ariondas/full_text_dataset · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 1.91k
describe that island very particularly to us; be not too short, but set
out in order all things relating to their soil, their rivers, their
towns, their people, their manners, constitution, laws, and, in a word,
all that you imagine we desire to know; and you may well imagine that we
desire to know everything concerning them of which we are hitherto
ignorant." "I will do it very willingly," said he, "for I have digested
the whole matter carefully, but it will take up some time." "Let us go,
then," said I, "first and dine, and then we shall have leisure enough."
He consented; we went in and dined, and after dinner came back and sat
down in the same place. I ordered my servants to take care that none
might come and interrupt us, and both Peter and I desired Raphael to be
as good as his word. When he saw that we were very intent upon it he
paused a little to recollect himself, and began in this manner:--

"The island of Utopia is in the middle two hundred miles broad, and holds
almost at the same breadth over a great part of it, but it grows narrower
towards both ends. Its figure is not unlike a crescent. Between its
horns the sea comes in eleven miles broad, and spreads itself into a
great bay, which is environed with land to the compass of about five
hundred miles, and is well secured from winds. In this bay there is no
great current; the whole coast is, as it were, one continued harbour,
which gives all that live in the island great convenience for mutual
commerce. But the entry into the bay, occasioned by rocks on the one
hand and shallows on the other, is very dangerous. In the middle of it
there is one single rock which appears above water, and may, therefore,
easily be avoided; and on the top of it there is a tower, in which a
garrison is kept; the other rocks lie under water, and are very
dangerous. The channel is known only to the natives; so that if any
stranger should enter into the bay without one of their pilots he would
run great danger of shipwreck. For even they themselves could not pass
it safe if some marks that are on the coast did not direct their way; and
if these should be but a little shifted, any fleet that might come
against them, how great soever it were, would be certainly lost. On the
other side of the island there are likewise many harbours; and the coast
is so fortified, both by nature and art, that a small number of men can
hinder the descent of a great army. But they report (and there remains
good marks of it to make it credible) that this was no island at first,
but a part of the continent. Utopus, that conquered it (whose name it
still carries, for Abraxa was its first name), brought the rude and
uncivilised inhabitants into such a good government, and to that measure
of politeness, that they now far excel all the rest of mankind. Having
soon subdued them, he designed to separate them from the continent, and
to bring the sea quite round them. To accomplish this he ordered a deep
channel to be dug, fifteen miles long; and that the natives might not
think he treated them like slaves, he not only forced the inhabitants,
but also his own soldiers, to labour in carrying it on. As he set a vast
number of men to work, he, beyond all men's expectations, brought it to a
speedy conclusion. And his neighbours, who at first laughed at the folly
of the undertaking, no sooner saw it brought to perfection than they were
struck with admiration and terror.

"There are fifty-four cities in the island, all large and well built, the
manners, customs, and laws of which are the same, and they are all
contrived as near in the same manner as the ground on which they stand
will allow. The nearest lie at least twenty-four miles' distance from
one another, and the most remote are not so far distant but that a man
can go on foot in one day from it to that which lies next it. Every city
sends three of their wisest senators once a year to Amaurot, to consult
about their common concerns; for that is the chief town of the island,
being situated near the centre of it, so that it is the most convenient
place for their assemblies. The jurisdiction of every city extends at
least twenty miles, and, where the towns lie wider, they have much more
ground. No town desires to enlarge its bounds, for the people consider
themselves rather as tenants than landlords. They have built, over all
the country, farmhouses for husbandmen, which are well contrived, and
furnished with all things necessary for country labour. Inhabitants are
sent, by turns, from the cities to dwell in them; no country family has
fewer than forty men and women in it, besides two slaves. There is a
master and a mistress set over every family, and over thirty families
there is a magistrate. Every year twenty of this family come back to the
town after they have stayed two years in the country, and in their room
there are other twenty sent from the town, that they may learn country
work from those that have been already one year in the country, as they
must teach those that come to them the next from the town. By this means
such as dwell in those country farms are never ignorant of agriculture,
and so commit no errors which might otherwise be fatal and bring them
under a scarcity of corn. But though there is every year such a shifting
of the husbandmen to prevent any man being forced against his will to
follow that hard course of life too long, yet many among them take such
pleasure in it that they desire leave to continue in it many years. These
husbandmen till the ground, breed cattle, hew wood, and convey it to the
towns either by land or water, as is most convenient. They breed an
infinite multitude of chickens in a very curious manner; for the hens do
not sit and hatch them, but a vast number of eggs are laid in a gentle
and equal heat in order to be hatched, and they are no sooner out of the
shell, and able to stir about, but they seem to consider those that feed
them as their mothers, and follow them as other chickens do the hen that
hatched them. They breed very few horses, but those they have are full
of mettle, and are kept only for exercising their youth in the art of
sitting and riding them; for they do not put them to any work, either of
ploughing or carriage, in which they employ oxen. For though their
horses are stronger, yet they find oxen can hold out longer; and as they
are not subject to so many diseases, so they are kept upon a less charge
and with less trouble. And even when they are so worn out that they are
no more fit for labour, they are good meat at last. They sow no corn but
that which is to be their bread; for they drink either wine, cider or
perry, and often water, sometimes boiled with honey or liquorice, with
which they abound; and though they know exactly how much corn will serve
every town and all that tract of country which belongs to it, yet they
sow much more and breed more cattle than are necessary for their

describe that island very particularly to us; be not too short, but set

out in order all things relating to their soil, their rivers, their

towns, their people, their manners, constitution, laws, and, in a word,

all that you imagine we desire to know; and you may well imagine that we

desire to know everything concerning them of which we are hitherto

ignorant." "I will do it very willingly," said he, "for I have digested

the whole matter carefully, but it will take up some time." "Let us go,

then," said I, "first and dine, and then we shall have leisure enough."

