they meet with, but by the naftiness and greediness of that fordid brute. Neither has their language any more than a general appellation for thofe maJadies, which is borrowed from the name of the beaft, and called hnea yahoo or the yahoo's evil, and the cure preferibed is a mixture of their own dung and urine, forcibly put down the yahoo's throat. This I have finçe often known to have been taken with fuccefs, and do here freely recommend it to my countrymen, for the public-good, as an admirable specific against all difeafes produced by repletion. 4 As to learning, government, arts, manufactures, and the like, my mafter confeffed, he could find little or no resemblance between the yahoos of that country and thofe in ours. For he only meant to obferve, what parity there was in our natures. He had heard indeed fome curious Houyhnhnms obferve, that in most herds there was a fort of ruling yahoo (as among us there is generally fome leading or principal ftag in a park) who was always more deformed in body, and mischievous in difpofition, than any of the reft. That this leader had ufually a favourite as like himself as he could get, whofe employment was to lick his master's feet and pofteriors, and drive the female yahoos to his kennel * *; for: which he was now and then rewarded with a piece of afs's flesh. This favourite is hated by the whole herd; and therefore to protect himself keeps always near the perfon of his leader. He ufually continues in office, till a worfe can be found; but the very moment he is difcarded, his fucceffor at the head of all the yahoos in that diftrict, young and old, male and female, come into a body, and dif charge their excrement upon him from head to foot. But how far this might be applicable to our Flattery and pimping. courts courts and favourites, and minifters of ftate, my mafter faid I could best determine. I durft make no return to this malicious infinu. ation, which debafed human understanding below the fagacity of a common hound, who hath judgement enough to distinguish and follow the cry of the ableft dog in the pack, without being ever miftaken. My mafter told me there was fome qualities remarkable in the yahoos, which he had not observed me to mention, or at leaft very flightly, in the accounts I had given him of human kind; he faid, thofe animals, like other brutes, had their femalesin common; but in this they differed, that the The yahoo would admit the male, while fhe was pregnant; and that the hees would quarrel and fight with the females, as fiercely as with each o ther; both with practices were fuch degrees of in famous brutality, as no other fenfative creature ever arrived at. Another thing he wondered at in the yahoo, was their ftrange difpofition to naftinefs and dirt; whereas there appears to be a natural love of cleanlinefs in all other animals. As to the two former accufations, I was glad to let them pafs without any reply,, because I had not a word to offer upon them in defence of my fpecies, which otherwise I certainly had done from my own inclinations. But I could have eafily vindicated human kind from the imputation of fingularity upon the last article, if there had been any fwise in that country (as unluckily for me there were not), which, although it may be a fweeter quadruped than a yahoo, cannot I humbly conceive, in juftice, pretend to more cleanlinets; and fo his honour himfelf must have owned, if he had feen their filthy way of feeding, and their custom of wallowing and fleeping in the mud. My mafter likewife mentioned another quality, which his fervants had difcovered in feveral yahoos, and to him was wholly unaccountable. He faid, a fancy would fometimes take a yahco to retire into a corner, to lie down, and howl and groan, and spurn away all that came near him, although he were young and fat, wanted neither food nor water; nor did the fervants imagine what could poffibly ail him. And the only remedy they found. was to fet him to hard work, after which he would infallibly come to himfelf. To this I was filent, out of partiality to my own kind; yet here I could plainly difcover the true feeds of spleen, which only feizeth on the lazy, the luxurious and the rich who if they were forced to undergo the fame regi men, I would undertake for the cure. His honour had farther obferved, that a female yahoo would often ftand behind a bank or a bush to gaze on the young males paffing by, and then appear, and hide, ufing many antic geftures and grimaces, at which time it was obferved that she had a moft effenfive fmell; and when any of the males advanced, would flowly retire, looking often back, and with a counterfeit fhew of fear run off into fome convenient place, where the knew the male would follow her. At other times, if a female ftranger came among. them, three or four of her own fex would get about her, and ftare, and chatter, and grin, and fmell her all over; and then turn off, with geftures that feamed to exprefs contempt and difdain. Perhaps my mafter might refine a little on thefe fpeculations, which he had drawn from what he obferved himself, or had been told him by others: however I could not reflect without fome amazement and much forow, that the rudiments of lewdnefs, coquetry, cenfure and fcandal fhould have place. by instinct in womankind. I expected every moment, that my mafter would accufe the yahoos of thofe unnatural appetites in both both fexes, fo common among us. But nature, it feems, hath not been fo expert a fchool mistress; and thefe politer pleafures are entirely the productions of art and reafon on our fide of the globe. CHAP. VIII. The author relates feveral particulars of the yahoos. The great virtues of the Houyhnhnms. The education and exercise of their youth. Their general affembly. SI ought to have understood human nature As much better, than I fuppofed it pofiible for my mafter to do, fo it was eafy to apply the character he gave of the yaboos to myself and my countrymen; and I believed, I could yet make farther difcoveries from my own observation. I there-fore often begged his honour to let me go among the herds of yahoos in the neighbourhood, to which he always very gracioufly confented, being perfectly convinced, that the hatred I bore shefe brutes would never fuffer me to be corrupted by them; and his honour ordered one of his fervants, a ftrong forrel-nag, very honeft and good-natured, to be my guard, without whofe protection I durft not undertake fuch adventures. For I have already told the reader, how much I was peftered by those 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 ftray at any diftance without my hanger, And I have reafon to believe they had fome imagi nation that I was of their own fpecies, which I often affifted myself, by ftripping up my fleeves, and Thewing my naked arms and breaft in their fight, T 3 when when my protector was with me. At which times they would approach as near as they durft, and imitate my actions after the manner of monkies, but ever with great figns of hatred; as a tame jackdaw with cap and ftocking is always perfecuted 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 fqualling, and fcratching, and biting, with fuch 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 noife; but finding the cub was fafe (for away it ran), and my forrel nag being by, they durft not venture near us. I oblerved the young animal's flesh to fmell very rank, and the stink was fomewhat beyond a weafel and a fox, but much more difagreeable. I forgot another circumftance (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 fubftance, all over my cloaths; but by good fortune there was a small brook hard by, where I washed myself as clean as I could; although I durft not come into my mafter's prefence, until I were fufficiently aired. By what I could difcover, the yahoos appear to be the most unteachable of all animals; their capacities never reaching higher than to draw or carry burdens. Yet I am of opinion, this defect arifeth chiefly from a perverfe, reftive difpofition: For they are cunning, malicious, treacherous, and revengeful. They are ftrong and hardy, but of a cowardly fpirit, and by confequence infolent, ab. ject, and cruel. It is obferved, that the red-haired of both fexes are more libidinous and mifchievous than |