CHAPTER VIII.

The author relates several particulars of the _Yahoos_. The great

virtues of the _Houyhnhnms_. The education and exercise of their youth.

Their general assembly.

As I ought to have understood human nature much better than I supposed

it possible for my master to do, so it was easy to apply the character

he gave of the _Yahoos_ to myself and my countrymen; and I believed I

could yet make further discoveries, from my own observation. I

therefore often begged his honour to let me go among the herds of

_Yahoos_ in the neighbourhood; to which he always very graciously

consented, being perfectly convinced that the hatred I bore these

brutes would never suffer me to be corrupted by them; and his honour

ordered one of his servants, a strong sorrel nag, very honest and

good-natured, to be my guard; without whose protection I durst not

undertake such adventures. For I have already told the reader how much

I was pestered by these 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 stray at any distance without my

hanger. And I have reason to believe they had some imagination that I

was of their own species, which I often assisted myself by stripping up

my sleeves, and showing my naked arms and breast in their sight, when

my protector was with me. At which times they would approach as near as

they durst, and imitate my actions after the manner of monkeys, but

ever with great signs of hatred; as a tame jackdaw with cap and

stockings is always persecuted 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; but the little imp fell a squalling and

scratching and biting with such 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 safe (for away it ran), and my

sorrel nag being by, they durst not venture near us. I observed the

young animal’s flesh to smell very rank, and the stink was somewhat

between a weasel and a fox, but much more disagreeable. I forgot

another circumstance (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 substance all

over my clothes; but by good fortune there was a small brook hard by,

where I washed myself as clean as I could; although I durst not come

into my master’s presence until I were sufficiently aired.

By what I could discover, the _Yahoos_ appear to be the most

unteachable of all animals, their capacity never reaching higher than

to draw or carry burdens. Yet I am of opinion this defect arises

chiefly from a perverse, restive disposition; for they are cunning,

malicious, treacherous, and revengeful. They are strong and hardy, but

of a cowardly spirit, and, by consequence, insolent, abject, and cruel.

It is observed, that the red haired of both sexes are more libidinous

and mischievous than the rest, whom yet they much exceed in strength

and activity.

The _Houyhnhnms_ keep the _Yahoos_ for present use in huts not far from

the house; but the rest are sent abroad to certain fields, where they

dig up roots, eat several kinds of herbs, and search about for carrion,

or sometimes catch weasels and _luhimuhs_ (a sort of wild rat), which

they greedily devour. Nature has taught them to dig deep holes with

their nails on the side of a rising ground, wherein they lie by

themselves; only the kennels of the females are larger, sufficient to

hold two or three cubs.

They swim from their infancy like frogs, and are able to continue long

under water, where they often take fish, which the females carry home

to their young. And, upon this occasion, I hope the reader will pardon

my relating an odd adventure.

Being one day abroad with my protector the sorrel nag, and the weather

exceeding hot, I entreated him to let me bathe in a river that was

near. He consented, and I immediately stripped myself stark naked, and

went down softly into the stream. It happened that a young female

_Yahoo_, standing behind a bank, saw the whole proceeding, and inflamed

by desire, as the nag and I conjectured, came running with all speed,

and leaped into the water, within five yards of the place where I

bathed. I was never in my life so terribly frightened. The nag was

grazing at some distance, not suspecting any harm. She embraced me

after a most fulsome manner. I roared as loud as I could, and the nag

came galloping towards me, whereupon she quitted her grasp, with the

utmost reluctancy, and leaped upon the opposite bank, where she stood

gazing and howling all the time I was putting on my clothes.

This was a matter of diversion to my master and his family, as well as

of mortification to myself. For now I could no longer deny that I was a

real _Yahoo_ in every limb and feature, since the females had a natural

propensity to me, as one of their own species. Neither was the hair of

this brute of a red colour (which might have been some excuse for an

appetite a little irregular), but black as a sloe, and her countenance

did not make an appearance altogether so hideous as the rest of her

kind; for I think she could not be above eleven years old.

Having lived three years in this country, the reader, I suppose, will

expect that I should, like other travellers, give him some account of

the manners and customs of its inhabitants, which it was indeed my

principal study to learn.

