Pyle, Fitzroy

English

University of Calgary Journal Hosting

Yahoo Swijt and the asses F I T Z R O Y P Y L E GE N E R A L L Y speak ing , i t is unprof i table to try to read mean-• ings i n t o the names o f peoples and lands i n Gulliver's Travels. These names are what they are, to be taken for granted, l i k e those o f strange, far-off countr ies i n real-life geo-graphy. Y e t i n the Travels an imi ta t ive or echoic element does occur , i f o n l y i n llottyhnhnm w i t h its w h i n n y . B u t i f there, perhaps elsewhere as w e l l , a n d where m o r e l i k e l y than i n the c o m p a n i o n name Yahoo? I f Houyhnhnm is in tended to convey the ne igh o f a horse m i g h t we not expect to hear i n Yahoo the s o u n d o f some other , in fer ior , a n i m a l ? 1 Perhaps F r a n k K e r m o d e came nearest to f o l l o w i n g this clue w h e n twenty o d d years ago he d r e w atten-t i o n i n Notes and Queries to the Y a i o s , a people o f G u i a n a descr ibed i n 1613 b y R o b e r t H a r c o u r t i n his Relation of a Voyage to that country . ' Y a i o s ' , said K e r m o d e , ' i s , one feels, a sort o f B u n t e r yelp or h o w l that w o u l d have appealed to Swift i n his search for a savage nomencla ture ' , a n d so, he be l ieved , 'one may suppose that Swift was t h i n k i n g o f this tr ibe w h e n he c o i n e d the w o r d Yahoo'.2 It i s , h o w e v e r , not a savage nomenclature that he w o u l d have sought but an a n i m a l cry o n w h i c h to base a c o r r e s p o n d i n g name for the brutes he o p p o s e d to the admirable horses. ' Y o u r horse , S i r ! Y o u r horse is an A s s , S i r ' , says Petulant to Sir W i l f u l l W i t w o u d , flinging it 'by way o f Offence' f r o m one e n d o f the equine scale to the o t h e r ; a n d w h a t a n i m a l cry m o r e closely resembles the s o u n d Yahoo t h a n the bray o f an ass ? T h e ass's bray , to be sure, is ident i f ied today as hee haw ( F r e n c h hi-han), 1 Marjorie W . Buckley also considers the two names together, in offering a 'Key to the Language of the Houyhnhnms' in Fair Liberty was all bis cry (ed. A . Norman Jeffares, 1967, 270); but she hears the voice of Swift in both, indicting respectively 'Ye mho' behave as Yahoos, and ' Y o u who inhuman' behave as Houyhnhnms. 2 Frank Kermode, Notes and Queries, exev, 1950, 317-18. Y A H O O 6 5 but i t is w o r t h n o t i n g that the earliest f o r m recorded i n O.E.D. ( f rom a p s e u d o n y m o u s w o r k o f W . H . Ireland's p u b l i s h e d i n 1815) is ' an Htu Haw, i n i m i t a t i o n o f the Ass ' s b r a y i n g ' . T h i s s o u n d , i n v e r t e d — or heard i n r a p i d repet i t ion — yields a sequence (haw hhi) s tart l ingly l i k e Yahoo, a n d needs o n l y the slightest adjustment (to hiaw hit) to be v i r t u a l l y ident ica l w i t h it . T h a t this was a recogn ized representation o f the ass's bray i n Swift 's t ime is out o f the q u e s t i o n : i f i t h a d been, the correspon-dence w o u l d have been n o t e d , for , as G a y p layful ly recorded s o o n after the b o o k was p u b l i s h e d , Houyhnhnm a n d Yahoo i m -mediately became ' m o d i s h t e r m s ' . 1 B u t i f i n 1815 I re land imi ta ted the bray as Hiu Haw i t is b y n o means imposs ib le that Swift s h o u l d have imi ta ted i t as Yahoo about a h u n d r e d years earlier. W e are l e d , t h e n , to the hypothesis that the w o r d is , w i t h Houyhnhnm, echoic , the p r o d u c t o f a jesting fancy, each intended to m a t c h the other , the s o u n d o f the ass ba lanc ing that o f the horse. I f that was Swift 's i n t e n t i o n , w h a t was the m o t i v e b e h i n d it ? W h a t can i t have been b u t to deve lop the idea that, to put it s i m p l y , i n contrast to the horse m a n is an ass ? A s w e k n o w , that is not the emphasis o f the F o u r t h B o o k as i t came to be w r i t t e n . T h e Y a h o o s are n o t asses. T h e y h o w l or r o a r : they d o not b r a y . 