CHAPTER III.

The author studies to learn the language. The Houyhnhnm, his master,

assists in teaching him. The language described. Several Houyhnhnms of

quality come out of curiosity to see the author. He gives his master a

short account of his voyage.

My principal endeavour was to learn the language, which my master (for

so I shall henceforth call him), and his children, and every servant of

his house, were desirous to teach me; for they looked upon it as a

prodigy, that a brute animal should discover such marks of a rational

creature. I pointed to every thing, and inquired the name of it, which

I wrote down in my journal-book when I was alone, and corrected my bad

accent by desiring those of the family to pronounce it often. In this

employment, a sorrel nag, one of the under-servants, was very ready to

assist me.

In speaking, they pronounced through the nose and throat, and their

language approaches nearest to the High-Dutch, or German, of any I know

in Europe; but is much more graceful and significant. The emperor

Charles V. made almost the same observation, when he said “that if he

were to speak to his horse, it should be in High-Dutch.”

The curiosity and impatience of my master were so great, that he spent

many hours of his leisure to instruct me. He was convinced (as he

afterwards told me) that I must be a _Yahoo_; but my teachableness,

civility, and cleanliness, astonished him; which were qualities

altogether opposite to those animals. He was most perplexed about my

clothes, reasoning sometimes with himself, whether they were a part of

my body: for I never pulled them off till the family were asleep, and

got them on before they waked in the morning. My master was eager to

learn “whence I came; how I acquired those appearances of reason, which

I discovered in all my actions; and to know my story from my own mouth,

which he hoped he should soon do by the great proficiency I made in

learning and pronouncing their words and sentences.” To help my memory,

I formed all I learned into the English alphabet, and writ the words

down, with the translations. This last, after some time, I ventured to

do in my master’s presence. It cost me much trouble to explain to him

what I was doing; for the inhabitants have not the least idea of books

or literature.

In about ten weeks time, I was able to understand most of his

questions; and in three months, could give him some tolerable answers.

He was extremely curious to know “from what part of the country I came,

and how I was taught to imitate a rational creature; because the

_Yahoos_ (whom he saw I exactly resembled in my head, hands, and face,

that were only visible), with some appearance of cunning, and the

strongest disposition to mischief, were observed to be the most

unteachable of all brutes.” I answered, “that I came over the sea, from

a far place, with many others of my own kind, in a great hollow vessel

made of the bodies of trees: that my companions forced me to land on

this coast, and then left me to shift for myself.” It was with some

difficulty, and by the help of many signs, that I brought him to

understand me. He replied, “that I must needs be mistaken, or that I

said the thing which was not;” for they have no word in their language

to express lying or falsehood. “He knew it was impossible that there

could be a country beyond the sea, or that a parcel of brutes could

move a wooden vessel whither they pleased upon water. He was sure no

_Houyhnhnm_ alive could make such a vessel, nor would trust _Yahoos_ to

manage it.”

The word _Houyhnhnm_, in their tongue, signifies a _horse_, and, in its

etymology, the _perfection of nature_. I told my master, “that I was at

a loss for expression, but would improve as fast as I could; and hoped,

in a short time, I should be able to tell him wonders.” He was pleased

to direct his own mare, his colt, and foal, and the servants of the

family, to take all opportunities of instructing me; and every day, for

two or three hours, he was at the same pains himself. Several horses

and mares of quality in the neighbourhood came often to our house, upon

the report spread of “a wonderful _Yahoo_, that could speak like a

_Houyhnhnm_, and seemed, in his words and actions, to discover some

glimmerings of reason.” These delighted to converse with me: they put

many questions, and received such answers as I was able to return. By

all these advantages I made so great a progress, that, in five months

from my arrival I understood whatever was spoken, and could express

myself tolerably well.

The _Houyhnhnms_, who came to visit my master out of a design of seeing

and talking with me, could hardly believe me to be a right _Yahoo_,

because my body had a different covering from others of my kind. They

were astonished to observe me without the usual hair or skin, except on

my head, face, and hands; but I discovered that secret to my master

upon an accident which happened about a fortnight before.

