You have clearly proved that ignorance, idleness, and vice are the proper ingredients for qualifying a legislator.

Answer: This extract is taken from Chapter 6, Part 2 of Swift’s great satirical work Gulliver’s Travels. The quoted words are spoken by the Brobdingnagian King. Here Swift highlights the negative aspects of English politics. The giant King sarcastically comments that in England the qualities required to become a legislator are ignorance, idleness and vice.

In his second voyage, Gulliver discovers himself in a land of giants. In this part of the book, Gulliver is the object of satire of the author. After a chain of events, Gulliver finds his place in the palace of the Brobdingnagian King. Gulliver manages to develop intimacy with the King as the latter takes immense interest in little Gulliver. The two converse about many things. The king inquires about the state of Europe. Gulliver gives a ‘favourable’ account of his beloved country. But the reaction of the Brobdingnagian King is notable. He is awe-struck hearing the details of his country’s history, politics and society. The King terms Gulliver’s account as “admirable panegyric upon your country” and then makes some bitter comments. He says that from his account it appears that ignorance, idleness and vice are the proper qualifications of a legislator. He finds that the legislators in England are not benevolent and lack integrity. The lawmakers are motivated by their own interests. They are self-seeking people who indulge in vices and malpractices for their personal gains. The King also comments that “That laws are best explained, interpreted, and applied by those whose interest and abilities lie in perverting, confounding, and eluding them.”

In these quoted lines, Swift exposes the darker aspects of English people. He wields here pungent satire against the self-seeking and corrupt politicians of his time.