As these noble _Houyhnhnms_ are endowed by nature with a general

disposition to all virtues, and have no conceptions or ideas of what is

evil in a rational creature, so their grand maxim is, to cultivate

reason, and to be wholly governed by it. Neither is reason among them a

point problematical, as with us, where men can argue with plausibility

on both sides of the question, but strikes you with immediate

conviction; as it must needs do, where it is not mingled, obscured, or

discoloured, by passion and interest. I remember it was with extreme

difficulty that I could bring my master to understand the meaning of

the word opinion, or how a point could be disputable; because reason

taught us to affirm or deny only where we are certain; and beyond our

knowledge we cannot do either. So that controversies, wranglings,

disputes, and positiveness, in false or dubious propositions, are evils

unknown among the _Houyhnhnms_. In the like manner, when I used to

explain to him our several systems of natural philosophy, he would

laugh, “that a creature pretending to reason, should value itself upon

the knowledge of other people’s conjectures, and in things where that

knowledge, if it were certain, could be of no use.” Wherein he agreed

entirely with the sentiments of Socrates, as Plato delivers them; which

I mention as the highest honour I can do that prince of philosophers. I

have often since reflected, what destruction such doctrine would make

in the libraries of Europe; and how many paths of fame would be then

shut up in the learned world.

Friendship and benevolence are the two principal virtues among the

_Houyhnhnms_; and these not confined to particular objects, but

universal to the whole race; for a stranger from the remotest part is

equally treated with the nearest neighbour, and wherever he goes, looks

upon himself as at home. They preserve decency and civility in the

highest degrees, but are altogether ignorant of ceremony. They have no

fondness for their colts or foals, but the care they take in educating

them proceeds entirely from the dictates of reason. And I observed my

master to show the same affection to his neighbour’s issue, that he had

for his own. They will have it that nature teaches them to love the

whole species, and it is reason only that makes a distinction of

persons, where there is a superior degree of virtue.

When the matron _Houyhnhnms_ have produced one of each sex, they no

longer accompany with their consorts, except they lose one of their

issue by some casualty, which very seldom happens; but in such a case

they meet again; or when the like accident befalls a person whose wife

is past bearing, some other couple bestow on him one of their own

colts, and then go together again until the mother is pregnant. This

caution is necessary, to prevent the country from being overburdened

with numbers. But the race of inferior _Houyhnhnms_, bred up to be

servants, is not so strictly 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 choose such colours as

will not make any disagreeable mixture in the breed. Strength is

chiefly valued in the male, and comeliness in the female; not upon the

account of love, but to preserve the race from degenerating; for where

a female happens to excel in strength, a consort is chosen, with regard

to comeliness.

Courtship, love, presents, jointures, settlements have no place in

their thoughts, or terms whereby to express 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 see done

every day, and they look upon it as one of the necessary actions of a

reasonable being. But the violation of marriage, or any other

unchastity, was never heard of; and the married pair pass their lives

with the same friendship and mutual benevolence, that they bear to all

others of the same species who come in their way, without jealousy,

fondness, quarrelling, or discontent.

In educating the youth of both sexes, their method is admirable, and

highly deserves our imitation. These are not suffered to taste a grain

of oats, except upon certain days, till eighteen years old; nor milk,

but very rarely; and in summer they graze two hours in the morning, and

as many in the evening, which their parents likewise observe; but the

servants are not allowed above half that time, and a great part of

their grass is brought home, which they eat at the most convenient

hours, when they can be best spared from work.

Temperance, industry, exercise, and cleanliness, are the lessons

equally enjoined to the young ones of both sexes: and my master thought

it monstrous in us, to give the females a different kind of education

from the males, except in some articles of domestic management;

whereby, as he truly observed, one half of our natives were good for

nothing but bringing children into the world; and to trust the care of

our children to such useless animals, he said, was yet a greater

instance of brutality.

But the _Houyhnhnms_ train up their youth to strength, speed, and

hardiness, by exercising them in running races up and down steep hills,

and over hard stony grounds; and when they are all in a sweat, they are

ordered to leap over head and ears into a pond or river. Four times a

year the youth of a certain district meet to show their proficiency in

running and leaping, and other feats of strength and agility; where the

victor is rewarded with a song in his or her praise. On this festival,

the servants drive a herd of _Yahoos_ into the field, laden with hay,

and oats, and milk, for a repast to the _Houyhnhnms_; after which,

these brutes are immediately driven back again, for fear of being

noisome to the assembly.

Every fourth year, at the vernal equinox, there is a representative

council of the whole nation, which meets in a plain about twenty miles

from our house, and continues about five or six days. Here they inquire

into the state and condition of the several districts; whether they

abound or be deficient in hay or oats, or cows, or _Yahoos_; and

wherever there is any want (which is but seldom) it is immediately

supplied by unanimous consent and contribution. Here likewise the

regulation of children is settled: as for instance, if a _Houyhnhnm_

has two males, he changes one of them with another that has two

females; and when a child has been lost by any casualty, where the

mother is past breeding, it is determined what family in the district

shall breed another to supply the loss.