The Adventures of Roderick Random
Smollett, Tobias
The Adventures of Roderick Random
Tobias Smollett
The Adventures of Roderick Random
Preface
Of all kinds of satire, there is none so entertaining, and universally improving, as that which is introduced, as it were, occasionally, in the course of an interesting story, which brings every incident home to life; and by representing familiar scenes in an uncommon and amusing point of view, invests them with all the graces of novelty, while nature is appealed to in every particular.
The reader gratifies his curiosity, in pursuing the adventures of a person in whose favour he is prepossessed; he espouses his cause, he sympathizes with him in distress, his indignation is heated against the authors of his calamity; the humane passions are inflamed; the contrast between dejected virtue, and insulting vice, appears with greater aggravation, and every impression having a double force on the imagination, the memory retains the circumstance, and the heart improves by the example. The attention is not tired with a bare Catalogue of characters, but agreeably diverted with all the variety of invention; and the vicissitudes of life appear in their peculiar circumstances, opening an ample field for wit and humour.
Romance, no doubt, owes its origin to ignorance, vanity and superstition. In the dark ages of the world, when a man had rendered himself famous for wisdom or valour, his family and adherents availed themselves of his superior qualities, magnified his virtues, and represented his character and person as sacred and supernatural. The vulgar easily swallowed the bait, implored his protection, and yielded the tribute of homage and praise even to adoration; his exploits were handed down to posterity with a thousand exaggerations; they were repeated as incitements to virtue; divine honours were paid, and altars erected to his memory, for the encouragement of those who attempted to imitate his example; and hence arose the heathen mythology, which is no other than a collection of extravagant Romances. – As learning advanced, and genius received cultivation, these stories were embellished with the graces of poetry, that they might the better recommend themselves to the attention; they were sung in publick, at festivals, for the instruction and delight of the audience; and rehearsed before battle, as incentives to deeds of glory. Thus tragedy and the epic muse were born, and, in the progress of taste, arrived at perfection. – It is no wonder, that the ancients could not relish a fable in prose, after they had seen so many remarkable events celebrated in verse, by their best poets; we therefore, find no romance among them, during the æra of their excellence, unless the Cyropædia of Zenophon may be so called; and it was not till arts and sciences began to revive, after the irruption of the Barbarians into Europe, that any thing of this kind appeared. But when the minds of men were debauched by the imposition of priest-craft to the most absurd pitch of credulity; the authors of romance arose, and losing sight of probability, filled their performances with the most monstrous hyperboles. If they could not equal the ancient poets in point of genius, they were resolved to excel them in fiction, and apply to the wonder rather than the judgment of their readers. Accordingly they brought negromancy to their aid, and instead of supporting the character of their heroes, by dignity of sentiment and practice, distinguished them by their bodily strength, activity and extravagance of behaviour. Although nothing could be more ludicrous and unnatural than the figures they drew, they did not want patrons and admirers, and the world actually began to be infected with the spirit of knight-errantry, when Cervantes, by an inimitable piece of ridicule, reformed the taste of mankind, representing chivalry in the right point of view, and converting romance to purposes far more useful and entertaining, by making it assume the sock, and point out the follies of ordinary life.
The same method has been practised by other Spanish and French authors, and by none more successfully than by Monsieur Le Sage, who in his adventures of Gil Blas, has described the knavery and foibles of life, with infinite humour and sagacity. – The following sheets I have modelled on his plan, taking the liberty, however, to differ from him in the execution, where I thought his particular situations were uncommon, extravagant, or peculiar to the country in which the scene is laid. – The disgraces of Gil Blas, are for the most part, such as rather excite mirth than compassion; he himself laughs at them; and his transitions from distress to happiness, or at least ease, are so sudden, that neither the reader has time to pity him, nor himself to be acquainted with affliction. – This conduct, in my opinion, not only deviates from probability, but prevents that generous indignation, which ought to animate the reader, against the sordid and vicious disposition of the world.
I have attempted to represent modest merit struggling with every difficulty to which a friendless orphan is exposed, from his own want of experience, as well as from the selfishness, envy, malice, and base indifference of mankind. – To secure a favourable prepossession, I have allowed him the advantages of birth and education, which in the series of his misfortunes, will, I hope, engage the ingenuous more warmly in his behalf; and though I foresee, that some people will be offended at the mean scenes in which he is involved, I persuade myself the judicious will not only perceive the necessity of describing those situations to which he must of course be confined, in his low estate; but also find entertainment in viewing those parts of life, where the humours and passions are undisguised by affectation, ceremony, or education; and the whimsical peculiarities of disposition appear as nature has implanted them. – But I believe I need not trouble myself in vindicating a practice authorized by the best writers in this way, some of whom I have already named.
Every intelligent reader will, at first sight, perceive I have not deviated from nature, in the facts, which are all true in the main, although the circumstances are altered and disguised to avoid personal satire.
It now remains, to give my reasons for making the chief personage of this work a North-Briton; which are chiefly these: I could at a small expence bestow on him such education as I thought the dignity of his birth and character required, which could not possibly be obtained in England, by such slender means as the nature of my plan would afford. In the next place, I could represent simplicity of manners in a remote part of the kingdom, with more propriety, than in any place near the capital; and lastly, the disposition of the Scots, addicted to travelling, justifies my conduct in deriving an adventurer from that country.
That the delicate reader may not be offended at the unmeaning oaths which proceed from the mouths of some persons in these memoirs, I beg leave to premise, that I imagined nothing could more effectually expose the absurdity of such miserable expletives, than a natural and verbal representation of the discourse with which they are commonly interlarded.
