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] 📗

Have

Sometimes Carried Their Modesty So Far As To The Murder Or Utter

Ruin Of Those Against Whom Their Consciences Have Suggested To

Them That They Have Committed Some Small Trespass,  Either By The

Debauching A Friend's Wife Or Daughter,  Belying Or Betraying The

Friend Himself,  Or Some Other Such Trifling Instance. In Our Hero

There Was Nothing Not Truly Great: He Could,  Without The Least

Abashment,  Drink A Bottle With The Man Who Knew He Had The Moment

Before Picked His Pocket; And,  When He Had Stripped Him Of

Everything He Had,  Never Desired To Do Him Any Further Mischief;

For He Carried Good-Nature To That Wonderful And Uncommon Height

That He Never Did A Single Injury To Man Or Woman By Which He

Himself Did Not Expect To Reap Some Advantage. He Would Often

Indeed Say That By The Contrary Party Men Often Made A Bad Bargain

With The Devil,  And Did His Work For Nothing.

 

Our Hero Found The Captive Count,  Not Basely Lamenting His Fate

Nor Abandoning Himself To Despair,  But,  With Due Resignation,

Employing Himself In Preparing Several Packs Of Cards For Future

Exploits. The Count,  Little Suspecting That Wild Had Been The Sole

Contriver Of The Misfortune Which Had Befallen Him,  Rose Up And

Eagerly Embraced Him,  And Wild Returned His Embrace With Equal

Warmth. They Were No Sooner Seated Than Wild Took An Occasion,

From Seeing The Cards Lying On The Table,  To Inveigh Against

Gaming,  And,  With An Usual And Highly Commendable Freedom,  After

First Exaggerating The Distressed Circumstances In Which The Count

Was Then Involved,  Imputed All His Misfortunes To That Cursed Itch

Of Play Which,  He Said,  He Concluded Had Brought His Present

Confinement Upon Him,  And Must Unavoidably End In His Destruction.

The Other,  With Great Alacrity,  Defended His Favourite Amusement

(Or Rather Employment),  And,  Having Told His Friend The Great

Success He Had After His Unluckily Quitting The Room,  Acquainted

Him With The Accident Which Followed,  And Which The Reader,  As

Well As Mr. Wild,  Hath Had Some Intimation Of Before; Adding,

However,  One Circumstance Not Hitherto Mentioned,  Viz. That He Had

Book 1 Chapter 10 Pg 36

Defended His Money With The Utmost Bravery,  And Had Dangerously

Wounded At Least Two Of The Three Men That Had Attacked Him. This

Behaviour Wild,  Who Not Only Knew The Extreme Readiness With Which

The Booty Had Been Delivered,  But Also The Constant Frigidity Of

The Count's Courage,  Highly Applauded,  And Wished He Had Been

Present To Assist Him. The Count Then Proceeded To Animadvert On

The Carelessness Of The Watch,  And The Scandal It Was To The Laws

That Honest People Could Not Walk The Streets In Safety; And,

After Expatiating Some Time On That Subject,  He Asked Mr. Wild If

He Ever Saw So Prodigious A Run Of Luck (For So He Chose To Call

His Winning,  Though He Knew Wild Was Well Acquainted With His

Having Loaded Dice In His Pocket). The Other Answered It Was

Indeed Prodigious,  And Almost Sufficient To Justify Any Person Who

Did Not Know Him Better In Suspecting His Fair Play. "No Man,  I

Believe,  Dares Call That In Question," Replied He. "No,  Surely,"

Says Wild; "You Are Well Known To Be A Man Of More Honour; But

Pray,  Sir," Continued He,  "Did The Rascals Rob You Of All?" "Every

Shilling," Cries The Other,  With An Oath: "They Did Not Leave Me A

Single Stake."

 

While They Were Thus Discoursing,  Mr. Snap,  With A Gentleman Who

Followed Him,  Introduced Mr. Bagshot Into The Company. It Seems

Mr. Bagshot,  Immediately After His Separation From Mr. Wild,

Returned To The Gaming-Table,  Where Having Trusted To Fortune That

Treasure Which He Had Procured By His Industry,  The Faithless

Goddess Committed A Breach Of Trust,  And Sent Mr. Bagshot Away

With As Empty Pockets As Are To Be Found In Any Laced Coat In The

Kingdom. Now,  As That Gentleman Was Walking To A Certain Reputable

House Or Shed In Convent-Garden Market He Fortuned To Meet With

Mr. Snap,  Who Had Just Returned From Conveying The Count To His

Lodgings,  And Was Then Walking To And Fro Before The Gaming-House

Door; For You Are To Know,  My Good Reader,  If You Have Never Been

A Man Of Wit And Pleasure About Town,  That,  As The Voracious Pike

Lieth Snug Under Some Weed Before The Mouth Of Any Of Those Little

Streams Which Discharge Themselves Into A Large River,  Waiting For

The Small Fry Which Issue Thereout,  So Hourly,  Before The Door Or

Mouth Of These Gaming-Houses,  Doth Mr. Snap,  Or Some Other

Gentleman Of His Occupation,  Attend The Issuing Forth Of The Small

Fry Of Young Gentlemen,  To Whom They Deliver Little Slips Of

Parchment,  Containing Invitations Of The Said Gentlemen To Their

Houses,  Together With One Mr. John Doe,[Footnote: This Is A

Fictitious Name Which Is Put Into Every Writ; For What Purpose The

Lawyers Best Know.] A Person Whose Company Is In Great Request.

