The History Of The Life Of The Late Mr. Jonathan Wild The Great(Fiscle Part 3), Henry Fielding [most read books in the world of all time .txt] 📗

He Was A Passionate Admirer Of Heroes,  Particularly Of Alexander

The Great,  Between Whom And The Late King Of Sweden He Would

Frequently Draw Parallels. He Was Much Delighted With The Accounts

Of The Czar's Retreat From The Latter,  Who Carried Off The

Inhabitants Of Great Cities To People His Own Country. This,  He

Said,  Was Not Once Thought Of By Alexander; But Added,  Perhaps He

Did Not Want Them.

 

Happy Had It Been For Him If He Had Confined Himself To This

Sphere; But His Chief,  If Not Only Blemish,  Was,  That He Would

Sometimes,  From An Humility In His Nature Too Pernicious To True

Greatness,  Condescend To An Intimacy With Inferior Things And

Persons. Thus The Spanish Rogue Was His Favourite Book,  And The

Cheats Of Scapin His Favourite Play.

 

The Young Gentleman Being Now At The Age Of Seventeen,  His Father,

From A Foolish Prejudice To Our Universities,  And Out Of A False

As Well As Excessive Regard To His Morals,  Brought His Son To

Town,  Where He Resided With Him Till He Was Of An Age To Travel.

Whilst He Was Here,  All Imaginable Care Was Taken Of His

Instruction,  His Father Endeavouring His Utmost To Inculcate

Principles Of Honour And Gentility Into His Son.

 

Book 1 Chapter 4 Pg 14

Mr. Wild's First Entrance Into The World. His Acquaintance With

Count La Ruse.

 

An Accident Soon Happened After His Arrival In Town Which Almost

Saved The Father His Whole Labour On This Head,  And Provided

Master Wild A Better Tutor Than Any After-Care Or Expense Could

Have Furnished Him With. The Old Gentleman,  It Seems,  Was A

Follower Of The Fortunes Of Mr. Snap,  Son Of Mr. Geoffry Snap,

Whom We Have Before Mentioned To Have Enjoyed A Reputable Office

Under The Sheriff Of London And Middlesex,  The Daughter Of Which

Geoffry Had Intermarried With The Wilds. Mr. Snap The Younger,

Being Thereto Well Warranted,  Had Laid Violent Hands On,  Or,  As

The Vulgar Express It,  Arrested One Count La Ruse,  A Man Of

Considerable Figure In Those Days,  And Had Confined Him To His Own

House Till He Could Find Two Seconds Who Would In A Formal Manner

Give Their Words That The Count Should,  At A Certain Day And Place

Appointed,  Answer All That One Thomas Thimble,  A Taylor,  Had To

Say To Him; Which Thomas Thimble,  It Seems,  Alleged That The Count

Book 1 Chapter 4 Pg 15

Had,  According To The Law Of The Realm,  Made Over His Body To Him

As A Security For Some Suits Of Cloaths To Him Delivered By The

Said Thomas Thimble. Now As The Count,  Though Perfectly A Man Of

Honour,  Could Not Immediately Find These Seconds,  He Was Obliged

For Some Time To Reside At Mr. Snap's House: For It Seems The Law

Of The Land Is,  That Whoever Owes Another 10 Pounds,  Or Indeed 2

Pounds,  May Be,  On The Oath Of That Person,  Immediately Taken Up

And Carried Away From His Own House And Family,  And Kept Abroad

Till He Is Made To Owe,  50 Pounds,  Whether He Will Or No; For

Which He Is Perhaps Afterwards Obliged To Lie In Gaol; And All

These Without Any Trial Had,  Or Any Other Evidence Of The Debt

Than The Above Said Oath,  Which If Untrue,  As It Often Happens,

You Have No Remedy Against The Perjurer; He Was,  Forsooth,

Mistaken.

 

But Though Mr. Snap Would Not (As Perhaps By The Nice Rules Of

Honour He Was Obliged) Discharge The Count On His Parole,  Yet Did

He Not (As By The Strict Rules Of Law He Was Enabled) Confine Him

To His Chamber. The Count Had His Liberty Of The Whole House,  And

Mr. Snap,  Using Only The Precaution Of Keeping His Doors Well

Locked And Barred,  Took His Prisoner's Word That He Would Not Go

Forth.

 

Mr. Snap Had By His Second Lady Two Daughters,  Who Were Now In The

Bloom Of Their Youth And Beauty. These Young Ladies,  Like Damsels

In Romance,  Compassionated The Captive Count,  And Endeavoured By

All Means To Make His Confinement Less Irksome To Him; Which,

Though They Were Both Very Beautiful,  They Could Not Attain By Any

Other Way So Effectually As By Engaging With Him At Cards,  In

Which Contentions,  As Will Appear Hereafter,  The Count Was Greatly

Skilful.

 

As Whisk And Swabbers Was The Game Then In The Chief Vogue,  They

Were Obliged To Look For A Fourth Person In Order To Make Up Their

Parties. Mr. Snap Himself Would Sometimes Relax His Mind From The

Violent Fatigues Of His Employment By These Recreations; And

Sometimes A Neighbouring Young Gentleman Or Lady Came In To Their

Assistance: But The Most Frequent Guest Was Young Master Wild,  Who

Had Been Educated From His Infancy With The Miss Snaps,  And Was,

By All The Neighbours,  Allotted For The Husband Of Miss Tishy,  Or

Laetitia,  The Younger Of The Two; For Though,  Being His Cousin-

German,  She Was Perhaps,  In The Eye Of A Strict Conscience,

Somewhat Too Nearly Related To Him,  Yet The Old People On Both

Sides,  Though Sufficiently Scrupulous In Nice Matters,  Agreed To

Overlook This Objection.

