by T. Smollett
By the Fidelity of Pipes, Jolter is informed of his Pupil'sfate--Confers with the Physician--Applies to the Ambassador, who, withgreat difficulty, obtains the Discharge of the Prisoners on certainConditions.
This plan he executed, notwithstanding the pain of his wound, and thequestions of the city-guard, both horse and foot, to which he could makeno other answer than "Anglais, anglais;" and as soon as it was light,taking an accurate survey of the castle (for such it seemed to be)into which Peregrine and Pallet had been conveyed, together with itssituation in respect to the river, he went home to the lodgings, and,waking Mr. Jolter, gave him an account of the adventure. The governorwrung his hands in the utmost grief and consternation when he heardthis unfortunate piece of news: he did not doubt that his pupilwas imprisoned in the Bastille for life; and, in the anguish of hisapprehension, cursed the day on which he had undertaken to superintendthe conduct of such an imprudent young man, who had, by reiteratedinsults, provoked the vengeance of such a mild, forbearingadministration. That he might not, however, neglect any means in hispower to extricate him from his present misfortune, he despatched Thomasto the doctor, with an account of his companion's fate, that they mightjoin their interest in behalf of the captives; and the physician, beinginformed of what had happened, immediately dressed himself, and repairedto Jolter, whom he accosted in these words:--
"Now, sir, I hope you are convinced of your error in asserting thatoppression can never be the effect of arbitrary power. Such a calamityas this could never have happened under the Athenian democracy: nay,even when the tyrant Pisistratus got possession of that commonwealth,he durst not venture to rule with such absolute and unjust dominion. Youshall see now that Mr. Pickle and my friend Pallet will fall a sacrificeto the tyranny of lawless power; and, in my opinion, we shall beaccessory to the ruin of this poor enslaved people if we bestirourselves in demanding or imploring the release of our unhappycountrymen; as we may thereby prevent the commission of a flagrantcrime, which would fill up the vengeance of Heaven against theperpetrators, and perhaps be the means of restoring the whole nation tothe unspeakable fruition of freedom. For my own part, I should rejoiceto see the blood of my father spilt in such a glorious cause, providedsuch a victim would furnish me with the opportunity of dissolving thechains of slavery, and vindicating that liberty which is the birthrightof man. Then would my name be immortalised among the patriot heroes ofantiquity, and my memory, like that of Harmodius and Aristogiton, behonoured by statues erected at the public expense."
This rhapsody, which was delivered with great emphasis and agitation,gave so much offence to Jolter, that, without saying one word, heretired in great wrath to his own chamber; and the republican returnedto his lodging, in full hope of his prognostic being verified in thedeath and destruction of Peregrine and the painter, which must give riseto some renowned revolution, wherein he himself would act a principalpart. But the governor whose imagination was not quite so warm andprolific, went directly to the ambassador, whom he informed of hispupil's situation, and besought to interpose with the French ministry,that he and the other British subject might obtain their liberty.
His excellency asked, if Jolter could guess at the cause of hisimprisonment, that he might be the better prepared to vindicate orexcuse his conduct: but neither he nor Pipes could give the smallesthint of intelligence on that subject; though he furnished himself fromTom's own mouth with a circumstantial account of the manner in whichhis master had been arrested, as well as of his own behaviour, and thedisaster he had received on that occasion. His lordship never doubtedthat Pickle had brought this calamity upon himself by some unluckyprank he had played at the masquerade; when he understood that the younggentleman had drunk freely in the afternoon, and been so whimsical as togo thither with a man in woman's apparel; and he that same day waited onthe French minister, in full confidence of obtaining his discharge; butmet with more difficulty than he expected, the court of France beingextremely punctilious in everything that concerns a prince of the blood:the ambassador was therefore obliged to talk in very high terms; and,though the present circumstances of the French politics would not allowthem to fall out with the British administration for trifles, all thefavour he could procure was to promise that Pickle should L set atliberty, provided he would ask pardon of the prince to whom he had givenoffence.
His excellency thought this was but a reasonable condescension,supposing Peregrine to have been in the wrong; and Jolter was admittedto him in order to communicate and reinforce his lordship's advice,which was, that he comply with the terms proposed. The governor, whodid not enter this gloomy fortress without fear and trembling, foundhis pupil in a dismal apartment, void of all furniture but a stool anda truckle-bed. The moment he was admitted, he perceived the youthwhistling with great unconcern, and working with his pencil at the barewall, on which he had delineated a ludicrous figure labelled with thename of the nobleman, whom he had affronted, and an English mastiff withhis leg lifted up, in the attitude of making water in his shoe. Hehad been even so presumptuous as to explain the device with satiricalinscriptions in the French language, which, when Jolter perused, hishair stood on end with affright. The very turnkey was confounded andoverawed by the boldness of his behaviour, which he had never seenmatched by any inhabitant of that place; and actually joined his friendin persuading him to submit to the easy demand of the minister. But ourhero, far from embracing the counsel of this advocate, handed him to thedoor with great ceremony, and dismissed him with a kick on the breeches;and, to all the supplications, and even tears of Jolter, made no otherreply than that he would stoop to no condescension, because he hadcommitted no crime, but would leave his case to the cognisance andexertion of the British court, whose duty it was to see justice done toits own subjects: he desired, however, that Pallet, who was confinedin another place, might avail himself of his own disposition, whichwas sufficiently pliable; but when the governor desired to see hisfellow-prisoner, the turnkey gave him to understand that he had receivedno orders relating to the lady, and therefore could not admit him intoher apartment; though he was complaisant enough to tell him that sheseemed very much mortified at her confinement, and at certain timesbehaved as if her brain was not a little disordered.
Jolter, thus baffled in all his endeavours, quitted the Bastille with aheavy heart, and reported his fruitless negotiation to the ambassador,who could not help breaking forth into some acrimonious expressionsagainst the obstinacy and insolence of the young man, who, he said,deserved to suffer for his folly. Nevertheless, he did not desistfrom his representations to the French ministry, which he found sounyielding, that he was obliged to threaten, in plain terms, to make ita national concern; and not only wrote to his court for instructions,but even advised the council to make reprisals, and send some Frenchgentleman in London to the Tower.
This intimation had an effect upon the ministry at Versailles, who,rather than run the risk of incensing a people whom it was neithertheir interest nor inclination to disoblige, consented to discharge theoffenders, on condition that they should leave Paris in three days aftertheir enlargement. This proposal was readily agreed to by Peregrine, whowas now a little more tractable, and heartily tired of being coopedup in such an uncomfortable abode, for the space of three long days,without any sort of communication or entertainment but that which hisown imagination suggested.
CHAPTER XLVII.