by T. Smollett
He adjusts the Method of his Correspondence with Gauntlet; meets byaccident with an Italian Charlatan, and a certain Apothecary, who provesto be a noted Character.
There the two friends adjusted the articles of a future correspondence;and Peregrine, having written a letter to his mistress, wherein herenewed his former vows of eternal fidelity, it was intrusted to thecare of her brother, while Mr. Jolter, at the desire of his pupil,provided an elegant supper, and some excellent Burgundy, that they mightspend this eve of his departure with the greater enjoyment.
Things being thus disposed, and a servant employed in laying the cloth,their ears were of a sudden invaded by a strange tumultuous noise in thenext room, occasioned by the overthrow of tables, chairs, and glasses,with odd unintelligible exclamations in broken French, and a jargon ofthreats in the Welsh dialect. Our young gentlemen ran immediately intothe apartment from whence this clamour seemed to proceed, and found athin, meagre, swarthy figure, gasping, in all the agony of fear, underthe hands of a squat, thick, hard-featured man, who collared him withgreat demonstrations of wrath, saying, "If you was as mighty a magicianas Owen Glendower or the witch of Entor, look you, ay, ay, or as PaulBeor himself, I will meke pold, by the assistance of Got, and in hismajesty's name, to seize and secure, and confine and confront you, untilsuch time as you suffer and endure and undergo the pains and penaltiesof the law, for your diabolical practices. Shentlements," added he,turning to our adventurers, "I take you to witness, that I protest, andassert, and avow, that this person is as pig a necromancer as you woulddesire to behold; and I supplicate, and beseech, and entreat of you,that he may be prought pefore his petters, and compelled to give anaccount of his compact and commerce with the imps of darkness, look you;for, as I am a Christian soul, and hope for joyful resurrection, I havethis plessed evening seen him perform such things as could not be donewithout the aid and instruction and connivance of the tevil."
Gauntlet seemed to enter into the sentiments of this Welsh reformer,and actually laid hold on the delinquent's shoulder, crying, "D--n therascal! I'll lay any wager that he's a Jesuit; for none of his ordertravel without a familiar." But Peregrine, who looked upon the affairin another point of view, interposed in behalf of the stranger, whom hefreed from his aggressors, observing, that there was no occasion to useviolence; and asked, in French, what he had done to incur the censure ofthe informer. The poor foreigner, more dead than alive, answered thathe was an Italian charlatan, who had practised with some reputationin Padua, until he had the misfortune to attract the notice of theInquisition, by exhibiting certain wonderful performances by his skillin natural knowledge, which that tribunal considered as the effects ofsorcery, and persecuted him accordingly; so that he had been fain tomake a precipitate retreat into France, where not finding his accountin his talents, he was now arrived in England, with a view of practisinghis art in London; and that, in consequence of a specimen which hehad given to a company below, the choleric gentleman had followed himup-stairs to his own apartment, and assaulted him in that inhospitablemanner: he therefore earnestly begged that our hero would take himunder his protection; and, if he entertained the least suspicion of hisemploying preternatural means in the operations of his art, he wouldfreely communicate all the secrets in his possession.
The youth dispelled his apprehension by assuring him that he was in nodanger of suffering for his art in England, where, if ever he should bequestioned by the zeal of superstitious individuals, he had nothing todo but appeal to the justice of the peace, who would immediately acquithim of the charge, and punish his accusers for their impertinence andindiscretion.
He then told Gauntlet and the Welshman that the stranger had a goodaction against them for an assault, by virtue of an Act of Parliament,which makes it criminal for any person to accuse another of sorcery andwitchcraft, these idle notions being now justly exploded by all sensiblemen. Mr. Jolter, who had by this time joined the company, could nothelp signifying his dissent from this opinion of his pupil, which heendeavoured to invalidate by the authority of Scripture, quotations fromthe Fathers, and the confession of many wretches who suffered death forhaving carried on correspondence with evil spirits together withthe evidence of "Satan's Invisible World," and Moreton's "History ofWitchcraft."
