chief aim fhould be to make men wiser and better, and to improve their minds by the bad, as well as good examples, of what they deliver concerning foreign places.

I could heartily with a law was enacted, that every traveller, before he were permitted to publish his voyages, fhould be obliged to make oath before the Lord High Chancellor, that all he intended to print was abfolutely true to the best of his knowledge; for then the world would no longer be deceived, as it ufually is; while fome writers, to make their works país the better upon the public, impose the groffeft falfities on the unwary reader. I have perused feveral books of travels with great delight in my younger days; but having fince gone over moft parts of the globe, and been able to contradict many fabulous accounts from my own obfer. vation, it hath given me a great disgust against this part of reading, and fome indignation to fee the credulity of mankind fo impudently abufed. Therefore, fince my acquaintance were pleased to think my poor endeavours might not be unacceptable to my country, I impofed on myself as a maxim never to be fwerved from, that I would strictly adhere to truth; neither indeed can I be ever under the least temptation to vary from it, while I retain in my mind the lectures and example of my noble mafter, and the other illuftrious Houyhnhnms, of whom I had fo long the honour to be an humble hearer. Nec fi miferum fortuna Sinonem

Finxit, vanum etiam, mendacemque, improba finget. I know very well how little reputation is to be got by writings, which require neither genius nor learning, nor indeed any other talent, except a good memory, or an exact journal. I know likewife, that writers of travels, like dictionary makers, are funk into oblivion, by the weight and bulk of those who came laft, and therefore lie uppermoft. And it is highly probable, that fuch travellers, who VOL. V. Y fha'l

fhall hereafter vifit the countries defcribed in this work of mine, may, by detecting my errors, (if there be any,) and adding many new difcoveries of their own, juftic me out of vogue, and ftand in my place, making the world forget that ever I was an author. This indeed would be too great mortification, if I wrote for fame : but as my fole intention was the public good, I cannot be altogether disappointed. For who can read of the virtues I have mentioned in the glorious Houyhnhnms without being afhamed of his own vices, when he confiders himfelf as the reafoning, governing animal of his country? I shall fay nothing of thofe remote nati ons, where yahoos prefide; amongst which the leaft corrupted are the Brobdingnagians, whofe wife maxims in morality and government it would be our happiness to obferve. But I forbear defcanting farther, and rather leave the judicious reader to his own remarks and applications.

I am not a little pleafed, that this work of mine can poffibly meet with no cenfurers: for what objection can be made against a writer, who relates only plain facts, that happened in fuch diftant countries, where we have not the leaft intereft with refpect either to trade or negotiations? I have carefully avoided every fault, with which common writers of travels are often too juftly charged. Befides I meddle not in the leaft with any party, but write without paflion, prejudice, or ill-will against any man, or number of men whatsoever. I write for the nobleft end, to inform and instruct man: kind, over whom I may, without breach of modefty, pretend to fome fuperiority, from the advantages I received by converfing to long among the most accomplished Houyhnhnms. I write without any view towards profit or praife. I never fuffer a word to pafs, that may look like reflection, or poffibly give the leaf offence, even to those who are moit ready to take it. So that I hope, I may with juftice

justice pronounce myself an author perfectly blamelefs; against whom the tribes of anfwerers, confiderers, obfervers, reflecters, detecters, remarkers, will never be able to find matter for exercising their talents.