2 N e i t h e r are the Y a h o o s ident i f ied w i t h the ass i n nature or appearance. O n the contrary they are a d is t inct species, and compare unfavourably i n a lmost every respect w i t h the ass, w h i c h t h r o u g h deplorable increase they have tended to displace. T h e contrast is neatly s u m m a r i z e d b y the H o u y h n h n m p r o p o n e n t for their ex terminat ion . H e regrets that i n earlier t imes the Inhabitants [of Houyhnhnmland] , taking a Fancy to use the Service o f the Yahoos, had very imprudently neglected to cultivate the Breed of Asses, which are a comely A n i m a l , easily kept, more tame and orderly, without any offensive Smell, strong enough for Labour, although they yield to the other i n Ag i l i t y o f Body, and i f their Braying be no agreeable Sound, it is far preferable to the horrible Howl ings of the Yahoos. It is ev ident , t h e n , that i f Swif t first h i t u p o n the w o r d Y a h o o ' i n i m i t a t i o n o f the Ass ' s b r a y i n g ' the m o t i v e b e h i n d its i n v e n t i o n d i d 1 The Correspondence of Jonathan Swift, ed. Harold Will iams, 1963, i n , 184. 2 When Gull iver practises the sound Yahoo, 'boldly' pronouncing it ' in a loud Voice ' , the two Houyhnhnms he has met are 'both visibly surprized', not to hear him cry like an ass or a Yahoo, but at his skil l in imitating a word in their language. 66 F I T Z R O Y P Y L E not persist. A c c o r d i n g l y a further hypothesis suggests itself, that o f stages o f imag inat ive d e v e l o p m e n t i n the ' foreconceit o f the w o r k ' . I n the first, m a n is conce ived as asinine i n nature a n d capacity, i n the last as bestial . I n b o t h o f these stages the horse is a ra t iona l a n i m a l , as m a n supposes h imse l f to be, and the Y a h o o is essentially h u m a n i n f o r m ; b u t i n neither d o horse and m a n s imply change places i n the a n i m a l hierarchy. F o r the horse as we k n o w i t i s , for an a n i m a l , ' sensible ' , a n d m a n as we k n o w h i m is , v i e w e d i n the l i g h t o f his pretent ions , the reverse o f sensible. A c c o r d i n g l y the ' g o o d sense' o f the horse is idea l ized , and equated w i t h true rat ional i ty , whereas man's capacity for ra t iona l b e h a v i o u r is first ident i f ied i n re la t ion to the horse's as that o f the lowest m e m b e r o f the horse tr ibe — the ass, t rad i t iona l e m b l e m o f fo l l y . Subsequently that s y m b o l becomes inadequate as the idea o f the V o y a g e comes to be deve loped i n the scathing spir i t i n w h i c h the K i n g o f B r o b d i n g n a g condemns the b u l k o f G u l -l iver ' s c o u n t r y m e n as ' the m o s t pernic ious Race o f l i t t le o d i o u s V e r m i n that N a t u r e ever suffered to c r a w l u p o n the Surface o f the E a r t h ' . T o convey that emphasis the o p p o s i t i o n o f horse and ass can n o longer serve, for i t goes far b e y o n d the s imple quest ion o f pre tent ion to rat ional i ty and the possession o f i t , and m a n at his w o r s t must be p laced at the b o t t o m not o f the equine scale but o f the bestial . W h a t support does the text afford for these conjectures? It is general ly agreed that the F o u r t h V o y a g e is a w o r k o f c o n -t inuous c o m p o s i t i o n , w r i t t e n i n accordance w i t h a w e l l c o n -sidered, coherent scheme — the second o f those o u t l i n e d above. T h i s c o u l d have d e v e l o p e d out o f an earlier scheme a n d c o m -pletely supplanted i t , so that n o trace o f i t s u r v i v e d i n the w r i t i n g b e y o n d the conven ient ly arcane appel la t ion Y a h o o . I n that case it w o u l d be id le to pursue the present speculations. T h e r e is evidence i n the text, h o w e v e r , p o i n t i n g to the type o f change we have been h y p o t h e s i z i n g , a n d the s u r v i v a l o f such evidence, albeit shadowy, i n such a h i g h l y o rgan ized c o n s t r u c t i o n as the F o u r t h B o o k shows w h a t a firm h o l d the i n i t i a l postulate seems to have h a d o n Swift 's m i n d . W e have already noted that he is at pains to insist that his Y a h o o s are not asses but o f a nature far worse than the ass's. Y A H O O 67 Y e t correspondences d o o c c u r , consistent w i t h the theory that this was indeed the c o n c e p t i o n o n w h i c h the Y a h o o s were o r i g i n a l l y f o r m e d . P r o v e r b i a l l y the ass is d i r t y , lazy , f o o l i s h , d u l l a n d obstinate, a n d it is