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39 - Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift · Classic Adventure Books Library

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Chapter twelve, the author's veracity, his design in publishing this work, his
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censure of those travelers who swear from the truth. The author clears himself from
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any sinister ends in writing an objection answered, The method of planting colonies his
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native country commended. The right of the crown to those countries described by the
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author is justified the difficulty of conquering them. The author takes his last leave
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of the reader, proposes his manner of living for the future, gives good
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advice, and concludes, thus, gentle reader, I have given THEE a
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faithful history of my travels for sixteen years and above seven months, wherein I
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have not been so studious of ornament as of truth. I could, perhaps,
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like others, have astonished THEE with strange and probable tales. But I
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rather chose to relate plain matter of fact in this simplest manner and style,
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because my principal design was to inform and not to amuse THEE. It is
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easy for us, who travel into remote countries which are seldom visited by Englishmen
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or other Europeans, to form descriptions of wonderful animals, both at sea and
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land, whereas a traveler's chief aim should be to make men wiser and better,
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and to improve their minds by the bad as well as good example of
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what they deliver concerning foreign places. I could heartily wish a law was enacted
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that every traveler, before he were permitted to publish his voyages, should be
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obliged to make oath before the Lord High Chancellor, that all he intended to
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print was absolute truth, to the best of his knowledge. For then the
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world would no longer be deceived as it usually is. While some writers,
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to make their works pass the better upon the public, impose the grossest falsities
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on the unware reader. I have perused several books of travel with great delight
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in my younger days, but having since gone over most parts of the globe
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and been able to contradict many fabulous accounts from my own observation, it has
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given me a great disgust against this part of reading, and some indignation to
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see the credulity of mankind so imprudently abused. Therefore, since my acquaintance were
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pleased to think my poor endeavors might not be unacceptable to my country, I
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imposed on myself as a maxim never to be swerved from that I would strictly
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adhere to truth. Neither indeed, can I be ever under the least temptation
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to vary from it, while I retain in my mind the lectures and examples
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of my most noble master and the other illustrious whinnhums of whom I had so
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long the honor to be their humble hearer. Next see miss rum fortuna sinn
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num v nixit varanum etiam menda kem que improba finget. I know very well
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how little reputation is to be got by writings which require neither genius, nor
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learning, nor indeed any other talent except a good memory or an exact journal.
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I know likewise that writers of travels, like dictionary makers, are sunk
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into oblivion by the weight and bulk of those who came last, and therefore
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lie uppermost. And it is highly probable that such travelers who shall hereafter visit
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the countries described in this work of mine, may, by detecting my errors,
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if there be any, and adding many new discoveries of their own,
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jostle me out of vogue and stand in my place. Make in the world.
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Forget that ever I was an author this indeed would be too great a
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modification if I wrote for fame, but my sole intention was the public good.
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I cannot be altogether disappointed, For who can read of the virtues I
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have mentioned in the glorious Whinnhams without being ashamed of his own vices, when
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he considers himself as the reasoning governing animal of his country. I shall say
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nothing of those remote nations where yahoos preside, among which the least corrupted are
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the brobding Nangians, whose wise maxim's immorality and government it would be our happiness
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to observe. But I forbear discanting further, and rather leave the judicious reader
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to his own remarks and application. I am not a little pleased that this
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work of mine can possibly meet with no sensuous For what objections can be made
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against a writer who relates only plain facts that happened in such distant countries where
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we have not the least interest with respect either to trade or negotiations. I
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have carefully avoided every fault with which common writers of travels are often too justly
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charged. Besides, I medtle not the least with any party, but write
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without passion, prejudice, or ill will against any man or number of men
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whatsoever. I write for the noblest end to inform and instruct mankind, over
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whom I may, without breach of modesty, pretend to some superiority from the
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advantages I received from conversing so long among the most accomplished Wynhams. I write
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without any view to profit or praise. I never suffer a word to pass
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that may look like reflection, or possibly give the least offense, even to
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those who are most ready to take it, so that I hope I may
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with justice pronounce myself an author perfectly blameness, against whom the tribes of answerers,
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considerers, observers, reflectors, detectors, remarkers will never be able to
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find matter for exercising their talents. I confess it was whispered to me that
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I was bound in duty as a subject of England to have given a memorial
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to a Secretary of State at my first coming over, because whatever lands are
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discovered by a subject belong to the Crown. But I doubt whether our conquests
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in the countries I treat of would be as easy of those of Ferdinando Cortes
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over the naked Americans the Liliputians, I think are hardly worth the charge of
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a fleet and army to reduce them, And I question whether it might be
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prudent or safe to attempt the Brobdyn Nagians, or whether an English army would
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be much at their ease with the flying island over their heads. The Whinnams
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indeed appear not to be so well prepared for war, a science to which
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they are perfect strangers, and especially against missive weapons. However, supposing myself
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be a Minister of State, I could never give my advice for invading them.