Mr. Snap,  Among Many Others Of These Billets,  Happened To Have One

Directed To Mr. Bagshot,  Being At The Suit Or Solicitation Of One

Mrs. Anne Sample,  Spinster,  At Whose House The Said Bagshot Had

Lodged Several Months,  And Whence He Had Inadvertently Departed

Without Taking A Formal Leave,  On Which Account Mrs. Anne Had

Taken This Method Of Speaking With Him.

 

Mr. Snap's House Being Now Very Full Of Good Company,  He Was

Obliged To Introduce Mr. Bagshot Into The Count's Apartment,  It

Being,  As He Said,  The Only Chamber He Had To Lock Up In. Mr. Wild

No Sooner Saw His Friend Than He Ran Eagerly To Embrace Him,  And

Book 1 Chapter 10 Pg 37

Immediately Presented Him To The Count,  Who Received Him With

Great Civility.

Book 1 Chapter 11 Pg 38

Other Particulars Relating To Miss Tishy,  Which  Perhaps May Not

Greatly Surprise After The Former. The Description Of A Very Fine

Gentleman. And A Dialogue Between Wild And The Count,  In Which

Public Virtue Is Just Hinted At,  With,  Etc.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Snap Had Turned The Key A Very Few Minutes Before A Servant Of

The Family Called Mr. Bagshot Out Of The Room,  Telling Him There

Was A Person Below Who Desired To Speak With Him; And This Was No

Other Than Miss Laetitia Snap,  Whose Admirer Mr. Bagshot Had Long

Been,  And In Whose Tender Breast His Passion Had Raised A More

Ardent Flame Than That Which Any Of His Rivals Had Been Able To

Raise. Indeed,  She Was So Extremely Fond Of This Youth,  That She

Often Confessed To Her Female Confidents,  If She Could Ever Have

Listened To The Thought Of Living With Any One Man,  Mr. Bagshot

Was He. Nor Was She Singular In This Inclination,  Many Other Young

Ladies Being Her Rivals In This Matter,  Who Had All The Great And

Noble Qualifications Necessary To Form A True Gallant,  And Which

Nature Is Seldom So Extremely Bountiful As To Indulge To Any One

Person. We Will Endeavour,  However,  To Describe Them All With As

Much Exactness As Possible. He Was Then Six Feet High,  Had Large

Calves,  Broad Shoulders,  A Ruddy Complexion,  With Brown Curled

Hair,  A Modest Assurance,  And Clean Linen. He Had Indeed,  It Must

Be Confessed,  Some Small Deficiencies To Counterbalance These

Heroic Qualities; For He Was The Silliest Fellow In The World,

Could Neither Write Nor Read,  Nor Had He A Single Grain Or Spark

Of Honour,  Honesty,  Or Good-Nature,  In His Whole Composition.

 

As Soon As Mr. Bagshot Had Quitted The Room The Count,  Taking Wild

By The Hand,  Told Him He Had Something To Communicate To Him Of

Very Great Importance. "I Am Very Well Convinced," Said He,  "That

Bagshot Is The Person Who Robbed Me." Wild Started With Great

Amazement At This Discovery,  And Answered,  With A Most Serious

Countenance,  "I Advise You To Take Care How You Cast Any Such

Reflections On A Man Of Mr. Bagshot's Nice Honour,  For I Am

Certain He Will Not Bear It." "D--N His Honour!" Quoth The Enraged

Book 1 Chapter 11 Pg 39

Count; "Nor Can I Bear Being Robbed; I Will Apply To A Justice Of

Peace." Wild Replied,  With Great Indignation,  "Since You Dare

Entertain Such A Suspicion Against My Friend,  I Will Henceforth

Disclaim All Acquaintance With You. Mr. Bagshot Is A Man Of

Honour,  And My Friend,  And Consequently It Is Impossible He Should

Be Guilty Of A Bad Action." He Added Much More To The Same

Purpose,  Which Had Not The Expected Weight With The Count; For The

Latter Seemed Still Certain As To The Person,  And Resolute In

Applying For Justice,  Which,  He Said,  He Thought He Owed To The

Public As Well As To Himself. Wild Then Changed His Countenance

Into A Kind Of Derision,  And Spoke As Follows: "Suppose It Should

Be Possible That Mr. Bagshot Had,  In A Frolic (For I Will Call It

No Other),  Taken This Method Of Borrowing Your Money,  What Will

You Get By Prosecuting Him? Not Your Money Again,  For You Hear He

Was Stripped At The Gaming-Table (Of Which Bagshot Had During

Their Short Confabulation Informed Them); You Will Get Then An

Opportunity Of Being Still More Out Of Pocket By The Prosecution.

Another Advantage You May Promise Yourself Is The Being Blown Up

At Every Gaming-House In Town,  For That I Will Assure You Of; And

Then Much Good May It Do You To Sit Down With The Satisfaction Of

Having Discharged What It Seems You Owe The Public. I Am Ashamed

Of My Own Discernment When I Mistook You For A Great Man. Would It

Not Be Better For You To Receive Part (Perhaps All) Of Your Money

Again By A Wise Concealment: For,  However Seedy [Footnote: Poor.]

Mr. Bagshot May Be Now,  If He Hath Really Played This Frolic With

You,  You May Believe He Will