The soldier corroborated these testimonies by facts that had happenedwithin the sphere of his own knowledge, and in particular mentioned thecase of an old woman of the parish in which he was born, who used totransform herself into the shapes of sundry animals, and was at lastkilled by small shot in the character of a hare. The Welshman, thussupported, expressed his surprise at hearing that the legislature hadshown such tenderness for criminals of so dark a hue, and offered toprove, by undeniable instances, that there was not a mountain inWales which had not been, in his memory, the scene of necromancy andwitchcraft. "Wherefore," said he, "I am assuredly more than aboveastonished and confounded and concerned that the Parliament of GreatBritain should, in their great wisdoms, and their prudence, and theirpenetration, give countenance and encouragement, look you, to the worksof darkness and the empire of Pelzepup--ofer and apove the evidence ofholy writ, and those writers who have been quoted by that aggurate andlearned shentleman, we are informed, by profane history, of the pribblesand pranks of the old serpent, in the bortents and oragles of antiquity,as you will find in that most excellent historian Bolypius, and TitusLifius; ay, and moreofer, in the Commentaries of Julius Caesar himself,who, as the ole world knows, was a most famous, and a most faliant, anda most wise, and a most prudent, and a most fortunate chieftain, and amost renowned orator; ay, and a most elegant writer to boot."
Peregrine did not think proper to enter the lists of dispute with threesuch obstinate antagonists, but contented himself with saying that hebelieved it would be no difficult matter to impugn the argumentsthey had advanced; though he did not find himself at all disposed toundertake the task, which must of course break in upon the evening'sentertainment. He therefore invited the Italian to supper, and askedthe same favour of his accuser, who seemed to have something curious andcharacteristic in his manner and disposition, resolving to make himselfan eye-witness of those surprising feats which had given offence tothe choleric Briton. This scrupulous gentleman thanked our hero forhis courtesy, but declined communicating with the stranger until hischaracter should be further explained; upon which his inviter, aftersome conversation with the charlatan, assured him that he would himselfundertake for the innocence of his art; and then he was prevailed uponto favour them with his company.
In the course of the conversation, Peregrine learned that the Welshmanwas a surgeon of Canterbury, who had been called in to a consultation atDover; and, understanding that his name was Morgan, took the libertyof asking if he was not the person so respectfully mentioned in the"Adventures of Roderick Random." Mr. Morgan assumed a look of gravityand importance at this interrogation, and, screwing up his mouth,answered, "Mr. Rantum, my good sir, I believe, upon my conscience andsalfation, is my very goot frient and well-wisher; and he and I havebeen companions and messmates and fellow-sufferers, look you; butnevertheless, for all that, peradventure he hath not pehaved with somuch complaisance and affability and respect as I might have expectedfrom him; pecause he hath revealed and tivulged and buplished ourprivate affairs, without my knowledge and privity and consent; but asGot is my Safiour, I think he had no evil intention in his pelly; andthough there be certain persons, look you, who, as I am told, takeupon them to laugh at his descriptions of my person, deportment, andconversation, I do affirm and maintain, and insist with my heart, andmy plood, and my soul, that those persons are no petter than ignorantasses, and that they know not how to discern and distinguish and definetrue ridicule, or, as Aristotle calls it, the to Geloion, no more, lookyou, than a herd of mountain goats; for I will make pold to observe--andI hope this goot company will be of the same opinion--that there isnothing said of me in that performance which is unworthy of a Christianand a shentleman."
Our young gentleman and his friends a
cquiesced in the justness of hisobservation. Peregrine particularly assured him that, from readingthe book, he had conceived the utmost regard and veneration for hischaracter, and that he thought himself extremely fortunate in havingthis opportunity of enjoying his conversation. Morgan, not a littleproud of such advances from a person of Peregrine's appearance, returnedthe compliment with a profusion of civility, and, in the warmth ofacknowledgment, expressed a desire of seeing him and his company at hishouse in Canterbury. "I will not pretend, or presume, kind sir," saidhe, "to entertain you according to your merits and deserts; but youshall be as welcome to my poor cottage, and my wife and family, as theprince of Wales himself; and it shall go hard if, one way or other, Ido not find ways and means of making you confess that there is some gootfellowship in an ancient Priton; for though I am no petter than a simpleapothecary, I have as goot plood circulating in my veins as any he inthe county; and I can describe and delineate and demonstrate my pedigreeto the satisfaction of the 'ole 'orld; and, moreofer, by Got's gootprovidence and assistance, I can afford to treat my friend with joint ofgood mutton and a pottle of excellent wine, and no tradesman can peardme with a bill."
