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A　LETTER　FROM　CAPTAIN　GULLIVER　TO　HIS　COUSIN　SYMPSON。




WRITTEN　IN　THE　YEAR　1727。



I　hope　you　will　be　ready　to　own　publicly；　whenever　you　shall　be

called　to　it；　that　by　your　great　and　frequent　urgency　you

prevailed　on　me　to　publish　a　very　loose　and　uncorrect　account　of

my　travels；　with　directions　to　hire　some　young　gentleman　of

either　university　to　put　them　in　order；　and　correct　the　style；　as

my　cousin　Dampier　did；　by　my　advice；　in　his　book　called　〃A　Voyage

round　the　world。〃　But　I　do　not　remember　I　gave　you　power　to

consent　that　any　thing　should　be　omitted；　and　much　less　that　any

thing　should　be　inserted；　therefore；　as　to　the　latter；　I　do　here

renounce　every　thing　of　that　kind；　particularly　a　paragraph　about

her　majesty　Queen　Anne；　of　most　pious　and　glorious　memory；

although　I　did　reverence　and　esteem　her　more　than　any　of　human

species。　　But　you；　or　your　interpolator；　ought　to　have

considered；　that　it　was　not　my　inclination；　so　was　it　not　decent

to　praise　any　animal　of　our　composition　before　my　master

HOUYHNHNM：　　And　besides；　the　fact　was　altogether　false；　for　to　my

knowledge；　being　in　England　during　some　part　of　her　majesty's

reign；　she　did　govern　by　a　chief　minister；　nay　even　by　two

successively；　the　first　whereof　was　the　lord　of　Godolphin；　and

the　second　the　lord　of　Oxford；　so　that　you　have　made　me　say　the

thing　that　was　not。　　Likewise　in　the　account　of　the　academy　of

projectors；　and　several　passages　of　my　discourse　to　my　master

HOUYHNHNM；　you　have　either　omitted　some　material　circumstances；

or　minced　or　changed　them　in　such　a　manner；　that　I　do　hardly　know

my　own　work。　　When　I　formerly　hinted　to　you　something　of　this　in

a　letter；　you　were　pleased　to　answer　that　you　were　afraid　of

giving　offence；　that　people　in　power　were　very　watchful　over　the

press；　and　apt　not　only　to　interpret；　but　to　punish　every　thing

which　looked　like　an　INNUENDO　（as　I　think　you　call　it）。　　But；

pray　how　could　that　which　I　spoke　so　many　years　ago；　and　at　about

five　thousand　leagues　distance；　in　another　reign；　be　applied　to

any　of　the　YAHOOS；　who　now　are　said　to　govern　the　herd；

especially　at　a　time　when　I　little　thought；　or　feared；　the

unhappiness　of　living　under　them？　　Have　not　I　the　most　reason　to

complain；　when　I　see　these　very　YAHOOS　carried　by　HOUYHNHNMS　in　a

vehicle；　as　if　they　were　brutes；　and　those　the　rational

creatures？　　And　indeed　to　avoid　so　monstrous　and　detestable　a

sight　was　one　principal　motive　of　my　retirement　hither。



Thus　much　I　thought　proper　to　tell　you　in　relation　to　yourself；

and　to　the　trust　I　reposed　in　you。



I　do；　in　the　next　place；　complain　of　my　own　great　want　of

judgment；　in　being　prevailed　upon　by　the　entreaties　and　false

reasoning　of　you　and　some　others；　very　much　against　my　own

opinion；　to　suffer　my　travels　to　be　published。　　Pray　bring　to

your　mind　how　often　I　desired　you　to　consider；　when　you　insisted

on　the　motive　of　public　good；　that　the　YAHOOS　were　a　species　of

animals　utterly　incapable　of　amendment　by　precept　or　example：　

and　so　it　has　proved；　for；　instead　of　seeing　a　full　stop　put　to

all　abuses　and　corruptions；　at　least　in　this　little　island；　as　I

had　reason　to　expect；　behold；　after　above　six　months　warning；　I

cannot　learn　that　my　book　has　produced　one　single　effect

according　to　my　intentions。　　I　desired　you　would　let　me　know；　by

a　letter；　when　party　and　faction　were　extinguished；　judges

learned　and　upright；　pleaders　honest　and　modest；　with　some

tincture　of　common　sense；　and　Smithfield　blazing　with　pyramids　of

law　books；　the　young　nobility's　education　entirely　changed；　the

physicians　banished；　the　female　YAHOOS　abounding　in　virtue；

honour；　truth；　and　good　sense；　courts　and　levees　of　great

ministers　thoroughly　weeded　and　swept；　wit；　merit；　and　learning

rewarded；　all　disgracers　of　the　press　in　prose　and　verse

condemned　to　eat　nothing　but　their　own　cotton；　and　quench　their

thirst　with　their　own　ink。　　These；　and　a　thousand　other

reformations；　I　firmly　counted　upon　by　your　encouragement；　as

indeed　they　were　plainly　deducible　from　the　precepts　delivered　in

my　book。　　And　it　must　be　owned；　that　seven　months　were　a

sufficient　time　to　correct　every　vice　and　folly　to　which　YAHOOS

