[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Gulliver's Travels 75/96
Gulliver's Travels
answer to which I assured his honour, "that in all points out of their own trade, they were usually the most ignorant and stupid
generation among us, the most despicable in common conversation, avowed enemies to all knowledge and learning, and equally
disposed to pervert the general reason of mankind in every other subject of discourse as in that of their own profession."
CHAPTER VI
.
[A continuation of the state of England under Queen Anne. The character of a first minister of state in European courts.]
My master was yet wholly at a loss to understand what motives could incite this race of lawyers to perplex, disquiet, and weary
themselves, and engage in a confederacy of injustice, merely for the sake of injuring their fellow-animals; neither could he
comprehend what I meant in saying, they did it for hire. Whereupon I was at much pains to describe to him the use of money, the
materials it was made of, and the value of the metals; "that when a Yahoo had got a great store of this precious substance, he was able
to purchase whatever he had a mind to; the finest clothing, the noblest houses, great tracts of land, the most costly meats and drinks,
and have his choice of the most beautiful females. Therefore since money alone was able to perform all these feats, our Yahoos
thought they could never have enough of it to spend, or to save, as they found themselves inclined, from their natural bent either to
profusion or avarice; that the rich man enjoyed the fruit of the poor man's labour, and the latter were a thousand to one in proportion to
the former; that the bulk of our people were forced to live miserably, by labouring every day for small wages, to make a few live
plentifully."
I enlarged myself much on these, and many other particulars to the same purpose; but his honour was still to seek; for he went upon a
supposition, that all animals had a title to their share in the productions of the earth, and especially those who presided over the rest.
Therefore he desired I would let him know, "what these costly meats were, and how any of us happened to want them?" Whereupon I
enumerated as many sorts as came into my head, with the various methods of dressing them, which could not be done without sending
vessels by sea to every part of the world, as well for liquors to drink as for sauces and innumerable other conveniences. I assured him
"that this whole globe of earth must be at least three times gone round before one of our better female Yahoos could get her breakfast,
or a cup to put it in." He said "that must needs be a miserable country which cannot furnish food for its own inhabitants. But what he
chiefly wondered at was, how such vast tracts of ground as I described should be wholly without fresh water, and the people put to the
necessity of sending over the sea for drink." I replied "that England (the dear place of my nativity) was computed to produce three
times the quantity of food more than its inhabitants are able to consume, as well as liquors extracted from grain, or pressed out of the
fruit of certain trees, which made excellent drink, and the same proportion in every other convenience of life. But, in order to feed the
luxury and intemperance of the males, and the vanity of the females, we sent away the greatest part of our necessary things to other
countries, whence, in return, we brought the materials of diseases, folly, and vice, to spend among ourselves. Hence it follows of
necessity, that vast numbers of our people are compelled to seek their livelihood by begging, robbing, stealing, cheating, pimping,
flattering, suborning, forswearing, forging, gaming, lying, fawning, hectoring, voting, scribbling, star-gazing, poisoning, whoring,
canting, libelling, freethinking, and the like occupations:" every one of which terms I was at much pains to make him understand.
"That wine was not imported among us from foreign countries to supply the want of water or other drinks, but because it was a sort of
liquid which made us merry by putting us out of our senses, diverted all melancholy thoughts, begat wild extravagant imaginations in
the brain, raised our hopes and banished our fears, suspended every office of reason for a time, and deprived us of the use of our limbs,
till we fell into a profound sleep; although it must be confessed, that we always awaked sick and dispirited; and that the use of this
liquor filled us with diseases which made our lives uncomfortable and short.
"But beside all this, the bulk of our people supported themselves by furnishing the necessities or conveniences of life to the rich and to
each other. For instance, when I am at home, and dressed as I ought to be, I carry on my body the workmanship of a hundred
tradesmen; the building and furniture of my house employ as many more, and five times the number to adorn my wife." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Gulliver's Travels 75/96
Gulliver's Travels
answer to which I assured his honour, "that in all points out of their own trade, they were usually the most ignorant and stupid
generation among us, the most despicable in common conversation, avowed enemies to all knowledge and learning, and equally
disposed to pervert the general reason of mankind in every other subject of discourse as in that of their own profession."
CHAPTER VI
.
[A continuation of the state of England under Queen Anne. The character of a first minister of state in European courts.]
My master was yet wholly at a loss to understand what motives could incite this race of lawyers to perplex, disquiet, and weary
themselves, and engage in a confederacy of injustice, merely for the sake of injuring their fellow-animals; neither could he
comprehend what I meant in saying, they did it for hire. Whereupon I was at much pains to describe to him the use of money, the
materials it was made of, and the value of the metals; "that when a Yahoo had got a great store of this precious substance, he was able
to purchase whatever he had a mind to; the finest clothing, the noblest houses, great tracts of land, the most costly meats and drinks,
and have his choice of the most beautiful females. Therefore since money alone was able to perform all these feats, our Yahoos
thought they could never have enough of it to spend, or to save, as they found themselves inclined, from their natural bent either to
profusion or avarice; that the rich man enjoyed the fruit of the poor man's labour, and the latter were a thousand to one in proportion to
the former; that the bulk of our people were forced to live miserably, by labouring every day for small wages, to make a few live
plentifully."
I enlarged myself much on these, and many other particulars to the same purpose; but his honour was still to seek; for he went upon a
supposition, that all animals had a title to their share in the productions of the earth, and especially those who presided over the rest.
Therefore he desired I would let him know, "what these costly meats were, and how any of us happened to want them?" Whereupon I
enumerated as many sorts as came into my head, with the various methods of dressing them, which could not be done without sending
vessels by sea to every part of the world, as well for liquors to drink as for sauces and innumerable other conveniences. I assured him
"that this whole globe of earth must be at least three times gone round before one of our better female Yahoos could get her breakfast,
or a cup to put it in." He said "that must needs be a miserable country which cannot furnish food for its own inhabitants. But what he
chiefly wondered at was, how such vast tracts of ground as I described should be wholly without fresh water, and the people put to the
necessity of sending over the sea for drink." I replied "that England (the dear place of my nativity) was computed to produce three
times the quantity of food more than its inhabitants are able to consume, as well as liquors extracted from grain, or pressed out of the
fruit of certain trees, which made excellent drink, and the same proportion in every other convenience of life. But, in order to feed the
luxury and intemperance of the males, and the vanity of the females, we sent away the greatest part of our necessary things to other
countries, whence, in return, we brought the materials of diseases, folly, and vice, to spend among ourselves. Hence it follows of
necessity, that vast numbers of our people are compelled to seek their livelihood by begging, robbing, stealing, cheating, pimping,
flattering, suborning, forswearing, forging, gaming, lying, fawning, hectoring, voting, scribbling, star-gazing, poisoning, whoring,
canting, libelling, freethinking, and the like occupations:" every one of which terms I was at much pains to make him understand.
"That wine was not imported among us from foreign countries to supply the want of water or other drinks, but because it was a sort of
liquid which made us merry by putting us out of our senses, diverted all melancholy thoughts, begat wild extravagant imaginations in
the brain, raised our hopes and banished our fears, suspended every office of reason for a time, and deprived us of the use of our limbs,
till we fell into a profound sleep; although it must be confessed, that we always awaked sick and dispirited; and that the use of this
liquor filled us with diseases which made our lives uncomfortable and short.
"But beside all this, the bulk of our people supported themselves by furnishing the necessities or conveniences of life to the rich and to
each other. For instance, when I am at home, and dressed as I ought to be, I carry on my body the workmanship of a hundred
tradesmen; the building and furniture of my house employ as many more, and five times the number to adorn my wife." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]