Latest / Classic Adventure Books Collection / 35 - Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
Transcript
- Chapter eight, the author relate several particulars of the Yahoos, the great virtues of the Wynhams, the education and exercise of their youth, their general assembly. As I ought to have understood human nature much better than I supposed it possible for my master to do so, it was easy to apply the character he gave the Yahoos to myself and my countrymen, and I believed I could make yet further discoveries from my own observation. I therefore often begged his honor to let me go among the herds of Yahoos in the neighborhood, to which he always very graciously consented, being perfectly convinced that the hatred I bore these brutes would never suffer me to be corrupted by them. And his Honor ordered one of his servants, a strong sorrel nag, very honest and good natured, to be my guide, without whose protection I durst not undertake such adventures. For I have already told the reader how much I was pestered by these 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 stray at any distance without my hanger, and I have reason to believe they had some imagination that I was of their own species, which I often assisted myself by stripping up my sleeves and showing my naked arms and breasts in their sight when my protector was with me, at which times they would approach near as they durst and imitate my actions after the manner of monkeys, but ever with great signs of hatred. As a tame jackdaw with cap and stockings is always persecuted 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 endeavored by all marks of tenderness to make it quiet. But the little imp fell, squalling and scratching and biting with such 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 noise, But finding the cub was safe for a way, it ran, and my sorrel nag being by, they durst not venture near us. I observed the young animal's flesh to smell very rank and the stink was somewhat between a weasel and a fox, but much more disagreeable. I forgot another circumstance, and perhaps I might have the reader's pardon if it were wholly admitted that while I held the odious vermin in my hands, it voided its filthy excrements of a yellow liquid substance all over my clothes. But by good fortune, there was a small brook hard by, where I washed myself as clean as I could, although I durst not come into my master's presence until I was sufficiently aired by what I could discover. They are whose appear to be the most unteachable of all animals, their capacity never reaching higher than to draw or carry burdens. Yet I am of opinion this defect arises chiefly from a perverse, restive disposition, For they are cunning, malicious, treacherous, and revengeful. They are strong and hardy, but of a cowardly spirit, and by consequence insolent, abject, and cruel. It is observed that to the red head of both sexes are more libidinous and mischievous than the rest, whom Yet they much exceed in strength and activity. The huinnums keep the yahoos for present use in huts not far from the house, But the rest are sent abroad to certain fields, where they dig up roots, eat several kinds of herbs, and search about for carrion, or sometimes catch Weasels. All are himmers, a sort of wild rat, which they greedily devour. Nature has taught them to dig deep holes with their nails on the side of a rising ground, wherein they lie by themselves. Only the kennels of the females are larger, sufficient to hold two or three cubs. They swim from their infancy like frogs, and are able to continue long under water, where they often take fish, which the females carry home to their young. And upon this occasion, I hope the reader will pardon my relating an odd adventure. Being one day abroad with my protector, the sorrow or Nag, and the weather exceedingly hot, I entreated him to let me bathe in a river that was near. He consented, and I immediately stripped myself stark naked, and went down softly into the stream. It happened that a young female Yahoo standing behind a bank, saw the whole proceeding, and inflamed by desire as the nag, and I conjectured, came running with all speed, and leaped into the water within five yards of the place where I bathed. I was never in my life so terribly frightened. The nag was grazing at some distance, not suspecting any harm, she embraced me after a most fulsome manner. I roared as loud as I could, and the nag came galloping towards me, whereupon she quitted her grasp with the utmost reluctancy, and leaped upon the opposite bank, where she stood, gazing and towel all the time I was putting on my clothes. This was a matter of diversion to my master and his family, as well as of mortification to myself. For now I could no longer deny that I was a real yahoo in every limb and feature, since the females had a natural propensity to me as one of their own species. Neither was the hair of this brute of a red color, which might have been some excuse for an appetite. I littlely regular, but black as a slow and her countenance did not make an appearance altogether so hideous as the rest of her kind. For I think she could not be above eleven years old having lived three years in this country. The reader, I suppose, will expect that I should, like other travelers, give him some account of the manners and customs of his inhabitants, which it was indeed my principal study to learn. As these noble whinnams are endowed by nature with a general disposition to all virtues, and have no conceptions or ideas of what evil is in a rational creature, so their grand maxim is to cultivate reason and to be wholly governed by it. Neither is reason among them a point problematic as with us, wheremen can argue with plausibility on both sides of the question, but strikes you with immediate conviction, as it must needs do where it is not mingled, obscured, or discolored by passion and interest. I remember it was with extreme difficulty that