reprefentative council of the whole nation, which meets in a plain about twenty miles from our house, and continueth about five or fix days. Here they inquire into the ftate and condition of the feveral diftricts; whether they abound, or be deficient in hay or oats, or cows or yahoos? and whereever there is any want, (which is but feldom,) it is immediately fupplied by unanimous confent and contribution. Here likewife the regulation of chil

dren

dren is fettled: as for inftance, if a Houyhnhnm hath two males, he changeth one of them with another that hath two females: and when a child hath been loft by any cafualty, where the mother is past breeding, it is determined what family in the district fhall breed another to fupply the lofs.

CHA P. IX.

A grand debate at the general assembly of the Houyhnhnms, and how it was determined. The learning of the Houyhnhnms. Their buildings. Their manner of burials. The defectiveness of their language.

NE of thefe grand affemblies was held in my

before my depar

ture, whither my mafter went as the reprefentative of our district. In this council was refumed their old debate, and indeed the only debate that ever happened in their country; whereof my mafter after his return gave me a very particular account.

The question he debated was, whether the ya hoos fhould be exterminated from the face of the earth. One of the members for the affirmative, offered feveral arguments of great ftrength and weight; alledging, that as the yahoos were the most filthy, noifome, and deformed animal which Nature ever produced, fo they were the most restive and indocile, mifchievous, and malicious: they would privately fuck the teats of the Houyhnhnms cows, kill and devour their cats, trample down their oats and grafs, if they were not continually watched ; and commit a thousand other extravagancies. He took notice of a general tradition, that yahoos had not been always in their country; but that, many ages ago, two of thefe brutes appeared together

upon a mountain; whether produced by the heat of the fun upon corrupted mud and flime, or from the ooze and froth of the fea, was never known: that thefe yahoos engendered, and their brood, in a fhort time, grew fo numerous as to over run and infeft the whole nation: that the Houyhnhnms, to get rid of this evil, made a general hunting, and at laft inclofed the whole herd; and, deftroying the elder, every Houyhnhnm kept two young ones in a kennel, and brought them to fuch a degree of tamenefs, as an animal fo favage by nature can be capable of acquiring; ufing them for draught and carriage that there feemed to be much truth in this tradition, and that those creatures could not be Ylnhniamsby, or aborigines of the land,) because of the violent hatred the Houyhnhnms, as well as all other animals, bore them; which, although their evil difpofition fufficiently deferved, could never have arrived at fo high a degree, if they had been Aborigines; or elfe they would have long fince been routed out: that the inhabitants, taking a fancy to ufe the fervice of the yahoos, had very imprudently neglected to cultivate the breed of affes, which are a comely animal, eafily kept, more tame and orderly, without any offenfive fmell, ftrong enough for labour, although they yield to the other in agility of body; and, if their braying be no agreeable found, it is far preferable to the horrible howlings of the yahoos.

Several others declared their fentiments to the fame purpofe, when my mafter propofed an expedient to the affembly, whereof he had indeed borrowed the hint from me. He approved of the tra dition mentioned by the honourable member, who fpoke before; and affirmed, that the two yahoos, faid to be the firft feen among them, had been driven thither over the fea;, that, coming to land, and being forfaken by their companions, they retired to the mountains, and, degenerating by de-VOL. V.

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grecs