such qualities that chiefly m a r k the habits a n d d i s p o s i t i o n o f the Y a h o o s . T h e y appear, says G u l l i v e r , to be the most unteachable o f Animals , their Capacities never reaching higher than to draw or carry Burthens. Yet I am of O p i n i o n , this Defect arises chiefly from a perverse, restive disposition. F o r they are cunning, malicious, treacherous and revengeful. H i s statement o f the imperfect ions o f m i n d o f the y o u n g E n g l i s h n o b l e m a n Y a h o o s has a s imi lar emphasis : they are 'a C o m p o s i t i o n o f Spleen, D u l n e s s , Ignorance , Capr ice , Sensuality a n d P r i d e ' . 1 So m u c h for w h a t may be cons idered s u r v i v i n g traces o f the o r i g i n a l , i n f o r m i n g idea o f the B o o k . I n a general w a y the Y a h o o s ' qualities resemble the p r o v e r b i a l n o t i o n o f the ass. T h e correspondence is obscured to some extent, not o n l y b y the difference o f o u t w a r d f o r m , w h i c h leads the reader n o t to l o o k for i t , b u t b y an i n t e r m i n g l i n g o f other a n i m a l characteristics such as extreme nimbleness a n d agi l i ty and the habit o f d i g g i n g holes i n the g r o u n d w i t h the nails . These may w e l l be regarded as a necessary e m b r o i d e r y o f the i n f o r m i n g idea we have been c o n s i d e r i n g , for a d o w n r i g h t , u n a d o r n e d horse-ass o p p o s i t i o n can have served o n l y as the seminal c o n d i t i o n o f the Y a h o o s ' c o n c e p t i o n , b e i n g i n i tsel f t o o o b v i o u s , f o r m a l , res t r ic t ing a n d d u l l to base a B o o k o n . T h e f u n c t i o n o f the add i t iona l traits seems merely to suggest general a n i m a l affinities i n the propensit ies a n d capacities o f p r i m i t i v e Y a h o o s . T h e y have n o t the effect o f present ing t h e m i n a m o r e offensive or derogatory l i ght . T h a t belongs to the f inal c o n c e p t i o n — that o f the w r i t t e n w o r k — i n w h i c h they stand b e l o w a l l other beasts, u g l y , hateful , contempt ib le a n d v i l e . T h e y are ' the o n l y A n i m a l s i n this C o u n t r y ' , says G u l l i v e r , 'subject to any Diseases ' , a n d i n a l a n d where 'there appears to be a natura l L o v e o f Cleanliness i n a l l other A n i m a l s ' 1 'This absurd vice' pride, the height of folly, is reserved for the final comment of the Travels. Gul l iver 'could plainly observe some Rudiments of it among the wi ld Yahoos', but the Houyhnhnms could not. 'For want of thoroughly understanding Human Nature, as it sheweth itself in other Countries, where that Animal presides', they did not know what to look for. That this vice may be considered specifically asinine appears from the proverbs Thomas Fuller cites (no. 1404 f.), 'Every ass loves to hear himself bray' and 'Every ass thinks himself worthy to stand with the king's horses'. (,8 F I T Z R O Y P Y L E the Y a h o o s have 'a strange D i s p o s i t i o n to Nast iness a n d D i r t ' . G u l l i v e r ' s master observed a m o n g t h e m practices o f ' such Degrees o f in famous B r u t a l i t y , that n o other sensitive Creature ever a r r i v e d at'. Y e t w h e n he heard o f E u r o p e a n w a r he real ized that ' c i v i l i z e d ' Y a h o o s h a d a r r i v e d at degrees o f bruta l i ty b e y o n d bruta l i ty : he no more blamed [the w i l d Yahoos] for their odious Qualities, than he did . . . a sharp Stone for cutting his Hoof . But , when a Creature pretending to Reason, could be capable o f such Enormities, he dreaded lest the Corruption of that Faculty might be worse than Brutality itself. A pattern o f d i s t i n c t i o n emerges, therefore, f r o m the text, def ining stages o f deve lopment towards wdiich we have been g r o p i n g . T h e first o f these, t a k i n g its rise i n the fancy that m a n i n his i r rat ional i ty can fitliest be cal led an ass, widens out to embrace general an imal affinities. T h e emphasis at this stage is u p o n man's place b e i n g unmis takab ly a m o n g the animals . T h e last stage is concerned w i t h man's degradat ion i n c o m p a r i s o n w i t h a l l other animals . I n spite o f the g r o u n d w o r k o f asinine characteristics