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The author fiudious to learn the language: Houyhnhnm, his master, afifls in teaching him. The language defcribed. Several Houyhnhnms of quality came out of curiofity to fee the author. He gives his · mafter a fhort account of his voyage.

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Y principal endeavour was to learn the language, which my master (for fo I fhall henceforth call him) and his children, and every fervant of his house. were defirous to teach me.. For they looked upon it as a prodigy, that a brute animal fhould discover fuch marks of a rational creature, I pointed to every thing, and enquired the name of it, which I wrote down in my jour- nal book when I was alone, and corrected my bad accent by deliring thofe of the family to pronounce it often. In this employment a forrel nag, one of the under-fervants, was very ready to affift me.

In fpeaking they pronounce through the nofe 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 fignificant. The emperor. Charles V. made almoft the fame obfervation, when he faid, that if he were to speak to his horse, it fhould be in High-Dutch.

The curiofity and impatience of my mafter were fo great, that he spent many hours of his leifure to instruct: me. He was convinced (as he afterwards told me) that I must be a yahoo; but my te chablenefs, civility, and cleanliness, aftonifhed him; which were qualities altoge ther oppofite to thofe animals. He was moft perplexed about my cloaths, reafoning fometimes with himself, whether they were a part of my body; for I never pul- led them off till the family were afleep, and got them on before they waked in the morning. My mafter was eager a to learn from whence I came how I acquired thofe appearances of reafon, which I difcovered in all my actions; and to know my story from my own mouth, which he hoped he fhould foon do by the great proficiency I

made..

ces.

made in learning and pronouncing their words and fentenTo help my memory, I formed all I learned into the English alphabet, and writ the words down with the tranflations. This laft after fome time I ventured to do in my master's prefence. It cost me much trouble to explain to him what I was doing: for the inhabitants have not the leaft 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 fome tolerable aufwers. 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 ya hoos (whom he faw I exactly refembled in my head, hands, and face, that were only visible) with fome appearance of cunning, and the ftrongest difpotion to mifchief, were observed to be the moft unteachable of all brutes. I anfwered that I came over the fea from a far place, with many others of my own kind, in a great hollow veffel made of the bodies of trees; that my compa... nions forced me to land on this coaft, and then left me to fhift for myself. It was with fome difficulty, and by the help of many figns, that I brought him to understand

me.

He replied, that I muft needs be mistaken, or that I faid the thing which was not (for they have no word. in their language to exprefs lying or falfhood). He knew it was impoffible, that there could be a country beyond the fea, or that a parcel of brutes could move a wooden veffel whither they pleafed upon water. He was fure no Houyhnhnm alive could make fuch a veffel, nor would truft yahoos to manage it.

The word Houyhnhnm in their tongue fignifies a horse, and in its etymology, the perfection of nature. I told my mafter that I was at a lofs for expreffion; but would improve as fast as I could; and hoped in a fhort time I fhould be able to tell him wonders: he was pleased to direct his own mare, his colt and fole, and the fervauts of the family, to take all opportunities of inftructing me; and every day for two or three hours he was at the fame pains himfelf: feveral horfes and mares of quality in the neighbourhood came often to our houfe, upon the report fpread of a wonderful yahoo that could fpeak like a Houyhnhnm, and feemed in his words and actions to dif

cover fome glimmerings of reafon. Thefe delighted to converse with me; they put many questions, and received fuch answers as I was able to return. By all these advantages I made fo great a progrefs, that in five months from my arrival I understood whatever was spoken, and could exprefs myself tolerably well.

The Houyhnhnms who came to visit my master, out of a defign of seeing and talking with me, could hardly be lieve me to be a right yahoo, becaufe my body had a different covering from others of my kind. They were a ftonished to obferve me without the ufual hair or skin, except on my head, face, and hands; but I discovered: that fecret to my mafter 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 cuftom to strip, and cover myself with my cloaths: it happened one morning early, that my mafter fent for me by the forrel nag, who was his valet; when he came, I was fast asleep, my cloaths had fallen off on one fide, and my shirt above my waist. I awaked at the noise he made, and obferved him to deliver his meffage in fome disorder; after which he went to my master, and in a great fright gave him a very confused account of what he had feen this I pre fently difcovered; for going as foon as I was dressed to pay my attendance upon his honour, he asked me the meaning of what 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, fome part of me was white, fome yellow, at least not fo white, and fome brown

I had hitherto concealed the fecret of my drefs in or der to diftinguish myself, as much as poffible, from that curfed race of yahoos ; but now I found it in vain to do fo any longer. Befides I confidered, that my cloaths and fhoes would foon wear out, which already were in a declining condition, and must be fupplied by fome contrivance from the hides of yahoos, 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 kind always covered their bodies with the hairs of certain animals prepared by art, as well for decency,, as

my

to

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 expose those parts that nature taught us conceal. He faid my difcourfe was all very ftrange, but especially the laft part; for he could not understand, why nature should teach us to conceal what nature had given that neither himself nor family were afhamed of any parts of their bodies; but however I might do as I pleafed, Whereupon I first unbuttoned my coat, and pulled it off. I did the fame with my waistcoat; I drew off my fhoes, stockings, and breeches. I let my fhirt down to my waist, and drew up the bottom, fastening it like a girdle about my middle to hide my nakedness.

My mafter obferved the whole performance with great figns of curiofity and admiration. He took up all my cloaths in his paftern, one piece after another, and examined them diligently; he then ftroaked my body very gently, and looked round me feveral times, after which he faid, it was plain I must be a perfect yahoo; but that I differed very much from the rest 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 fhortness 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 again, for I was fhuddering with cold.

my

cloaths

I expreffed my uneafinefs at his giving me fo often the appellation of yahoo, an odious animal, for which I had fo utter an hatred and contempt: begged he would forbear applying that word to me, and take the fame order in his family, and among his friends, whom he fuffèred to fee me. I requested likewife, that the secret of my having a falfe covering to my body might be known to none but himself, at least as long as my present cloathing fhould laft; for as to what the forrel nag his valet had obferved, his honour might commmand him to conceal it.

All this my mafter very graciously confented to, and thus the fecret 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

defired I would go on with my utmost dilligence to learn their language, because he was more astonished at my capacity for speech and reafon, 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 thence forward he doubled the pains he had been at to instruct me ; he brought me into all company, and made them treat me with civility, becaufe, 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 thele 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 converfation: but the first account I gave of my. felt in any order and length was to this purpose:

That

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 houfe. I defcribed the fhip to him in the best terms I could, and explained by the help of my handkerchief dif played, how it was driven forward by the wind. upon a quarrel among us I was fet on fhore on this coaft, where I walked forward, without knowing whether, till be delivered me from the perfecution of thofe execrable yahoos. He asked me, who made the ship, 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 fo often promifed. He agreed; and I went on by affuring him, that the fhip was made by creatures like myfelf, 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 aftonished to fee the Houyhnhnms act like rational beings, as he or his friends could be in finding fone marks

of