are　subject；　if　their　natures　had　been　capable　of　the　least

disposition　to　virtue　or　wisdom。　　Yet；　so　far　have　you　been　from

answering　my　expectation　in　any　of　your　letters；　that　on　the

contrary　you　are　loading　our　carrier　every　week　with　libels；　and

keys；　and　reflections；　and　memoirs；　and　second　parts；　wherein　I

see　myself　accused　of　reflecting　upon　great　state　folk；　of

degrading　human　nature　（for　so　they　have　still　the　confidence　to

style　it）；　and　of　abusing　the　female　sex。　　I　find　likewise　that

the　writers　of　those　bundles　are　not　agreed　among　themselves；　for

some　of　them　will　not　allow　me　to　be　the　author　of　my　own

travels；　and　others　make　me　author　of　books　to　which　I　am　wholly

a　stranger。



I　find　likewise　that　your　printer　has　been　so　careless　as　to

confound　the　times；　and　mistake　the　dates；　of　my　several　voyages

and　returns；　neither　assigning　the　true　year；　nor　the　true　month；

nor　day　of　the　month：　　and　I　hear　the　original　manuscript　is　all

destroyed　since　the　publication　of　my　book；　neither　have　I　any

copy　left：　　however；　I　have　sent　you　some　corrections；　which　you

may　insert；　if　ever　there　should　be　a　second　edition：　　and　yet　I

cannot　stand　to　them；　but　shall　leave　that　matter　to　my　judicious

and　candid　readers　to　adjust　it　as　they　please。



I　hear　some　of　our　sea　YAHOOS　find　fault　with　my　sea…language；　as

not　proper　in　many　parts；　nor　now　in　use。　　I　cannot　help　it。　　In

my　first　voyages；　while　I　was　young；　I　was　instructed　by　the

oldest　mariners；　and　learned　to　speak　as　they　did。　　But　I　have

since　found　that　the　sea　YAHOOS　are　apt；　like　the　land　ones；　to

become　new…fangled　in　their　words；　which　the　latter　change　every

year；　insomuch；　as　I　remember　upon　each　return　to　my　own　country

their　old　dialect　was　so　altered；　that　I　could　hardly　understand

the　new。　And　I　observe；　when　any　YAHOO　comes　from　London　out　of

curiosity　to　visit　me　at　my　house；　we　neither　of　us　are　able　to

deliver　our　conceptions　in　a　manner　intelligible　to　the　other。



If　the　censure　of　the　YAHOOS　could　any　way　affect　me；　I　should

have　great　reason　to　complain；　that　some　of　them　are　so　bold　as

to　think　my　book　of　travels　a　mere　fiction　out　of　mine　own　brain；

and　have　gone　so　far　as　to　drop　hints；　that　the　HOUYHNHNMS　and

YAHOOS　have　no　more　existence　than　the　inhabitants　of　Utopia。



Indeed　I　must　confess；　that　as　to　the　people　of　LILLIPUT；

BROBDINGRAG　（for　so　the　word　should　have　been　spelt；　and　not

erroneously　BROBDINGNAG）；　and　LAPUTA；　I　have　never　yet　heard　of

any　YAHOO　so　presumptuous　as　to　dispute　their　being；　or　the　facts

I　have　related　concerning　them；　because　the　truth　immediately

strikes　every　reader　with　conviction。　　And　is　there　less

probability　in　my　account　of　the　HOUYHNHNMS　or　YAHOOS；　when　it　is

manifest　as　to　the　latter；　there　are　so　many　thousands　even　in

this　country；　who　only　differ　from　their　brother　brutes　in

HOUYHNHNMLAND；　because　they　use　a　sort　of　jabber；　and　do　not　go

naked？　　I　wrote　for　their　amendment；　and　not　their　approbation。　

The　united　praise　of　the　whole　race　would　be　of　less　consequence

to　me；　than　the　neighing　of　those　two　degenerate　HOUYHNHNMS　I

keep　in　my　stable；　because　from　these；　degenerate　as　they　are；　I

still　improve　in　some　virtues　without　any　mixture　of　vice。



Do　these　miserable　animals　presume　to　think；　that　I　am　so

degenerated　as　to　defend　my　veracity？　　YAHOO　as　I　am；　it　is　well

known　through　all　HOUYHNHNMLAND；　that；　by　the　instructions　and

example　of　my　illustrious　master；　I　was　able　in　the　compass　of

two　years　（although　I　confess　with　the　utmost　difficulty）　to

remove　that　infernal　habit　of　lying；　shuffling；　deceiving；　and

equivocating；　so　deeply　rooted　in　the　very　souls　of　all　my

species；　especially　the　Europeans。



I　have　other　complaints　to　make　upon　this　vexatious　occasion；　but

I　forbear　troubling　myself　or　you　any　further。　　I　must　freely

confess；　that　since　my　last　return；　some　corruptions　of　my　YAHOO

nature　have　revived　in　me　by　conversing　with　a　few　of　your

species；　and　particularly　those　of　my　own　family；　by　an

unavoidable　necessity；　else　I　should　never　have　attempted　so

absurd　a　project　as　that　of　reforming　the　YAHOO　race　in　this

kingdom：　　But　I　have　now　done　with　all　such　visionary　schemes　for

ever。



APRIL　2；　1727