He was congratulated on his happy situation, and assured that our youthwould visit him on his return from France, provided he should takeCanterbury in his route. As Peregrine manifested an inclination ofbeing acquainted with the state of his affairs, he very complaisantlysatisfied his curiosity by giving him to know that his spouse had leftoff breeding, after having blessed him with two boys and a girl,who were still alive and well; that he lived in good esteem withhis neighbors; and by his practice, which was considerably extendedimmediately after the publication of Roderick Random, had saved somethousand pounds. He had begun to think of retiring among his ownrelations in Glamorganshire, though his wife had made objection to thisproposal, and opposed the execution of it with such obstinacy, thathe had been at infinite pains in asserting his own prerogative byconvincing her, both from reason and example, that he was king, andpriest in his own family, and that she owed the most implicit submissionto his will. He likewise informed the company that he had lately seenhis friend Roderick, who had come from London on purpose to visit him,after having gained his lawsuit with Mr. Topeball, who was obliged topay Narcissa's fortune; that Mr. Random, in all appearance, led a veryhappy life in the conversation of his father and bed-fellow, by whom heenjoyed a son and daughter; and that Morgan had received, in a presentfrom him, a piece of very fine linen of his wife's own making, severalkits of salmon, and two casks of pickled pork--the most delicate hehad ever tasted; together with a barrel of excellent herrings forsalmagundy, which he knew to be his favourite dish.
This topic of conversation being discussed, the Italian was desired toexhibit a specimen of his art, and in a few minutes he conducted thecompany into the next room, where, to their great astonishment andaffright, they beheld a thousand serpents winding along the ceiling.Morgan, struck with this phenomenon, which he had not seen before, beganto utter exorcisms with great devotion, Mr. Jolter ran of the room,Gauntlet drew his hanger, and Peregrine himself was disconcerted. Theoperator, perceiving their confusion, desired them to retire, and,calling them back in an instant, there was not a viper to be seen. Heraised their admiration by sundry other performances and the Welshman'sformer opinion and abhorrence of his character began to recur, when,in consideration of the civility with which he had been treated, thisItalian imparted to them all the methods by which he had acted suchwonders, that were no other than the effects of natural causes curiouslycombined; so that Morgan became a convert to his skill, asked pardon forthe suspicion he had entertained, and invited the stranger to pass afew days with him at Canterbury. The scruples of Godfrey and Jolter wereremoved at the same time, and Peregrine testified his satisfaction by ahandsome gratuity which he bestowed upon their entertainer.
The evening being spent in this sociable manner, every man retired tohis respective chamber, and next morning they breakfasted together,when Morgan declared he would stay till he should see our hero fairlyembarked, that he might have the pleasure of Mr. Gauntlet's company tohis own habitation: meanwhile, by the skipper's advice, the servantswere ordered to carry a store of wine and provision on board, in case ofaccident; and, as the packet-boat could not sail before one o'clock, thecompany walked up hill to visit the castle, where they saw the swordof Julius Caesar, and Queen Elizabeth's pocket pistol; repeatedShakespeare's description, while they surveyed the chalky cliffs on eachside, and cast their eyes towards the city of Calais, that was obscuredby a thick cloud which did not much regale their eye-sight, because itseemed to portend foul weather.
Having viewed everything remarkable in this place, they returned tothe pier, where, after the compliments of parting, and an affectionateembrace between the two young gentlemen, Peregrine and his governorstepped aboard, the sails were hoisted, and they went to sea with a fairwind, while Godfrey, Morgan, and the conjurer walked back to the inn,from whence they set out for Canterbury before dinner.
CHAPTER XXXV.