his fervant had reported; that I was not the fame thing when I flept, as I appeared to be at other times; that his valet affured him, some part of me was white, fome yellow, at leaft not so white, and fome brown.

I had hitherto concealed the fecret of my dress in order to diftinguish myself, as much as poffible, from that curfed race of yaboos; but now I found it in vain to do fo any longer. Befides I confidered, that my cloaths and shoes would foon wear out, which already were in a declining condition, and must be supplied by fome contrivance from the hides of yaboos, or other brutes; whereby the whole fecret would be known: I therefore told my mafter, that in the country from whence I came those of my kind always covered their bodies with the hairs of certain animals prepared by art, as well for decency, as to avoid the inclemencies of air both hot and cold; of which, as to my own perfon, I would give him immediate conviction, if he pleased to command me; only defiring his excufe, if I did not expofe thofe parts that nature taught us to conceal. He faid my discourse was all very ftrange, but efpecially the last part; for he could not underftand, why nature should teach us to conceal what nature had given: that neither himself nor family were ashamed of any parts of their bodies; but however I might do as I pleased. Whereupon I first unbuttoned my coat, and pulled it off. I did the fame with my waistcoat; I drew off my fhoes, ftockings, and

breeches.

breeches. I let my thirt down to my waist, and drew up the bottom, fastening it like a girdle about my middle to hide my nakednefs.

My master obferved the whole performance with great figns of curiofity and admiration. He took up all my cloaths in his pastern one piece after another, and examined them dilis gently; he then stroaked my body very gently, and looked round me feveral times, after which he faid, it was plain I must be a perfect yaboo; but that I differed very much from the reft of my fpecies in the foftness, whiteness, and smoothness of my fkin, my want of hair in feveral parts of my body, the fhape and shortness of my claws behind and before, and my affectation of walking continually on my two hinder feet. He defired to fee no more; and gave me leave to put on my cloaths again, for I was fhuddering with cold.

I expreffed my uneafiness at his giving me fo often the appellation of yahoo, an odious animal, for which I had fo utter an hatred and contempt: I begged he would forbeat applying that word to me, and take the fame order in his family, and among his friends, whom he fuffered to see me. I requested likewise, that the secret of my having a falfe covering to my body might be known to none but himfelf, at leaft as long as my prefent cloathing fhould laft; for as to what the forrel nag his valet had observed, his honour might command him to conceal it.

AH

All this my mafter very graciously consented to, and thus the secret was kept till my cloaths began to wear out, which I was forced to fupply by feveral contrivances, that shall hereafter be mentioned. In the mean time he defired I would go on with my utmoft diligence to learn their language, becaufe he was more aftonished at my capacity for speech and reason, than at the figure of my body, whether it were covered or no; adding, that he waited with fome impatience to hear the wonders, which I promised to tell him.

From thenceforward he doubled the pains he had been at to inftruct me; he brought me into all company, and made them treat me with civility, because, as he told them privately, this would put me into good humour, and make me more diverting.

Every day, when I waited on him, befide the trouble he was at in teaching, he would afk me feveral queftions concerning myself, which I answered as well as I could; and by these means he had already received fome general ideas, though very imperfect. It would be tedious to relate the feveral fteps, by which I advanced to a more regular conversation: but the first account I gave of myself in any order and length was to this purpose:

That I came from a very far country, as I already had attempted to tell him, with about fifty more of my own fpecies; that we travelled upon the feas in a great hollow veffel made of wood, and larger than his honour's

house.

T

house. I defcribed the fhip to him in the best terms I could, and explained by the help of my handkerchief displayed, how it was driven forward by the wind. That upon a quarrel among us I was fet on shore on this coaft, where I walked forward, without know. ing whither, till he delivered me from the perfecution of those execrable yaboos. He asked me, who made the fhip, and how it was poffible that the Houyhnhnms of my country would leave it to the management of brutes? My answer was, that I durft proceed no farther in my relation, unless he would give me his word and honour that he would not be offended, and then I would tell him the wonders I had so often promised. He agreed and I went on by affuring him, that the fhip was made by creatures like myfelf, who in all the coun tries I had travelled, as well as in my own,. were the only governing, rational animals; and that upon my arrival hither I was as much aftonifhed to fee the Houyhnhnms act like rational beings, as he or his friends could be in finding fome marks of reafon in a creature he was pleased to call a yahoo; to which I owned my resemblance in every part, but could not account for their degenerate and brutal na -ture. I faid farther, that if good fortune ever reftored me to my native country to relate my travels hither, as I refolved to do, every body would believe, that I faid the thing that was not; that I invented the ftory out of my own head; and (with all poffible respect to himself, VOL. II.

Y

his

his family, and friends, and under his promise of not being offended) our countrymen would hardly think it probable, that a Houyhnhnm fhould be the prefiding creature of a nation, and a yahoo the brute.

CHA P. IV.

The Houyhnhnms notion of truth and falfhood. The author's difcourfe disapproved by his mafter. The author gives a more particular account of bimfelf, and the accidents of his voyage.

MY

Y mafter heard me with great appearances of uneafinefs in his countenance; because doubting, or not believing, are fo little known in this country, that the inhabitants cannot tell how to behave themfelves under fuch circumftances. And I remember, in frequent difcourfes with my mafter concerning the nature of manhood in other parts of the world, having occafion to talk of lying and falfe reprefentation, it was with much difficulty that he comprehended what I meant; although he had otherwife a moft acute judgment. For he argued thus: that the use of fpeech was to make us understand one another, and to receive information of facts; now, if any one faid the thing which was not, these ends were defeated; because I cannot properly be faid to understand him; and I am fo far from receiving information, that he leaves me

worfe