I could bring my master to understand the meaning of the word opinion, or how a point could be disputed, because reason taught us to affirm or deny only where we are certain, and beyond our knowledge, we cannot do either, so that controversies, wrangling, disputes, and positiveness in false dubious propositions are evils unknown among the Winnhams. In the like manner, when I used to explain to him our several systems of natural philosophy, he would laugh that a creature pretending to reason should value itself upon the knowledge of other people's conjectures, and in things with that knowledge, if it were certain, could be of no use. Wherein he agreed entirely with the sentiments of Socrates, as Plato delivers them, which I mention as the highest honor I can do that, Prince of philosophers. I have often since reflected what destruction such doctrine would make in the libraries of Europe, and how many paths of fame would be then shut up in the learned world. Friendship and benevolence are the two principal virtues among the Winnhams, and these not confined to particular objects, but universal to the whole race. For a stranger from the remoter part is equally treated with the nearest neighbor, and wherever he goes looks upon himself as at home. They preserve decency and civilty, and the highest degrees, but are altogether ignorant of ceremony. They have no fondness for their cults or foals, but the care they take in educating them proceeds entirely from the dictates of reason. And I observed my master to show the same affection to his neighbour's issue that he had for his own. They will have it that a nature teaches them to love the whole species, and it is reason only that makes a distinction of persons where there is a superior degree of virtue. When the matron Hinnhams have produced one of each sex, they no longer a company with their consorts, except they lose one of their issue by some casualty, which very seldom happens. But in such a case they meet again. So when the like accident befels a person whose wife is past bearing, some other couple bestow on him one of their own cults, and then go together again until the mother is pregnant. This caution is necessary to prevent the country from being overburdened with numbers. But the race of inferior Hunhams bred up to be servants is not so strictly limited upon this article. These are allowed to produce three of each sex to be domestics in the noble families. In their marriages, they are exactly careful to choose such colours as will not make any disagreeable mixture in the breed. Strength is chiefly valued in the male, and comeliness in the female, not upon the account of love, but to preserve the race from degenerating. For where a female happens to excel in strength, a consort is chosen with regard to comeliness. Courtship, love, presents, jointers, settlements have no place in their thoughts or terms whereby to express them in their language. The young couple meet and are joined merely because it is the determination of their parents and friends. It is what they see done every day, and they look upon it as one of the necessary actions of a reasonable being. But the violation of marriage or any other unchastity was never heard of, and the married pair pass their lives with the same friendship and mutual benevolence that they bear to all others of the same species who come in their way, without jealousy, fondness, quarreling, or discontent. In educating the youth of both sexes, their method is admirable and highly deserves our imagination. These are not suffered to taste a grain of oats, except upon certain days till eighteen years old, nor milk, but very rarely. And in summer they graze two hours in the morning and as many in the evening, which their parents likewise observe. But the servants are not allowed above half that time, and a great part of their grass is brought home, which they eat at the most convenient hours, when they can be best spared from work. Temperance, industry, exercise, and cleanliness are the lessons equally enjoined to the young ones of both sexes. And by Master thought it monstrous in us to give the females a different kind of education from the males, except in some articles of domestic management, whereby, as he truly observed, one half of our natives were good for nothing but bringing children into the world. And trust the care of our children to such useless animals, he said, was yet a greater instance of brutality. But the Whinnams train up their youth to strength, speed and hardiness by exercising them in running races up and down steep hills and over hard stony grounds. And when they are all in a sweat, they are ordered to leap over head and ears into a pond or river. Four times a year the youth of a certain district meet to show their proficiency in running and leaping, and other feats of strength and agility, whether the victory is rewarded with a song in his or her praise. On this festival, the servants driver heard of yahoos into the field laden with hay and oats and milk for a repast to the Whinnams, after which these brutes are immediately driven back again for fear of becoming noisome to the assembly. Every fourth year at the vernal equinox, there is a representative council of the whole nation, which meets in a plain about twenty miles from our house, and continues about five or six days. Here they inquire into the state and condition of the several districts, whether they are abound or be deficient in hays or oats, or cows or yahoos, and wherever there is any want, which is but seldom it is immediately supplied by unanimous consent and contribution. Here likewise the regulation of children is settled, as for instance, if a Whynham has two males, he changes one of them with another that has two females. And when a child has been lost by any casualty where the mother is past breeding, it is determined what family in the district shall breed another to supply the loss. And apart four Chapter eight