by T. Smollett
These Associates commit an Assault upon Crabtree, for which theyare banished from the Fleet--Peregrine begins to feel the effects ofConfinement.
Our adventurer having dined at an ordinary, and in the afternoon retiredto his own apartment, as usual, with his friend Cadwallader, Hatchwayand his associate, after they had been obliged to discuss the provisionfor which they had paid, renewed their conference upon the old subject.Pipes giving his messmate to understand, that Peregrine's chiefconfidant was the old deaf bachelor, whom he had seen at his lodging thepreceding day, Mr. Hatchway, in his great penetration, discovered,that the young gentleman's obstinacy proceeded from the advice of themisanthrope, whom, for that reason, it was their business to chastise.Pipes entered into this opinion the more willingly, as he had all alongbelieved the senior to be a sort of wizard, or some cacodaemon, whomit was not very creditable to be acquainted with. Indeed, he had beeninspired with this notion by the insinuations of Hadgi, who had formerlydropped some hints touching Crabtree's profound knowledge in the magicart; mentioning, in particular, his being possessed of the philosopher'sstone; an assertion to which Tom had given implicit credit, until hismaster was sent to prison for debt, when he could no longer supposeCadwallader lord of such a valuable secret, or else he would havecertainly procured the enlargement of his most intimate friend.
With these sentiments, he espoused the resentment of Hatchway. Theydetermined to seize the supposed conjurer, with the first opportunity,on his return from his visit to Peregrine, and, without hesitation,exercise upon him the discipline of the pump. This plan they would haveexecuted that same evening, had not the misanthrope luckily withdrawnhimself, by accident, before it was dark, and even before they hadintelligence of his retreat. But, next day, they kept themselves uponthe watch till he appeared, and Pipes lifting his hat, as Crabtreepassed, "O d-- ye, old Dunny," said he, "you and I must grapple by andby; and a'gad I shall lie so near your quarter, that your ear-ports willlet in the sound, thof they are double caulked with oakum."
The misanthrope's ears were not quite so fast closed, but that theyreceived this intimation; which, though delivered in terms that he didnot well understand, had such an effect upon his apprehension, that hesignified his doubts to Peregrine, observing, that he did not much likethe looks of that same ruffian with the wooden leg. Pickle assured him,he had nothing to fear from the two sailors, who could have no cause ofresentment against him; or, if they had, would not venture to takeany step, which they knew must block up all the avenues to thatreconcilement, about which they were so anxious; and, moreover, givesuch offence to the governor of the place as would infallibly induce himto expel them both from his territories.
Notwithstanding this assurance, the young gentleman was not so confidentof the lieutenant's discretion, as to believe that Crabtree's fears werealtogether without foundation; he forthwith conjectured that Jack hadtaken umbrage at an intimacy from which he found himself excluded, andimputed his disgrace to the insinuations of Cadwallader, whom, in alllikelihood, he intended to punish for his supposed advice. He knew hisfriend could sustain no great damage from the lieutenant's resentment,in a place which he could immediately alarm with his cries, andtherefore wished he might fall into the snare, because it would furnishhim with a pretence of complaint; in consequence of which, the sailorswould be obliged to shift their quarters, so as that he should be rid oftheir company, in which he at present could find no enjoyment.
Everything happened as he had foreseen; the misanthrope, in his retreatfrom Peregrine's chamber, was assaulted by Hatchway and his associate,who seized him by the collar without ceremony, and began to drag himtowards the pump, at which they would have certainly complimented himwith a very disagreeable bath, had not he exalted his voice in such amanner, as in a moment brought a number of the inhabitants, and Picklehimself, to his aid. The assailants would have persisted in theirdesign, had the opposition been such as they could have faced with anypossibility of success; nor did they quit their prey, before a dozen, atleast, had come to his rescue, and Peregrine with a menacing aspect andair of authority, commanded his old valet to withdraw. Then they thoughtproper to sheer off, and betake themselves to close quarters, while ourhero accompanied the affrighted Cadwallader to the gate, and exhibitedto the warden a formal complaint against the rioters, upon whom heretorted the charge of lunacy, which was supported by the evidence oftwenty persons, who had been eye-witnesses of the outrage committedagainst the old gentleman. The governor, in consequence of thisinformation, sent a message to Mr. Hatchway, warning him to movehis lodging next day, on pain of being expelled. The lieutenantcontumaciously refusing to comply with this intimation, was in themorning, while he amused himself in walking upon the Bare, suddenlysurrounded by the constables of the court, who took him and his adherentprisoners, before they were aware, and delivered them into the hands ofthe turnkeys, by whom they were immediately dismissed, and their baggageconveyed to the side of the ditch.