I have already told the reader, that every night, when the family were

gone to bed, it was my custom to strip, and cover myself with my

clothes. It happened, one morning early, that my master sent for me by

the sorrel nag, who was his valet. When he came I was fast asleep, my

clothes fallen off on one side, and my shirt above my waist. I awaked

at the noise he made, and observed him to deliver his message in some

disorder; after which he went to my master, and in a great fright gave

him a very confused account of what he had seen. This I presently

discovered, for, going as soon as I was dressed to pay my attendance

upon his honour, he asked me “the meaning of what his servant had

reported, that I was not the same thing when I slept, as I appeared to

be at other times; that his valet assured him, some part of me was

white, some yellow, at least not so white, and some brown.”

I had hitherto concealed the secret of my dress, in order to

distinguish myself, as much as possible, from that cursed race of

_Yahoos_; but now I found it in vain to do so any longer. Besides, I

considered that my clothes and shoes would soon wear out, which already

were in a declining condition, and must be supplied by some contrivance

from the hides of _Yahoos_, or other brutes; whereby the whole secret

would be known. I therefore told my master, “that in the country 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 person,

I would give him immediate conviction, if he pleased to command me:

only desiring his excuse, if I did not expose those parts that nature

taught us to conceal.” He said, “my discourse was all very strange, but

especially the last part; for he could not understand, 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 same with my waistcoat. I drew off my shoes,

stockings, and breeches. I let my shirt down to my waist, and drew up

the bottom; fastening it like a girdle about my middle, to hide my

nakedness.

My master observed the whole performance with great signs of curiosity

and admiration. He took up all my clothes in his pastern, one piece

after another, and examined them diligently; he then stroked my body

very gently, and looked round me several times; after which, he said,

it was plain I must be a perfect _Yahoo_; but that I differed very much

from the rest of my species in the softness, whiteness, and smoothness

of my skin; my want of hair in several parts of my body; the shape and

shortness of my claws behind and before; and my affectation of walking

continually on my two hinder feet. He desired to see no more; and gave

me leave to put on my clothes again, for I was shuddering with cold.

I expressed my uneasiness at his giving me so often the appellation of

_Yahoo_, an odious animal, for which I had so utter a hatred and

contempt: I begged he would forbear applying that word to me, and make

the same order in his family and among his friends whom he suffered to

see me. I requested likewise, “that the secret of my having a false

covering to my body, might be known to none but himself, at least as

long as my present clothing should last; for as to what the sorrel nag,

his valet, had observed, his honour might command him to conceal it.”

All this my master very graciously consented to; and thus the secret

was kept till my clothes began to wear out, which I was forced to

supply by several contrivances that shall hereafter be mentioned. In

the meantime, he desired “I would go on with my utmost diligence to

learn their language, because he was more astonished at my capacity for

speech and reason, than at the figure of my body, whether it were

covered or not;” adding, “that he waited with some impatience to hear

the wonders which I promised to tell him.”

From thenceforward he doubled the pains he had been at to instruct 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, beside the trouble he was at in

teaching, he would ask me several questions concerning myself, which I

answered as well as I could, and by these means he had already received

some general ideas, though very imperfect. It would be tedious to

relate the several steps 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 species; that we travelled

upon the seas in a great hollow vessel made of wood, and larger than

his honour’s house. I described the ship 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 set

on shore on this coast, where I walked forward, without knowing

whither, till he delivered me from the persecution of those execrable

_Yahoos_.” He asked me, “who made the ship, and how it was possible

that the _Houyhnhnms_ of my country would leave it to the management of

brutes?” My answer was, “that I durst proceed no further 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 assuring him, that the ship was

made by creatures like myself; who, in all the countries 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 astonished to

see the _Houyhnhnms_ act like rational beings, as he, or his friends,

could be, in finding some marks of reason 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 nature. I said

farther, “that if good fortune ever restored me to my native country,

to relate my travels hither, as I resolved to do, everybody would

believe, that I said the thing that was not, that I invented the story

out of my own head; and (with all possible respect to himself, his

family, and friends, and under his promise of not being offended) our

countrymen would hardly think it probable that a _Houyhnhnm_ should be

the presiding creature of a nation, and a _Yahoo_ the brute.”