He consented; we went in and dined, and after dinner came back and sat

down in the same place. I ordered my servants to take care that none

might come and interrupt us, and both Peter and I desired Raphael to be

as good as his word. When he saw that we were very intent upon it he

paused a little to recollect himself, and began in this manner:--

"The island of Utopia is in the middle two hundred miles broad, and holds

almost at the same breadth over a great part of it, but it grows narrower

towards both ends. Its figure is not unlike a crescent. Between its

horns the sea comes in eleven miles broad, and spreads itself into a

great bay, which is environed with land to the compass of about five

hundred miles, and is well secured from winds. In this bay there is no

great current; the whole coast is, as it were, one continued harbour,

which gives all that live in the island great convenience for mutual

commerce. But the entry into the bay, occasioned by rocks on the one

hand and shallows on the other, is very dangerous. In the middle of it

there is one single rock which appears above water, and may, therefore,

easily be avoided; and on the top of it there is a tower, in which a

garrison is kept; the other rocks lie under water, and are very

dangerous. The channel is known only to the natives; so that if any

stranger should enter into the bay without one of their pilots he would

run great danger of shipwreck. For even they themselves could not pass

it safe if some marks that are on the coast did not direct their way; and

if these should be but a little shifted, any fleet that might come

against them, how great soever it were, would be certainly lost. On the

other side of the island there are likewise many harbours; and the coast

is so fortified, both by nature and art, that a small number of men can

hinder the descent of a great army. But they report (and there remains

good marks of it to make it credible) that this was no island at first,

but a part of the continent. Utopus, that conquered it (whose name it

still carries, for Abraxa was its first name), brought the rude and

uncivilised inhabitants into such a good government, and to that measure

of politeness, that they now far excel all the rest of mankind. Having

soon subdued them, he designed to separate them from the continent, and

to bring the sea quite round them. To accomplish this he ordered a deep

channel to be dug, fifteen miles long; and that the natives might not

think he treated them like slaves, he not only forced the inhabitants,

but also his own soldiers, to labour in carrying it on. As he set a vast

number of men to work, he, beyond all men's expectations, brought it to a

speedy conclusion. And his neighbours, who at first laughed at the folly

of the undertaking, no sooner saw it brought to perfection than they were

struck with admiration and terror.

"There are fifty-four cities in the island, all large and well built, the

manners, customs, and laws of which are the same, and they are all

contrived as near in the same manner as the ground on which they stand

will allow. The nearest lie at least twenty-four miles' distance from

one another, and the most remote are not so far distant but that a man

can go on foot in one day from it to that which lies next it. Every city

sends three of their wisest senators once a year to Amaurot, to consult

about their common concerns; for that is the chief town of the island,

being situated near the centre of it, so that it is the most convenient

place for their assemblies. The jurisdiction of every city extends at

least twenty miles, and, where the towns lie wider, they have much more

ground. No town desires to enlarge its bounds, for the people consider

themselves rather as tenants than landlords. They have built, over all

the country, farmhouses for husbandmen, which are well contrived, and

furnished with all things necessary for country labour. Inhabitants are

sent, by turns, from the cities to dwell in them; no country family has

fewer than forty men and women in it, besides two slaves. There is a

master and a mistress set over every family, and over thirty families

there is a magistrate. Every year twenty of this family come back to the

town after they have stayed two years in the country, and in their room

there are other twenty sent from the town, that they may learn country

work from those that have been already one year in the country, as they

must teach those that come to them the next from the town. By this means

such as dwell in those country farms are never ignorant of agriculture,

and so commit no errors which might otherwise be fatal and bring them

under a scarcity of corn. But though there is every year such a shifting

of the husbandmen to prevent any man being forced against his will to

follow that hard course of life too long, yet many among them take such

pleasure in it that they desire leave to continue in it many years. These

husbandmen till the ground, breed cattle, hew wood, and convey it to the

towns either by land or water, as is most convenient. They breed an

infinite multitude of chickens in a very curious manner; for the hens do

not sit and hatch them, but a vast number of eggs are laid in a gentle

and equal heat in order to be hatched, and they are no sooner out of the

shell, and able to stir about, but they seem to consider those that feed

them as their mothers, and follow them as other chickens do the hen that

hatched them. They breed very few horses, but those they have are full

of mettle, and are kept only for exercising their youth in the art of

sitting and riding them; for they do not put them to any work, either of

ploughing or carriage, in which they employ oxen. For though their

horses are stronger, yet they find oxen can hold out longer; and as they

are not subject to so many diseases, so they are kept upon a less charge

and with less trouble. And even when they are so worn out that they are

no more fit for labour, they are good meat at last. They sow no corn but

that which is to be their bread; for they drink either wine, cider or

perry, and often water, sometimes boiled with honey or liquorice, with

which they abound; and though they know exactly how much corn will serve

every town and all that tract of country which belongs to it, yet they

sow much more and breed more cattle than are necessary for their