the m a i n i m p r e s s i o n n o w g i v e n is that o f such p r o f o u n d beastliness that i t borders at t imes o n a c o n d i t i o n b e l o w the bestial . T h i s impress ion is secured s i m p l y b y m a k i n g the Y a h o o a species apart — abhorred a l ike by H o u y h n h n m s and al l the other beasts — w i t h a loathsomeness pecul iar ly its o w n . N o t h i n g l ike a mix ture o f v i c i o u s an imal characteristics is attempted. It is i n later w o r k (lines rejected f r o m ' O n Poetry . A R a p s o d y ' ) that Swift uses that m e t h o d , l i k e n i n g k ings t o : Hogs , Asses, Wolves , Baboons & Goats, w h i c h represent in figure just Sloth, Fol ly , Rapine, Mischief, Lust. H o w m u c h neater a n d more inc lus ive is the Y a h o o i n its final concept ion a n d , at least aesthetically, h o w m u c h m o r e just a figure. I n the c o n c l u d i n g chapter w i t h a masterly twis t o f l o g i c Swif t suddenly confers an unforeseen u n i t y u p o n a l l the Travels . . . into several Remote Nations of the World by off-handedly referr ing Y A H O O 69 to the B r o b d i n g n a g i a n s as 'the least c o r r u p t e d ' o f ' those remote N a t i o n s where Yahoos preside ' . A l l m e n are Y a h o o s , near a n d remote a l ike , f r o m the most to the least c o r r u p t e d . livery animal, except the Houyhnhnm, is irrational: Only Houyhnhnms are rational. It is a s imple l o g i c a l inference f r o m an exceptive p r o p o s i t i o n . I n M a r s h ' s text-book w r i t t e n in usum Juventutis Academiae Dub-liniensis such p r o p o s i t i o n s a n d such inferences are enunciated i n terms o f the ass as an except ion to rat ional i ty . Is this altogether w i t h o u t signif icance? It was f r o m that b o o k , as R . S. Crane has s h o w n , that the expression Joannes, Petrus, Thomas, <ò°c. embedded itsel f i n Swift 's m e m o r y ; 1 a n d it c o u l d be f r o m there, as w e l l as f r o m other log ics i n use at T . C . D . , that — eight years before L o c k e ' s Human Understanding appeared — he first learned, b y w a y o f contrary o p p o s i t i o n , to scoff at the idea o f homo as animal rationale. M a r s h ' s chapter 'De Enunciationum Oppositione' is there-fore deserv ing o f a t tent ion, o r rather the three pages o f i t that i l lustrate the o p p o s i t i o n o f e x p o n i b l e s . 2 T h e 'except ive ' p r o p o s i -t ions used for that purpose are o f the type Omne animal, praeter asinum, est rationale, w i t h variants f o r m e d by negat ing subject, predicate, o r exceptive part ic le . T h e first o f the d e r i v e d p r o p o s i -t ions c i ted f r o m the parent type is Every irrational animal is an ass. T h i s k i n d o f i l lustrat ive mater ia l offers f ru i t fu l o p p o r t u n i t y for r id icu le to the undergraduate w i t h a sense o f f u n , and i t may seriously be d o u b t e d w h i c h came first i n the imag inat ive pedigree o f the F o u r t h V o y a g e , the equus o r the ass. T h e y may h a n g close together. T h e horse appears the earlier i n M a r s h ' s pages (and it is o f c o m m o n occurrence, o f course, i n Burgersd ic ius and other log ics) , but i t is hard ly i n i tsel f an occas ion o f m i r t h . O n the other h a n d i t takes n o very w i l d f l ight o f fancy to imag ine a de l ighted , m i s c h i e v o u s - m i n d e d J u n i o r F r e s h m a n d o o d l i n g i n m i n d w i t h M a r s h ' s pages a n d a m u s i n g h i m s e l f by f r a m i n g the s y l l o g i s m : Every irrational animal is an ass; Man is an irrational animal: therefore Man is an ass. T h e i m a g i n a t i o n w o r k s i n myster ious ways. It may be that Swif t , w h o carr ied away f r o m M a r s h the f o r m o f w o r d s ' J o h n , Peter , T h o m a s , a n d so f o r t h ' , carr ied away also the mak ings o f Homo est asinus — vel Yahoo. W h o can say ? 1 R. S. Crane, 'The Houyhnhnms, the Yahoos, and the History of Ideas', in Reason and the Imagination, ed. J . A . Mazzeo, 1962, 251-3. 2 Narcissus Marsh, Institutions Logicae, ed. 1681, 97, 99, 100. 

Yahoo Swift and the asses

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Yahoo Swift and the asses

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