<p class="gutsumm">The author studies to learn the
language. The Houyhnhnm, his master, assists in teaching
him. The language described. Several Houyhnhnms of
quality come out of curiosity to see the author. He gives
his master a short account of his voyage.</p>
<p>My principal endeavour was to learn the language, which my
master (for so I shall henceforth call him), and his children,
and every servant of his house, were desirous to teach me; for
they looked upon it as a prodigy, that a brute animal should
discover such marks of a rational creature. I pointed to
every thing, and inquired the name of it, which I wrote down in
my journal-book when I was alone, and corrected my bad accent by
desiring those of the family to pronounce it often. In this
employment, a sorrel nag, one of the under-servants, was very
ready to assist me.</p>
<p>In speaking, they pronounced through the nose and throat, and
their language approaches nearest to the High-Dutch, or German,
of any I know in Europe; but is much more graceful and
significant. The emperor Charles V. made almost the same
observation, when he said “that if he were to speak to his
horse, it should be in High-Dutch.”</p>
<p>The curiosity and impatience of my master were so great, that
he spent many hours of his leisure to instruct me. He was
convinced (as he afterwards told me) that I must be a
<i>Yahoo</i>; but my teachableness, civility, and cleanliness,
astonished him; which were qualities altogether opposite to those
animals. He was most perplexed about my clothes, reasoning
sometimes with himself, whether they were a part of my body: for
I never pulled them off till the family were asleep, and got them
on before they waked in the morning. My master was eager to
learn “whence I came; how I acquired those appearances of
reason, which I discovered in all my actions; and to know my
story from my own mouth, which he hoped he should soon do by the
great proficiency I made in learning and pronouncing their words
and sentences.” To help my memory, I formed all I
learned into the English alphabet, and writ the words down, with
the translations. This last, after some time, I ventured to
do in my master’s presence. It cost me much trouble
to explain to him what I was doing; for the inhabitants have not
the least idea of books or literature.</p>
<p>In about ten weeks time, I was able to understand most of his
questions; and in three months, could give him some tolerable
answers. He was extremely curious to know “from what
part of the country I came, and how I was taught to imitate a
rational creature; because the <i>Yahoos</i> (whom he saw I
exactly resembled in my head, hands, and face, that were only
visible), with some appearance of cunning, and the strongest
disposition to mischief, were observed to be the most unteachable
of all brutes.” I answered, “that I came over
the sea, from a far place, with many others of my own kind, in a
great hollow vessel made of the bodies of trees: that my
companions forced me to land on this coast, and then left me to
shift for myself.” It was with some difficulty, and
by the help of many signs, that I brought him to understand
me. He replied, “that I must needs be mistaken, or
that I said the thing which was not;” for they have no word
in their language to express lying or falsehood. “He
knew it was impossible that there could be a country beyond the
sea, or that a parcel of brutes could move a wooden vessel
whither they pleased upon water. He was sure no
<i>Houyhnhnm</i> alive could make such a vessel, nor would trust
<i>Yahoos</i> to manage it.”</p>
<p>The word <i>Houyhnhnm</i>, in their tongue, signifies a
<i>horse</i>, and, in its etymology, the <i>perfection of
nature</i>. I told my master, “that I was at a loss
for expression, but would improve as fast as I could; and hoped,
in a short time, I should be able to tell him
wonders.” He was pleased to direct his own mare, his
colt, and foal, and the servants of the family, to take all
opportunities of instructing me; and every day, for two or three
hours, he was at the same pains himself. Several horses and
mares of quality in the neighbourhood came often to our house,
upon the report spread of “a wonderful <i>Yahoo</i>, that
could speak like a <i>Houyhnhnm</i>, and seemed, in his words and
actions, to discover some glimmerings of reason.”