 

Men Of Great Genius As Easily Discover One Another As Freemasons

Can. It Was Therefore No Wonder That The Count Soon Conceived An

Inclination To An Intimacy With Our Young Hero,  Whose Vast

Abilities Could Not Be Concealed From One Of The Count's

Discernment; For Though This Latter Was So Expert At His Cards

That He Was Proverbially Said To Play The Whole Game,  He Was No

Match For Master Wild,  Who,  Inexperienced As He Was,

Notwithstanding All The Art,  The Dexterity,  And Often The Fortune

Book 1 Chapter 4 Pg 16

Of His Adversary,  Never Failed To Send Him Away From The Table

With Less In His Pocket Than He Brought To It,  For Indeed

Langfanger Himself Could Not Have Extracted A Purse With More

Ingenuity Than Our Young Hero.

 

His Hands Made Frequent Visits To The Count's Pocket Before The

Latter Had Entertained Any Suspicion Of Him,  Imputing The Several

Losses He Sustained Rather To The Innocent And Sprightly Frolick

Of Miss Doshy,  Or Theodosia,  With Which,  As She Indulged Him With

Little Innocent Freedoms About Her Person In Return,  He Thought

Himself Obliged To Be Contented; But One Night,  When Wild Imagined

The Count Asleep,  He Made So Unguarded An Attack Upon Him,  That

The Other Caught Him In The Fact: However,  He Did Not Think Proper

To Acquaint Him With The Discovery He Had Made,  But,  Preventing

Him From Any Booty At That Time,  He Only Took Care For The Future

To Button His Pockets,  And To Pack The Cards With Double Industry.

 

So Far Was This Detection From Causing Any Quarrel Between These

Two Prigs,[Footnote: Thieves] That In Reality It Recommended Them

To Each Other; For A Wise Man,  That Is To Say A Rogue,  Considers A

Trick In Life As A Gamester Doth A Trick At Play. It Sets Him On

His Guard,  But He Admires The Dexterity Of Him Who Plays It.

These,  Therefore,  And Many Other Such Instances Of Ingenuity,

Operated So Violently On The Count,  That,  Notwithstanding The

Disparity Which Age,  Title,  And Above All,  Dress,  Had Set Between

Them,  He Resolved To Enter Into An Acquaintance With Wild. This

Soon Produced A Perfect Intimacy,  And That A Friendship,  Which Had

A Longer Duration Than Is Common To That Passion Between Persons

Who Only Propose To Themselves The Common Advantages Of Eating,

Drinking,  Whoring,  Or Borrowing Money; Which Ends,  As They Soon

Fail,  So Doth The Friendship Founded Upon Them. Mutual Interest,

The Greatest Of All Purposes,  Was The Cement Of This Alliance,

Which Nothing,  Of Consequence,  But Superior Interest,  Was Capable

Of Dissolving.

 

Book 1 Chapter 5 Pg 17

A Dialogue Between Young Master Wild And Count La Ruse,  Which,

Having Extended To The Rejoinder,  Had A Very Quiet,  Easy,  And

Natural Conclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

One Evening,  After The Miss Snaps Were Retired To Rest,  The Count

Thus Addressed Himself To Young Wild: "You Cannot,  I Apprehend,

Mr. Wild,  Be Such A Stranger To Your Own Great Capacity,  As To Be

Surprised When I Tell You I Have Often Viewed,  With A Mixture Of

Astonishment And Concern,  Your Shining Qualities Confined To A

Sphere Where They Can Never Reach The Eyes Of Those Who Would

Introduce Them Properly Into The World,  And Raise You To An

Eminence Where You May Blaze Out To The Admiration Of All Men. I

Assure You I Am Pleased With My Captivity,  When I Reflect I Am

Likely To Owe To It An Acquaintance,  And I Hope Friendship,  With

The Greatest Genius Of My Age; And,  What Is Still More,  When I

Indulge My Vanity With A Prospect Of Drawing From Obscurity

(Pardon The Expression) Such Talents As Were,  I Believe,  Never

Before Like To Have Been Buried In It: For I Make No Question But,

At My Discharge From Confinement,  Which Will Now Soon Happen,  I

Shall Be Able To Introduce You Into Company,  Where You May Reap

The Advantage Of Your Superior Parts.

 

"I Will Bring You Acquainted,  Sir,  With Those Who,  As They Are

Capable Of Setting A True Value On Such Qualifications,  So They

Will Have It Both In Their Power And Inclination To Prefer You For

Them. Such An Introduction Is The Only Advantage You Want,  Without

Which Your Merit Might Be Your Misfortune; For Those Abilities

Which Would Entitle You To Honour And Profit In A Superior Station

May Render You Only Obnoxious To Danger And Disgrace In A Lower."

 

Mr. Wild Answered,  "Sir,  I Am Not Insensible Of My Obligations To

You,  As Well For The Over-Value You Have Set On My Small

Abilities,  As For The Kindness You Express In Offering To

Introduce Me Among My