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Their prudence, unanimity, unacquaintedness with fear, and their love for their
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country would amply supply all defects in the military art. Imagine twenty thousand of
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them breaking into the midst of a European army, confound in the ranks,
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overturning the carriages, battering the warrior's faces into mumi by terrible yerks from their
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hinder foots. For they would well deserve the character given to Augustus recalcitrat underque
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tutus. But instead of proposals for conquering that magnanimous nation, I rather wish
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they were in a capacity or disposition to send a sufficient number of their inhabitants
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for civilizing Europe by teaching us the first principles of honor, justice, truth,
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temperance, public spirit, fortitude, chastity, friendship, benevolence, and
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fidelity, the names of all wars, which virtues are still retained among us
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in most languages, and are to be met within modern as well as ancient
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authors, which I am able to assert from my own small reading. But
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I had another reason which made me less forward to enlarge His Majesty's dominions by
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my discoveries. To say the truth, I had conceived a few scruples with
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relation to the distributive justice of princes upon those occasions. For instance, a
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crew of pirates are driven by a storm. They know not whither. At
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length, the boy discovers lads from the topmast. They go on shore to
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rob and plunder. They see a harmless people are entertained with kindness. They
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give the country a new name. They take formal possession of it for their
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king. They set up a rotten plank or a stone for a memorial.
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They murder two or three dozen of the natives, bring away a couple more
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by force for a sample, return home and get to their pardon. Here
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commences a new dominion, acquired with a title by divine right. Ships are
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sent with the first opportunity, the natives driven out or destroyed, their princes
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tortured to discover their gold, a free license given to all acts of inhumanity
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and lust, the earth reeking with the blood of its inhabitants, and this
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excreciable crew of butchers employed in so pious an expedition, is a modern colony
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sent to convert and civilize an idolterous and barbarious people. But this description,
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I confess, does by no means affect the British nation, who may be
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an example to the whole world for their wisdom, care and justice, implanting
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colonies, their liberal endowments for the advancement of religion and learning, their choice
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of devout and able pastors to propagate Christianity, their cautions stuck in their provinces
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with people of sober lives, and conversations from this the Mother Kingdom. Their
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strict regard to the distribution of justice, in supplying the civil administration through all
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their colonies with officers of the greatest abilities, are as strange as to corruption,
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and to crown it all by sending the most vigilant and virtuous governess,
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who have no other views than the happiness of the people over whom they preside,
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and the honor of the King their master. But as those countries which
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I have described do not appear to have any desire of being conquered and enslaved,
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murdered, or driven out by colonies, nor abound either in gold,
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silver, sugar, or tobacco, I did humbly conceive they were, by
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no means proper objects of our zeal, our valor, or our interest.
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However, if those whom it more concerns think fit to be of another opinion,
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I am ready to dispose, when I shall be lawfully called that no
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European did ever visit those countries before me. I mean, if the inhabitants
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ought to be believed, unless a dispute may arise concerning the two yahoos said
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to have been seen many years ago upon a mountain whinnham Land. But as
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to the formality of taking possession of my sovereign's name, it never once came
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into my thoughts, And if it had yet, as my affairs then stood,
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I should, perhaps, in point of prudence and self preservation have put
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it off to a better opportunity. Having thus answered the only objection that can
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ever be raised against me as a traveler, I here take a final leave
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of all my courteous readers, and return to enjoy my own speculations and my
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little garden at Redriff. To apply those excellent lessons of virtue which I learned
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among the Whinnhams, To instruct the yahoos of my own family, as far
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as I shall find them dosable animals, to behold my figure often in a
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glass, and thus, if possible, habituate myself by time, to tolerate
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the sight of a human creature. To lament the brutality to Whinnems in my
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own country, but always treat their persons with respect for the sake of my
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noble master, his family, his friends, and the whole Whinnhum race,
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whom these of ours have the honor to resemble in all their lineaments. However
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their intellectuals come to degenerate. I began last week to permit my wife to
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sit at dinner with me at the farthest end of a long table, and
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to answer, but with the utmost brevity, the few questions I asked her,
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Yet the smell of a yahoo continuing very offensive. I always keep my
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nose well stopped with rue, lavender or tobacco lease. And although it be
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hard for a man late in life to remove old habits, I am not
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altogether out of hopes in some time to suffer a neighbor. Y are who
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in my company without the apprehensions I am yet under of his teeth or his
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claws. My reconcilement to the Aarhu kind in general might not be so difficult,
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if they would be content with those vices and follies only which nature has
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entitled them to. I am not in the least provoked at the sight of
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a lawyer, a pickpocket, a colonel, a fool, a lord,
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a gamester, a politician, a hormonger, a physician, an evidence as
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a born, an attorney, a traitor, or the like. This is
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all according to the due course of things. But when I behold a lump
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of deformity and disease, both in body and mind, smitten with pride,
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it immediately breaks all the measure of my patience. Neither shall I ever be
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able to comprehend how such an animal and such a vice could tally together.
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The wise and virtuous Whynhams, who are bound in all excellencies that can adorn
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a rational cree, have no name for this vice in their language, which
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has no terms to express anything that is evil, except those whereby they describe
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the detestable qualities of their ya whose, among which they were not able to
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distinguish. This of pride for want of thoroughly understanding human nature as it shows
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itself in other countries where that animal presides. But I, who had more
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experience, could plainly observe some rudiments of it among the wild ya whos.
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But the Hounums who live under the government of reason are no more proud of
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the good qualities they possess than I should be. For not wanting a leg
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or an arm, which no man in his wits would boast of, although
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he must be miserable without them. I dwell the longer upon this subject from
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the desire I have to make the society of an English yar, who by
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any means not insupportable. And therefore I hear entreat that those who have any
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tincature of this absurd vice, that they will not presumed to come in my
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sight and apart four, Chapter twelve and of Garliver's travels by Jonathan Swift