felf must have owned, if he had seen their filthy way of feeding, and their custom of wallowing and fleeping in the mud. My master likewife mentioned another quality, which his fervants had discovered in feveral yahoos, and to him was wholly unaccountable. He faid, a fancy would fometimes take a yahoo to retire into a corner, to lie down, and howl and groan, and spurn away all that came near him, although he were young and fat, wanted neither food nor water: nor did the fervants imagine what could poffibly ail him. And the only remedy they found was, to fet him to hard work, after which he would infallibly come to himfelf. To this I was filent out of partiality to my own kind; yet here I could plainly discover the true feeds of spleen, which only feizeth on the lazy, the luxurious, and the rich; who if they were forced to undergo the fame regimen, I would undertake for the cure. His honour had farther obferved, that a female yaboo would often stand behind a bank or a bush to gaze on the young males paffing by, and then appear, and hide, using many antie geftures and grimaces, at which time it was observed that she had a most offenfive smell; and when any of the males advanced would flowly retire, looking often back, and with a counterfeit fhew of fear run off into fome convenient place, where fhe knew the male would follow her. At other times, if a female ftranger came among them, three or four of her own fex would get about her, and stare, and chatter, and grin, and smell her all over; and then turn off with geftures, that seemed to express contempt and difdain. Perhaps my mafter might refine a little in these speculations, which he had drawn from what he obferved himself, or had been told him by others: however I could not reflect without fome amazement and much forrow, that the rudiments of lewdness, coquetry, cenfure, and Scandal fhould have place by inftinct in womankind. I expected every moment, that my mafter would accufe the yahoos of those unnatural appetites in both fexes, fo common among among us. But nature, it seems, hath not been fo expert a school-mistress; and these politer pleasures are intirely the productions of art and reafon on our fide of the globe. CHA P. VIII. The author relates feveral particulars of the yahoos. The great virtues of the Houyhnhnms. The education and exercife of their youth. Their general affembly. ASI ought to have understood human nature much better, than I fupposed it poffible for my master to do, fo it was eafy to apply the character he gave of the yahoos to myself, and my countrymen; and I believed, I could yet make farther discoveries from my own obfervation. I therefore often begged his honour to let me go among the herds of yahoos in the neighbourhood, to which he always very graciously confented, being perfectly convinced, that the hatred I bore thofe brutes would never fuffer me to be corrupted by them; and his honour ordered one of his fervants, a strong forrel nag, very honeft and good-natured, to be my guard, without whofe protection I durft not undertake fuch adventures. For I have already told the reader, how much I was pestered by those 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 ftray at any distance without my hanger. And I have reason to believe they had fome imagination that I was of their own fpecies, which I often affifted myself by stripping up my fleeves, and fhewing my naked arms and breast in their fight, when my protector was with me. At which times they would approach as near as they durft, and imitate my actions after the manner of monkies, but ever with great figns of hatred; as a tame jack-daw with cap and stockings is always perfecuted by the wild ones, when he happens to be got among them. 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; 4 quiet; but the little imp fell a fqualling, and scratching, and biting, with fuch 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 fafe (for away it ran) and my forrel nag being by, they durft not venture near us. I obferved the young animal's flesh to fmell very rank, and the ftink was somewhat between a weasel and a fox, but much more difagreeable. I forgot another circumftance (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 fubftance all over my cloaths; but by good fortune there was a small brook hard by, where I washed myself as clean as I could; although I durft not come into my mafter's prefence, until I were fufficiently aired. By what I could difcover, the yahoos appear to be the most unteachable of all animals; their capacities never reaching higher than to draw or carry burthens. Yet I am of opinion, this defect ariseth chiefly |