These delighted to converse with me: they put many questions, and
received such answers as I was able to return. By all these
advantages I made so great a progress, that, in five months from
my arrival I understood whatever was spoken, and could express
myself tolerably well.</p>
<p>The <i>Houyhnhnms</i>, who came to visit my master out of a
design of seeing and talking with me, could hardly believe me to
be a right <i>Yahoo</i>, because my body had a different covering
from others of my kind. They were astonished to observe me
without the usual hair or skin, except on my head, face, and
hands; but I discovered that secret to my master upon an accident
which happened about a fortnight before.</p>
<p>I have already told the reader, that every night, when the
family were gone to bed, it was my custom to strip, and cover
myself with my clothes. It happened, one morning early,
that my master sent for me by the sorrel nag, who was his
valet. When he came I was fast asleep, my clothes fallen
off on one side, and my shirt above my waist. I awaked at
the noise he made, and observed him to deliver his message in
some disorder; after which he went to my master, and in a great
fright gave him a very confused account of what he had
seen. This I presently discovered, for, going as soon as I
was dressed to pay my attendance upon his honour, he asked me
“the meaning of what his servant had reported, that I was
not the same thing when I slept, as I appeared to be at other
times; that his vale assured him, some part of me was white, some
yellow, at least not so white, and some brown.”</p>
<p>I had hitherto concealed the secret of my dress, in order to
distinguish myself, as much as possible, from that cursed race of
<i>Yahoos</i>; but now I found it in vain to do so any
longer. Besides, I considered that my clothes and shoes
would soon wear out, which already were in a declining condition,
and must be supplied by some contrivance from the hides of
<i>Yahoos</i>, or other brutes; whereby the whole secret would be
known. I therefore told my master, “that in the
country whence I came, those of my kind always covered their
bodies with the hairs of certain animals prepared by art, as well
for decency as to avoid the inclemencies of air, both hot and
cold; of which, as to my own person, I would give him immediate
conviction, if he pleased to command me: only desiring his
excuse, if I did not expose those parts that nature taught us to
conceal.” He said, “my discourse was all very
strange, but especially the last part; for he could not
understand, why nature should teach us to conceal what nature had
given; that neither himself nor family were ashamed of any parts
of their bodies; but, however, I might do as I
pleased.” Whereupon I first unbuttoned my coat, and
pulled it off. I did the same with my waistcoat. I
drew off my shoes, stockings, and breeches. I let my shirt
down to my waist, and drew up the bottom; fastening it like a
girdle about my middle, to hide my nakedness.</p>
<p>My master observed the whole performance with great signs of
curiosity and admiration. He took up all my clothes in his
pastern, one piece after another, and examined them diligently;
he then stroked my body very gently, and looked round me several
times; after which, he said, it was plain I must be a perfect
<i>Yahoo</i>; but that I differed very much from the rest of my
species in the softness, whiteness, and smoothness of my skin; my
want of hair in several parts of my body; the shape and shortness
of my claws behind and before; and my affectation of walking
continually on my two hinder feet. He desired to see no
more; and gave me leave to put on my clothes again, for I was
shuddering with cold.</p>
<p>I expressed my uneasiness at his giving me so often the
appellation of <i>Yahoo</i>, an odious animal, for which I had so
utter a hatred and contempt: I begged he would forbear applying
that word to me, and make the same order in his family and among
his friends whom he suffered to see me. I requested
likewise, “that the secret of my having a false covering to
my body, might be known to none but himself, at least as long as
my present clothing should last; for as to what the sorrel nag,
his valet, had observed, his honour might command him to conceal
it.”</p>
<p>All this my master very graciously consented to; and thus the
secret was kept till my clothes began to wear out, which I was
forced to supply by several contrivances that shall hereafter be
mentioned. In the meantime, he desired “I would go on
with my utmost diligence to learn their language, because he was
more astonished at my capacity for speech and reason, than at the
figure of my body, whether it were covered or not;” adding,
“that he waited with some impatience to hear the wonders
which I promised to tell him.”</p>
<p>Thenceforward he doubled the pains he had been at to instruct
me: he brought me into all company, and made them treat me with
civility; “because,” as he told them, privately,
“this would put me into good humour, and make me more
diverting.”</p>
<p>Every day, when I waited on him, beside the trouble he was at
in teaching, he would ask me several questions concerning myself,
which I answered as well as I could, and by these means he had
already received some general ideas, though very imperfect.
It would be tedious to relate the several steps by which I
advanced to a more regular conversation; but the first account I
gave of myself in any order and length was to this purpose:</p>
<p>“That I came from a very far country, as I already had
attempted to tell him, with about fifty more of my own species;
that we travelled upon the seas in a great hollow vessel made of
wood, and larger than his honour’s house. I described
the ship to him in the best terms I could, and explained, by the
help of my handkerchief displayed, how it was driven forward by
the wind. That upon a quarrel among us, I was set on shore
on this coast, where I walked forward, without knowing whither,
till he delivered me from the persecution of those execrable
<i>Yahoos</i>.” He asked me, “who made the
ship, and how it was possible that the <i>Houyhnhnms</i> of my
country would leave it to the management of brutes?”
My answer was, “that I durst proceed no further in my
relation, unless he would give me his word and honour that he
would not be offended, and then I would tell him the wonders I
had so often promised.” He agreed; and I went on by
assuring him, that the ship was made by creatures like myself;
who, in all the countries I had travelled, as well as in my own,
were the only governing rational animals; and that upon my
arrival hither, I was as much astonished to see the
<i>Houyhnhnms</i> act like rational beings, as he, or his
friends, could be, in finding some marks of reason in a creature
he was pleased to call a <i>Yahoo</i>; to which I owned my
resemblance in every part, but could not account for their
degenerate and brutal nature. I said farther, “that
if good fortune ever restored me to my native country, to relate
my travels hither, as I resolved to do, everybody would believe,
that I said the thing that was not, that I invented the story out
of my own head; and (with all possible respect to himself, his
family, and friends, and under his promise of not being offended)
our countrymen would hardly think it probable that a
<i>Houyhnhnm</i> should be the presiding creature of a nation,
and a <i>Yahoo</i> the brute.”</p>
<h3>IV - CHAPTER IV.</h3>
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