I confefs, it was whispered to me, that I was bound in duty, as a fubject of England, to have given in a memorial to a fecretary of ftate at my first coming over; because, whatever lands are discovered by a fubject, belong to the crown. But I doubt whether our conquefts, in the countries I treat of, would be as eafy as those of Ferdinando Cortez over the naked Americans. The Lilliputians, I think, are hardly worth the charge of a fleet and army to reduce them; and I question whether it might be prudent or fafe to attempt the Brobdingnagians: Or whether an English army would be much at their cafe with the flying island over their heads. The Houyhnhnms, indeed, appear not to be fo well prepared for war, a science to which they are perfect ftrangers, and efpecially against miffive weapons. However, fuppofing myself to be a minister of ftate, I could never give my advice for invading them. Their prudence, unanimity, unacquaintednefs with fear, and their love of their country, would amply fupply all defects in the military art. Imagine twenty thousand of them breaking into the midft of an European army, confounding the ranks, overturning the carriages, battering the warriors faces into mummy by terrible yerks from their hinder-hoofs; for they would well deferve the character given to Auguftus: Recalcitrat undique tutus. But instead of propofals for conquering that magnanimous nation, I rather with they were in a capacity, or difpofition, to fend a fufficient number of their inhabitants for civilizing Europe, by teaching us the first principles of honour, juftice, truth, temperance, public fpirit, fortitude, chastity, friendship, benevolence, and fide

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lity:

lity: the names of all which virtues are still retained among us in most languages, and are to be met with in modern, as well as ancient authors; which I am able to affert from my own small reading.

But I had another reason, which made me less forward to enlarge his Majefty's dominions by my difcoveries: To fay the truth, I had conceived a few fcruples with relation to the distributive justice of princes upon thofe occafions. For inftance, a crew of pyrates are driven by a ftorm, they know not whither; at length a boy difcovers land from the top-maft; they go on fhore to rob and plunder; they fee an harmless people, are entertained with kindness; they give the country a new name; they take formal poffeffion of it for their king; they fet up a rotten plank or a stone for a memorial; they murder two or three dozen of the natives, bring away a couple more by force for a fample, return home, and get their pardon. Here commences a new dominion, acquired with a title by divine right. Ships are fent with the firft opportunity; the natives driven out or deftroyed; their princes tortured to discover their gold; a free licence given to all acts of inhumanity and luft; the earth reeking with the blood of its inhabitants: and this execrable crew of butchers employed in fo pious an expedition, is a modern colony, fent to convert and civilize an idola trous and barbarous people.

But this defcription, I confefs, doth by no means affect the British nation, who may be an example to the whole world, for the wifdom, care, and juftice in planting colonies; their liberal endowments for the advancement of religion and learning; their choice of devout and able paftors to propagate Chriftianity; their caution in ftocking their provinces with people of fober lives and converfations, from this the mother kingdom; their strict regard to the diftribution of juftice, in fupplying the civil administration through all their colonies

with officers of the greatest abilities, utter ftrangers to corruption; and to crown all, by fending the most vigilant and virtuous governors, who have no other views than the happiness of the people over whom they prefide, and the honour of the King their mafter.

But as thofe countries, which I have defcribed, do not appear to have any defire of being conquered, and enflaved, murdered or driven out by colonies; nor abound either in gold, filver, fugar, or tobacco; I did humbly conceive, they were by no means proper objects of our zeal, our valour, or our intereft. However, if thofe, whom it more concerns, think it fit to be of another opinion, I am ready to depofe, when I fhall be lawfully called, that no European did ever vifit thefe countries before me I mean, if the inhabitants ought to be believed; unless a difpute may arife, concerning the two yahoos faid to have been feen many ages ago upon a mountain in Houyhnhnm-land.

But, as to the formality of taking poffeffion in my fovereign's name, it never came once into my thoughts; and if it had, yet, as my affairs then. ftood, I fhould perhaps in point of prudence and felf-prefervation have put it off to a better opportunity.

Having thus anfwered the only objection that can ever be raised againft me as a traveller; I here take a final leave of all my courteous readers, and return to enjoy my own fpeculations in my little garden at Redriff; to apply thofe excellent leffons of virtue which I learned among the Houyhnhnms; to inftruct the yahoos of my own family, as far as I fhall find them docible animals, to behold my figure often in a glafs, and thus, if poffible, habituate myself by time to tolerate the fight of a human creature: to lament the brutality of Houyhnhnms in my own country, but always treat their perfons with respect for the fake of my noble mafter, his family,›

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