Apologue
A Young painter indulging a vein of pleasantry, sketched a kind of conversation-piece, representing a bear, an owl, a monkey, and an ass; and to render it more striking, humorous and moral, distinguished every figure by some emblem of human life.
Bruin was exhibited in the garb and attitude of an old, toothless, drunken soldier; the owl perched upon the handle of a coffee-pot, with spectacle on nose, seemed to contemplate a news paper; and the ass, ornamented with a huge tye-wig, (which, however, could not conceal his long ears) sat for his picture to the monkey, who appeared with the implements of painting. This whimsical groupe afforded some mirth, and met with general approbation, until some mischievous wag hinted that the whole was a lampoon upon the friends of the performer: an insinuation which was no sooner circulated, than those very people who applauded it before, began to be alarmed, and even to fancy themselves signified by the several figures of the piece.
Among others, a worthy personage in years, who had served in the army with reputation, being incensed at the supposed outrage, repaired to the lodgings of the painter, and finding him at home, »Heark ye, Mr. Monkey, said he, I have a good mind to convince you that tho' the bear has lost his teeth, he retains his paws, and that he is not so drunk but he can perceive your impertinence – 'Sblood! sir, that toothless jaw is a damned scandalous libel – but, don't you imagine me so chopfallen as not to be able to chew the cud of resentment.« – Here he was interrupted by the arrival of a learned physician, who advancing to the culprit with fury in his aspect, exclaimed, »Suppose the augmentation of the ass's ears should prove the diminution of the baboon's – nay, seek not to prevaricate, for by the beard of Æsculapius! there is not one hair in this periwig that will not stand up in judgment to convict thee of personal abuse – Do but observe, captain, how this pitiful little fellow has copied the very curls – the colour, indeed, is different, but then the form and foretop are quite similar.« – While he thus remonstrated in a strain of vociferation, a venerable senator entered, and waddling up to the delinquent, »Jackanapes! cried he, I will now let thee see, I can read something else than a news paper, and that, without the help of spectacles – here is your own note of hand, sirrah, for money which if I had not advanced, you yourself would have resembled an owl, in not daring to shew your face by day, you ungrateful, slanderous knave!«
In vain the astonished painter declared that he had no intention to give offence, or to characterize particular persons: they affirmed the resemblance was too palpable to be overlooked, they taxed him with insolence, malice, and ingratitude; and their clamours being overheard by the public, the captain was a bear, the doctor an ass, and the senator an owl to his dying day.
Christian reader, I beseech thee, in the bowels of the Lord, remember this example while thou art employed in the perusal of the following sheets; and seek not to appropriate to thyself that which equally belongs to five hundred different people. If thou should'st meet with a character that reflects thee in some ungracious particular, keep thy own counsel; consider that one feature makes not a face, and that tho' thou art, perhaps, distinguished by a bottle nose, twenty of thy neighbours may be in the same predicament.
Chapter I
Of my birth and parentage
I was born in the northern part of this united kingdom in the house of my grandfather, a gentleman of considerable fortune and influence, who had on many occasions signalized himself in behalf of his country; and was remarkable for his abilities in the law, which he exercised with great success, in quality of a judge, particularly against beggars, for whom he had a singular aversion.
My father, his youngest son, fell in love with a poor relation, who lived with the old gentleman, and performed the office of housekeeper; whom he privately espoused; of which marriage I am the first fruit. – During her pregnancy, a dream discomposed my mother so much, that my father, tired with her importunity, at last consulted a seer, whose favourable interpretation he would have secured before-hand by a bribe, but found him incorruptible. She dreamed, she was delivered of a tennis-ball, which the devil (who to her great surprize, acted the part of a midwife) struck so forcibly with a racket, that it disappeared in an instant; and she was for some time inconsolable for the loss of her off-spring; when all of a sudden, she beheld it return with equal violence, and earth itself beneath her feet, whence immediately sprung up a goodly tree covered with blossons, the scent of which operated so strongly on her nerves that she awoke. – The attentive sage, after some deliberation, assured my parents, that their first-born would be a great traveller, that he would undergo many dangers and difficulties, and at last return to his native land, where he would flourish with great reputation and happiness. – How truly this was foretold, will appear in the sequel. – It was not long before some officious person informed my grandfather of familiarities that passed between his son and housekeeper, which alarmed him so much, that, a few days after, he told my father it was high time for him to enter into the holy state of matrimony, and that he had provided a match for him, to which he could in justice have no objections. My father, finding it would be impossible to conceal his situation much longer, frankly owned what he had done, and excused himself for not having asked the consent of his father, by saying, he knew it would be to no purpose; and that, had his inclination been known, my grandfather might have taken such measures as would have effectually put the gratification of it out of his power: he added, that no exception could be made to his wife's virtue, birth, beauty, and good sense, and as for fortune, it was beneath his consideration. – The old gentleman, who kept all his passions (except one) in excellent order, heard him to an end with great temper; and then calmly asked, how he proposed to maintain himself and spouse? – He replied he could be in no danger of wanting, while his father's tenderness remained, which he and his wife would always cherish with the utmost veneration; that he was persuaded his allowance would be suitable to the dignity and circumstances of his family, and the provision already made to his brothers and sisters, who were happily settled under his protection. – Your brothers and sisters, said my grandfather, did not think it beneath them to consult me in an affair of such importance as matrimony; neither (I suppose) would you have omitted that piece of duty, had you not some secret fund in reserve, to the comforts of which I leave you, with a desire that you will this night, seek out another habitation for yourself and wife, whither in a short time, I will send you an account of the expence I have been at in your education, with a view of being reimbursed. – Sir, you have made the grand tour – you are a polite gentleman – a very pretty gentleman – I wish you a great deal of joy, and am your very humble servant. So saying, he left my father in a situation easily imagined.
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