mong a people fo well united, naturally disposed to every virtue, wholly governed by reafon, and cut off from all commerce with other nations; the hiftorical part is eafily preferved without burthening their memories. I have already obferved, that they are fubject to no diseases, and therefore can have no need of phyficians. However, they have excellent medicines, composed of herbs, to cure accidental bruises and cuts in the pastern or frog of the foot by the sharp ftones, as well as other maims and hurts in the several parts of the body.

They calculate the year by the revolution of the fun and the moon, but use no fubdivifions into weeks. They are well enough acquainted with the motions of those two luminaries, and understand the nature of eclipses; and this is the utmost progrefs of their aftronomy.

In poetry they must be allowed to excel all other mortals; wherein the juftness of their fimilies, and the minutenefs as well as exactness of their defcriptions, are indeed inimitable. Their verses abound very much in both of these; and ufually contain either fome exalted notions of friendship and benevolence, or the praifes of those who were victors in races and other bo

díly exercises. Their buildings, although very rude and simple, are not inconvenient, but well contrived to defend them from all injuries of cold and heat. They have a kind of tree, which at forty years old loofens in the root, and falls with the first storm; it grows very strait, and being

pointed

pointed like ftakes, with a sharp ftone (for the Houyhnhnms know not the ufe of iron) they stick them erect in the ground about ten inches afunder, and then weave it in oat-straw, or fometimes wattles betwixt them. The roof is made after the fame manner, and fo are the doors.

The Houyhnhnms use the hollow part, between the paftern and the hoof, of their fore-feet, as we do our hands, and this with greater dexterity than I could at first imagine. I have seen a white mare of our family thread a needle (which I lent her on purpose) with that joint. They milk their cows, reap their oats, and do all the work which requires hands in the fame manner. They have a kind of hard flints, which, by grinding against their stones, they form into inftruments, that ferve instead of wedges, axes, and hammers. With tools made of these flints, they likewife cut their hay, and reap their oats, which there grow naturally in feveral fields. The Yahoos draw home the fhaves in carriages, and the fervants tread them in certain covered huts to get out the grain, which is kept in ftores. They make a rude kind of earthen and wooden veffels, and bake the former in the fun.

If they can avoid cafualties, they die only of old age, and are buried in the obscureft places that can be found, their friends and relations expreffing neither joy nor grief at their departure; nor does the dying perfon difcover the leaft regret that he is leaving the world, any more than if he were upon returning home from a vifit

to

to one of his neighbours. I remember my mafter having once made an appointment with a friend and his family to come to his house upon fome affairs of importance, on the day fixed the mistress and her two children came very late. She made two excufes, firft for her husband, who, as fhe faid, happened that very morning to Ibnuwnh. The word is ftrongly expreffive in their language, but not easily rendered into English; it fignifies to retire to his firft mother. Her excufe for not coming fooner was, that her husband dying late in the morning, fhe was a good while confulting her fervants about a convenient place where his body fhould be laid; and I obferved, fhe behaved herfelf at our houfe as chearfully as the reft: She died about three months after.

They live generally to feventy, or feventy-five years, very feldom to four-fcore: Some weeks before their death, they feel a gradual decay; but without pain. During this time they are much vifited by their friends, because they cannot go abroad with their ufual eafe and fatisfaction. However, about ten days before their death, which they feldom fail in computing, they return the vifits that have been made them by thofe who are nearest in the neighbourhood, being carried in a convenient fledge drawn by Yahoos ; which vehicle they ufe, not only upon this occafion, but when they grow old, upon long journies, or when they are lamed by accident. And therefore, when the dying Houyhnhnms return thofe vifits, they take a folemn leave of their

friends,

friends, as if they were going to fome remote part of the country, where they defigned to pafs the rest of their lives.

I know not whether it may be worth obferving, that the Houyhnhnms have no word in their language to exprefs any thing that is evil, except what they borrow from the deformities or ill qualities of the Yahoos. Thus they denote the folly of a fervant, an omiffion of a child, a stone that cuts their feet, a continuance of foul or unfeasonable weather, and the like, by adding to each the epithet of Yahoo: For instance, hhum Yahoo, whnabolin Yahoo, ynlhmndwiblma Yahoo: and an ill contrived houfe, ynholmhamrohlnw Yahoo.

I could with great pleafure enlarge farther upon the manners and virtues of this excellent people; but intending in a fhort time to publish a volume by itself exprefsly upon that fubject, I refer the reader thither; and, in the mean time, proceed to relate my own fad catastrophe.

CHAP

CHA P. X.

The author's economy, and happy life, among the Houyhnhnms. His great improvement in virtue, by converfing with them. Their converfations. The author hath notice given him by his mafter, that he must depart from the country. He falls into a favoon for grief; but fubmits. He contrives and finishes a canoe by the help of a fellow-fervant, and puts to fea at a venture.

I

HAD fettled my little œconomy 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 houfe; the fides and floors of which I plaiftered with clay, and covered with rufh-mats 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 feveral 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 rabbits, and of a certain beautiful animal about the fame fize, called nnubnoh, the fkin of which is covered with a fine down. Of thefe I alfo made very tolerable ftockings. I foaled my fhoes with wood,