This expulsion was not performed without an obstinate opposition on thepart of the delinquents, who, had they not been surprised, would haveset the whole Fleet at defiance, and, in all probability, have acteddivers tragedies, before they could have been overpowered. Thingsbeing circumstanced as they were, the lieutenant did not part with hisconductor without tweaking his nose, by way of farewell; and Pipes,in imitation of such a laudable example, communicated a token ofremembrance, in an application to the sole eye of his attendant, who,scorning to be outdone in this kind of courtesy, returned the complimentwith such good-will, that Tom's organ performed the office of amultiplying-glass. These were mutual hints for stripping, and,accordingly, each was naked from the waist upwards in a trice. A ringof butchers from the market was immediately formed; a couple of thereverend flamens, who, in morning gowns, ply for marriages in thatquarter of the town, constituted themselves seconds and umpires of theapproaching contest, and the battle began without further preparation.The combatants were, in point of strength and agility, pretty equallymatched; but the jailor had been regularly trained in the art ofbruising: he had more than once signalized himself in public, by hisprowess and skill in this exercise, and lost one eye upon the stage inthe course of his exploits. This was a misfortune of which Pipes did notfail to take the advantage. He had already sustained several hard knocksupon his temples and jaws, and found it impracticable to smite hisantagonist upon the victualling-office, so dexterously was it defendedagainst assault. He then changed his battery, and being ambidexter,raised such a clatter upon the turnkey's blind side, that this hero,believing him left-handed, converted his attention that way, and opposedthe unenlightened side of his face to the right hand of Pipes, whichbeing thus unprovided against, slyly bestowed upon him a peg under thefifth rib, that in an instant laid him senseless on the pavement, atthe feet of his conqueror. Pipes was congratulated upon his victory,not only by his friend Hatchway, but also by all the by-standers,particularly the priest who had espoused his cause, and now invited thestrangers to his lodgings in a neighbouring alehouse, where they wereentertained so much to their liking, that they determined to seekno other habitation while they should continue in town; and,notwithstanding the disgrace and discouragement they had met with, intheir endeavours to serve our adventurer, they were still resolved topersevere in their good offices, or, in the vulgar phrase, to see himout.
While they settled themselves in this manner, and acquired familiarconnections round all the purlieus of the ditch, Peregrine found himselfdeprived of the company of Cadwallader, who signified, by letter, thathe did not choose to hazard his person again in visiting him, while suchassassins occupied the avenues through which he must pass; for he hadbeen at pains to inquire into the motions of the seamen, and informedhimself exactly of the harbour in which they were moored.
Our hero had been so much accustomed to the conversation of Crabtree,which was altogether suitable to the singularity of his own disposition,that he could very ill afford to be debarred of it at this juncture,when almost every other source of enjoym
ent was stopped. He was,however, obliged to submit to the hardships of his situation; and as thecharacters of his fellow-prisoners did not at all improve upon him, hewas compelled to seek for satisfaction within himself. Not but that hehad an opportunity of conversing with some people who neither wantedsense, nor were deficient in point of principle; yet there appeared inthe behaviour of them all, without exception, a certain want of decorum,a squalor of sentiment, a sort of jailish cast contracted in the courseof confinement, which disgusted the delicacy of our hero's observation.He, therefore, detached himself from their parties as much as he could,without giving offence to those among whom he was obliged to live, andresumed his labours with incredible eagerness and perseverance, hisspirits being supported by the success of some severe philippics, whichhe occasionally published against the author of his misfortune.
Nor was his humanity unemployed in the vacations of his revenge. A manmust be void of all sympathy and compassion, who can reside among somany miserable objects, without feeling an inclination to relieve theirdistress. Every day almost presented to his view such lamentable scenesas were most likely to attract his notice, and engage his benevolence.Reverses of fortune, attended with the most deplorable circumstances ofdomestic woe, were continually intruding upon his acquaintance; his earswere invaded with the cries of the hapless wife, who, from the enjoymentof affluence and pleasure, was forced to follow her husband to thisabode of wretchedness and want; his eyes were every minute assailedwith the naked and meagre appearances of hunger and cold; and his fancyteemed with a thousand aggravations of their misery.
Thus situated, his purse was never shut while his heart remained open.Without reflecting upon the slenderness of his store, he exercised hischarity to all the children of distress, and acquired a popularity,which, though pleasing, was far from being profitable. In short, hisbounty kept no pace with his circumstances, and in a little time he wasutterly exhausted. He had recourse to his bookseller, from whom, withgreat difficulty, he obtained a small reinforcement; and immediatelyrelapsed into the same want of retention. He was conscious of hisinfirmity, and found it incurable: he foresaw that by his own industryhe should never be able to defray the expense of these occasions; andthis reflection sunk deep into his mind. The approbation of the public,which he had earned or might acquire like a cordial often repeated,began to lose its effect upon his imagination; his health suffered byhis sedentary life and austere application, his eyesight failed, hisappetite forsook him, his spirits decayed; so that he became melancholy,listless, and altogether incapable of prosecuting the only means he hadleft for his subsistence; and, what did not at all contribute to thealleviation of these particulars, he was given to understand by hislawyer, that he had lost his cause, and was condemned in costs. Eventhis was not the most mortifying piece of intelligence he received:he at the same time learned that his bookseller was bankrupt, and hisfriend Crabtree at the point of death.
These were comfortable considerations to a youth of Peregrine'sdisposition, which was so capricious, that the more his miseryincreased, the more haughty and inflexible he became. Rather than bebeholden to Hatchway, who still hovered about the gate, eager for anopportunity to assist him, he chose to undergo the want of almost everyconvenience of life, and actually pledged his wearing apparel to anIrish pawnbroker in the Fleet, for money to purchase those things,without which he must have absolutely perished. He was graduallyirritated by his misfortunes into a rancorous resentment against mankindin general, and his heart so alienated from the enjoyments of life, thathe did not care how soon he quitted his miserable existence. Though hehad shocking examples of the vicissitudes of fortune continually beforehis eyes, he could never be reconciled to the idea of living like hisfellow-sufferers, in the most abject degree of dependence. If he refusedto accept of favours from his own allies and intimate friends, whom hehad formerly obliged, it is not to be supposed that he would listen toproposals of that kind from any of his fellow-prisoners, with whom hehad contracted acquaintance: he was even more cautious than ever ofincurring obligations; he now shunned his former messmates, in order toavoid disagreeable tenders of friendship. Imagining that he perceivedan inclination in the clergyman to learn the state of his finances, hediscouraged and declined the explanation, and at length secluded himselffrom all society.
CHAPTER CI.