I faw nothing in his Country, to which I could resemble them. That, however, I would do my beft, and strive to exprefs myself by Similitudes, humbly defiring his Affiftance, when I wanted proper Words; which he was pleased to promife

me.

I faid, my Birth was of honeft Parents, in an Ifland called England, which was remote from this Country, as many Days Journey as the ftrongeft of his Honour's Servants could travel in the annual Courfe of the Sun. That I was bred a Surgeon, whofe Trade it is to cure Wounds and Hurts in the Body, got by Accident or Violence; that my Country was governed by a Female Man, called a Queen. That I left it to get Riches, whereby I might maintain myself and Family when I fhould return. That, in my laft Voyage, I was Commander of the Ship, and had about fifty Yaboos under me, many of which died at Sea, and I was forced to fupply them by others, picked out from feveral Nations. That our Ship was twice in danger of being funk; the firft Time by a great Storm, and the fecond, by ftriking against a Rock. Here my Mafter interpofed, by asking me, How I could perfuade Strangers out of different Countries to venture with me, after the Loffes I had fuftained, 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; other spent all they had in Drinking, Whoring, and Gaming; others fled for Treafon; many for Murder, Theft, Poyfoning, Robbery, Perjury, Forgery, coining falfe Money, for committing Rapes or Sodomy; for flying from their Colours, or deferting to the

Ene

Enemy, and most of them had broken Prison; none of these durft return to their native Countries for fear of being hanged, or of ftarving in a Jail; and, therefore, were under a Neceffity of feeking a Livelihood in other Places.

During this Difcourfe, my Master was pleafed to interrupt me feveral Times; I had made Ufe of many Circumlocutions, in defcribing to him the Nature of feveral Crimes, for which most of our Crew had been forced to fly their Country. This Labour took up several Days Conyerfation, before he was able to comprehend me. He was wholly at a Lofs to know what could be the Ufe or Neceffity of practifing 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 Suppofitions. After which, like one whofe Imagination was ftruck with fomething never seen or heard of before, he would lift up his Eyes with Amazement and Indignation. Power, Government, War, Law, Punishment, and a thousand 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 Underftanding, much improved by Contemplation and Converse, he at last arrived 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.

CHAP. V.

The Author, at his Mafter's Commands, informs him of the State of England. The Causes of of War among the Princes of Europe. The Author begins to explain the English Confti

tution.

TH

HE Reader may please to obferve, that the following Extract of many Converfations I had with my Mafter, contains a Summary of the most material Points, which were discoursed at feveral Times, for above two Years; his Honour often defiring fuller Satisfaction, 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 Sciences; and the Answers I gave to all the Queftions he made, as they arofe upon feveral Subjects, were a Fund of Converfation, not to be exhaufted. But I fhall here only fet down the Substance of what paffed between us concerning my own Country, reducing 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 Mafter's Arguments and Expreffions, which muft needs fuffer, by my Want of Capacity, as well as by a Tranflation 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 Succeffor the prefent Queen, wherein the greatest Powers of Christendom were engaged, and which

ftill 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 Ships burnt or funk.

He asked me what were the ufual Caufes or Motives that made one Country go to War with another. I anfwered 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 Ministers, who engage their Master in a War, in order to ftifle or divert the Clamour of the Subjects 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 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, narrow or wide, dirty or clean, with many more. Neither are any Wars fo furious and bloody, or of fo long Continuance, as those occafioned by Difference in Opinion, efpecially if it be in Things indifferent.

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 should quarrel with him. Sometimes a War is entered upon, because the Enemy is too ftrong; and fometimes, because he is too weak. Sometimes our Neighbours want the Things which we have, or have

the

3

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, destroyed by Peftilence, or embroiled by Factions among themselves. It is juftifiable to enter into War against our nearest Ally, when one of his Towns lies convenient for us, or a Territory of Land, that would render our Dominions round and compleat. If a Prince fends Forces into a Nation, where the People are poor and ignorant, he may lawfully put half of them to Death, and make Slaves 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 Invasion, that the Affiftant, when he hath driven out the Invader, fhould feize on the Dominions himself, and kill, imprison, or banish the Prince he came to relieve. Alliance by Blood, or Marriage, is a frequent Caufe of War between Princes; and the nearer the Kindred is, the greater is their Dispo fition to quarrel: Poor Nations are hungry, and rich Nations are proud; and Pride and Hunger will ever be at Variance. For thefe Reasons, the Trade of a Soldier is held the most honourable of all others: Because a Soldier is a Yahoo hired to kill in cold Blood as many of his own Species, who had never offended him, as poffibly he can.

There is, likewife, a Kind of beggarly Princes in Europe, not able to make War by themselves, who hire out their Troops to richer Nations, for fo much a Day to each Man; of which they keep Three-fourths to themselves, and it is the

best