Ears into a Pond or River. Four Times a Year the Youth of certain Districts meet to fhew their Proficiency in Running, and Leaping, and other Feats of Strength and Agility; where the Victor is rewarded with a Song, made in his or her Praise. On this Festival, the Servants drive a Herd of Yaboos into the Field, laden with Hay, and Oats, and Milk for a Repaft to the Houyhnhnms; after which, these Brutes are immediately driven back again, for fear of being noisome to the Affembly. EVERY fourth Year, at the Vernal Equinox, there is a Reprefentative Council of the whole Nation, which meets in a Plain about twenty Miles from our House, and continueth about five or fix Days. Here they inquire into the State and Condition of the feveral Districts; whether they abound, or be deficient in Hay, or Oats, or Cows, or Yaboos? And wherever there is any Want (which is but seldom) it is immediately fupplied by unanimous Consent and Contribution. Here likewife the Regulation of Children is fettled: As for Inftance, if a Houyhnhnm hath two Males, he changeth one of them with another who hath two Females: And when a Child hath been loft by any Cafualty, where the Mother is past Breeding, it is determined what Family fhall breed another to fupply the Lofs. CHAP. CHAP. IX. A grand Debate at the general Affembly of the Houyhnhnms; and how it was determined. The Learning of the Houyhnhnms. Their Buildings. Their Manner of Burials. The Defectiveness of their Language. NE of these Grand Affemblies was held in my Time, about three Months before my Departure, whither my Mafter went as the Reprefentative of our Diftrict. In this Council was refumed their old Debate, and indeed, the only Debate that ever happened in their Country; whereof my Master, after his Return, gave me a very particular Account. THE Queftion to be debated was, Whether the Taboos fhould be exterminated from the Face of the Earth. One of the Members for the Affirmative offered feveral Arguments of great Strength and Weight; alledging, That, as the Taboos were the moft filthy, noifome, and deformed Animals which Nature ever produced, so they were the most reftive and indocible, mischievous and malicious: They would privately fuck the Teats of the Houyhnhnms Cows; kill and devour their Cats, trample trample down their Oats and Grafs, if they were not continually watched; and commit a thousand other Extravagancies. He took Notice of a general Tradition, that Yaboos had not been always in their Country: But, that many Ages ago, two of thefe Brutes appeared together upon a Mountain; whether produced by the Heat of the Sun upon corrupted Mud and Slime, or from the Ooze and Froth of the Sea, was never known. That, these Yaboos engendered, and their Brood in a fhort Time grew fo numerous, as to over-run and infest the whole Nation. That, the Houyhnhnms, to get rid of this Evil, made a general Hunting, and at laft inclosed the whole Herd; and destroying the Older, every Houyhnhnm kept two young Ones in a Kennel, and brought them to fuch a Degree of Tameness, as an Animal fo favage by Nature, can be capable of acquiring; ufing them for Draught and Carriage. That, there feemed to be much Truth in this Tradition, and that those Creatures could not be inbuiamsby (or Aborigines of the Land), because of the violent Hatred the Houyhnhnms, as well as all other Animals bore them; which although their evil Difpofition fufficiently deserved, could never have arrived at fo high a Degree, if they had been Aborigines, or else they would have long fince been rooted out. That, the Inhabitants taking a Fancy to use the Service of the Taboos, had very imprudently neglected to cultivate the Breed of Affes, which were a comely Animal, eafily kept, more tame and orderly, without any offenfive Smell, ftrong enough for Labour, although they yield to the other in Agility of Body; and if their Braying be no agreeable Sound, it is far preferable to the horrible Howlings of the Yaboos. SEVERAL others declared their Sentiments to the fame fame Purpose; when my Mafter proposed an Expedient to the Affembly, whereof he had indeed borrowed the Hint from me. He approved of the Tradition mentioned by the Honourable Member, who spoke before; and affirmed, that the two Yaboos faid to be firft feen among them, had been driven thither over the Sea: That, coming to Land, and being forfaken by their Companions, they retired to the Mountains, and degenerating by Degrees, became in Procefs of Time, much more favage than thofe of their own Species in the Country from whence these two Originals came. The Reafon of his Affertion was, that he had now in his Poffeffion, a certain wonderful Yaboo (meaning my felf) which most of them had heard of, and many of them had feen. He then related to them, how he first found me: That, my Body was all covered with an artificial Composure of the Skins and Hairs of other Animals: That, I fpoke in a Language of my own, and had thoroughly learned theirs: That, I had related to him the Accidents which brought me thither: That, when he faw me without my Covering, I was an exact Yaboo in every Part, only of a whiter Colour, lefs hairy, and with fhorter Claws. He added, how I had endeavoured to perfuade him, that in my own and other Countries, the Yaboos acted as the governing, rational Animal, and held the Houyhnhnms in Servitude: That, he obferved in me, all the Qualities of a Yahoo, only a little more civilized by fome Tincture of Reafon; which however, was in a Degree as far inferior to the Houyhnhnm Race, as the Taboos of their Country were to me: That, among other Things, I mentioned a Cuftom we had of caftrating Houyhnhnms when they were young, in order to render them tame; that the Operation was was eafy and fafe: That, it was no Shame to learn Wisdom from Brutes, as Industry is taught by the Ant, and Building by the Swallow: (For fo I tranflate the Word Lybannh, although it be a much larger Fowl) That, this Invention might be practifed upon the younger Yaboos here, which, befides rendering them tractable and fitter for Use, would in an Age, put an End to the whole Species, without deftroying Life: That, in the mean Time, the Houyhnhnms fhould be exhorted to cultivate the Breed of Affes, which, as they are in all Refpects more valuable Brutes, fo they have this Advantage, to be fit for Service at five Years old, which the others are not until Twelve. THIS was all my Mafter thought fit to tell me at that Time, of what paffed in the Grand Council. But, he was pleased to conceal one Particular, which related perfonally to my felf, whereof I foon felt the unhappy Effect, as the Reader will know in its proper Place, and from whence I date all the fucceeding Misfortunes of my Life. THE Houyhnhnms have no Letters, and confequently, their Knowledge is all traditional. But, there happening few Events of any Moment among a People fo well united, naturally difpofed to every Virtue, wholly governed by Reason, and cut off from all Commerce with other Nations; the historical Part is eafily preferved without burthening their Memories. I have already obferved, that they are fubject to no Diseases, and therefore cap have no Need of Phyficians. However, they have excellent Medicines, compofed of Herbs, to cure accidental Bruifes and Cuts in the Paftern or Frog of the Foot by harp Stones, as well as other Maims and Hurts in the feveral Parts of the Body. THEY calculate the Year by the Revolution of Z the |