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This anecdote intertwines the themes of knowledge and deception—some of history’s most “knowledgeable” scholars (the commentators) are exposed as shameful liars. Gulliver arranges the meeting between these philosophers to establish absolute truth by showing Aristotle his own theories were lies. However, Aristotle wisely recognizes that absolute truth does not exist—truth is just a matter of people’s perspectives at a particular time. Gulliver’s encounter with the past rulers of European states makes him realize that all the historical knowledge he possesses has come from deceptive sources—the “prostitute” historians who represented the rulers as morally and physically powerful men. Yet these rulers, Gulliver finds, were in fact weak on both counts: they are corrupt and their bodies are physically debased by polluted bloodlines. Gulliver’s perspective on history shifts. Gulliver’s reflection links societal wealth with societal corruption. The text is thus implicitly advocating a simpler lifestyle as a path to virtue.