The author of these Travels, Mr. Lemuel Gulliver, is my ancient and intimate friend; there is likewise some relation between us on the mother's side. About three years ago, Mr. Gulliver growing weary of the concourse of curious people coming to him at his house in Redriff, made a small purchase of land, with a convenient house, near Newark, in Nottinghamshire, his native country; where he now lives retired, yet in good esteem among his neighbours. Although Mr. Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire, where his father dwelt, yet I have heard him say his family came from Oxfordshire; to confirm which, I have observed in the churchyard at Banbury in that county, several tombs and monuments of the Gullivers. Before he quitted Redriff, he left the custody of the following papers in my hands, with the liberty to dispose of them as I should think fit. I have carefully perused them three times. The style is very plain and simple; and the only fault I find is, that the author, after the manner of travellers, is a little too circumstantial. There is an air of truth apparent through the whole; and indeed the author was so distinguished for his veracity, that it became a sort of proverb among his neighbours at Redriff, when any one affirmed a thing, to say, it was as true as if Mr. Gulliver had spoken it.

According to legend, when the author and Historical Long Rider Jonathan Swift made an equestrian journey across Ireland, he arrived at a remarkable conclusion. The beloved mare who carried him faithfully was a paragon of reason, understanding and sympathy, unlike his fellow human beings. At the conclusion of the ride, Swift penned his famous book, Gulliver's Travels. It told the tale of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's captain who sailed to four remarkable kingdoms. While the simple children's version focuses on the little people of Lilliput, it was the talking horses found in the fourth adventure which outraged civilised English society. A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms recounts how Captain Gulliver's crew mutinied and set him ashore on an unknown island. There he encountered a race of savage humanoids who threatened to kill him. The bewildered traveller was rescued by horses, who it turns out could speak and in fact ruled the island. What follows is an astonishing tale that turns man's definition of himself on its head. The naked, warlike and murderous humans are known as Yahoos, a term still used today as a synonym for "ruffian." In order to draw attention to the evils of materialism and elitism, Swift described the Yahoos as savage creatures with selfish habits, who are obsessed with digging pretty stones from the mud. In stark contrast the Houyhnhnms, which in their language means "the perfection of nature," are a race of intelligent horses that enjoy a peaceful society based upon reason. Though he is biologically akin to the Yahoos, Gulliver prefers the company of his benevolent equine hosts. When he learns to converse with the horses, Gulliver attempts to explain human society. His equine hosts are perplexed with the alien concepts of greed, war and injustice. Nor do they have a word for 'lie, ' and must substitute the phrase "to say a thing which is not." When Gulliver reluctantly returns to England, he finds the company of his countrymen, whom he now views as Yahoos, so intolerable that he spends most of his time in the stable near his home. Thus, this equine episode is the keystone of Gulliver's Travels and reflects Swift's disenchantment with popular society. Originally it was believed that A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms was a metaphor used by Swift to highlight England's treatment of slaves as lesser human beings. More recently, it has been described as an early example of animal rights, in that Gulliver's role reversal highlighted how cruelly English horses were treated. First released anonymously in 1726, it sold out in less than a week. Since then, the challenging tale has never been out of print. Nor has there arrived a human who has answered the challenge Swift wrote for his own epitaph. "Go forth, Voyager, and copy, if you can, this vigorous champion of Liberty."