History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

by Henry Fielding

  Chapter ix.

  Containing several dialogues between Jones and Partridge, concerninglove, cold, hunger, and other matters; with the lucky and narrowescape of Partridge, as he was on the very brink of making a fataldiscovery to his friend.

  The shadows began now to descend larger from the high mountains; thefeathered creation had betaken themselves to their rest. Now thehighest order of mortals were sitting down to their dinners, and thelowest order to their suppers. In a word, the clock struck five justas Mr Jones took his leave of Gloucester; an hour at which (as it wasnow mid-winter) the dirty fingers of Night would have drawn her sablecurtain over the universe, had not the moon forbid her, who now, witha face as broad and as red as those of some jolly mortals, who, likeher, turn night into day, began to rise from her bed, where she hadslumbered away the day, in order to sit up all night. Jones had nottravelled far before he paid his compliments to that beautiful planet,and, turning to his companion, asked him if he had ever beheld sodelicious an evening? Partridge making no ready answer to hisquestion, he proceeded to comment on the beauty of the moon, andrepeated some passages from Milton, who hath certainly excelled allother poets in his description of the heavenly luminaries. He thentold Partridge the story from the Spectator, of two lovers who hadagreed to entertain themselves when they were at a great distance fromeach other, by repairing, at a certain fixed hour, to look at themoon; thus pleasing themselves with the thought that they were bothemployed in contemplating the same object at the same time. "Thoselovers," added he, "must have had souls truly capable of feeling allthe tenderness of the sublimest of all human passions."--"Veryprobably," cries Partridge: "but I envy them more, if they had bodiesincapable of feeling cold; for I am almost frozen to death, and amvery much afraid I shall lose a piece of my nose before we get toanother house of entertainment. Nay, truly, we may well expect somejudgment should happen to us for our folly in running away so by nightfrom one of the most excellent inns I ever set my foot into. I am sureI never saw more good things in my life, and the greatest lord in theland cannot live better in his own house than he may there. And toforsake such a house, and go a rambling about the country, the Lordknows whither, _per devia rura viarum_, I say nothing for my part; butsome people might not have charity enough to conclude we were in oursober senses."--"Fie upon it, Mr Partridge!" says Jones, "have abetter heart; consider you are going to face an enemy; and are youafraid of facing a little cold? I wish, indeed, we had a guide toadvise which of these roads we should take."--"May I be so bold," saysPartridge, "to offer my advice? _Interdum stultus opportunaloquitur_"--"Why, which of them," cries Jones, "would yourecommend?"--"Truly neither of them," answered Partridge. "The onlyroad we can be certain of finding, is the road we came. A good heartypace will bring us back to Gloucester in an hour; but if we goforward, the Lord Harry knows when we shall arrive at any place; for Isee at least fifty miles before me, and no house in all theway."--"You see, indeed, a very fair prospect," says Jones, "whichreceives great additional beauty from the extreme lustre of the moon.However, I will keep the left-hand track, as that seems to leaddirectly to those hills, which we were informed lie not far fromWorcester. And here, if you are inclined to quit me, you may, andreturn back again; but for my part, I am resolved to go forward."

  "It is unkind in you, sir," says Partridge, "to suspect me of any suchintention. What I have advised hath been as much on your account as onmy own: but since you are determined to go on, I am as much determinedto follow. _I prae sequar te_."

  They now travelled some miles without speaking to each other, duringwhich suspense of discourse Jones often sighed, and Benjamin groanedas bitterly, though from a very different reason. At length Jones madea full stop, and turning about, cries, "Who knows, Partridge, but theloveliest creature in the universe may have her eyes now fixed on thatvery moon which I behold at this instant?" "Very likely, sir,"answered Partridge; "and if my eyes were fixed on a good surloin ofroast beef, the devil might take the moon and her horns into thebargain." "Did ever Tramontane make such an answer?" cries Jones."Prithee, Partridge, wast thou ever susceptible of love in thy life,or hath time worn away all the traces of it from thy memory?""Alack-a-day!" cries Partridge, "well would it have been for me if Ihad never known what love was. _Infandum regina jubes renovaredolorem_. I am sure I have tasted all the tenderness, and sublimities,and bitternesses of the passion." "Was your mistress unkind, then?"says Jones. "Very unkind, indeed, sir," answered Partridge; "for shemarried me, and made one of the most confounded wives in the world.However, heaven be praised, she's gone; and if I believed she was inthe moon, according to a book I once read, which teaches that to bethe receptacle of departed spirits, I would never look at it for fearof seeing her; but I wish, sir, that the moon was a looking-glass foryour sake, and that Miss Sophia Western was now placed before it." "Mydear Partridge," cries Jones, "what a thought was there! A thoughtwhich I am certain could never have entered into any mind but that ofa lover. O Partridge! could I hope once again to see that face; but,alas! all those golden dreams are vanished for ever, and my onlyrefuge from future misery is to forget the object of all my formerhappiness." "And do you really despair of ever seeing Miss Westernagain?" answered Partridge; "if you will follow my advice I willengage you shall not only see her but have her in your arms." "Ha! donot awaken a thought of that nature," cries Jones: "I have struggledsufficiently to conquer all such wishes already." "Nay," answeredPartridge, "if you do not wish to have your mistress in your arms youare a most extraordinary lover indeed." "Well, well," says Jones, "letus avoid this subject; but pray what is your advice?" "To give it youin the military phrase, then," says Partridge, "as we are soldiers,`To the right about.' Let us return the way we came; we may yet reachGloucester to-night, though late; whereas, if we proceed, we arelikely, for aught I see, to ramble about for ever without comingeither to house or home." "I have already told you my resolution is togo on," answered Jones; "but I would have you go back. I am obliged toyou for your company hither; and I beg you to accept a guinea as asmall instance of my gratitude. Nay, it would be cruel in me to sufferyou to go any farther; for, to deal plainly with you, my chief end anddesire is a glorious death in the service of my king and country." "Asfor your money," replied Partridge, "I beg, sir, you will put it up; Iwill receive none of you at this time; for at present I am, I believe,the richer man of the two. And as your resolution is to go on, so mineis to follow you if you do. Nay, now my presence appears absolutelynecessary to take care of you, since your intentions are so desperate;for I promise you my views are much more prudent; as you are resolvedto fall in battle if you can, so I am resolved as firmly to come to nohurt if I can help it. And, indeed, I have the comfort to think therewill be but little danger; for a popish priest told me the other daythe business would soon be over, and he believed without a battle." "Apopish priest!" cries Jones, "I have heard is not always to bebelieved when he speaks in behalf of his religion." "Yes, but so far,"answered the other, "from speaking in behalf of his religion, heassured me the Catholicks did not expect to be any gainers by thechange; for that Prince Charles was as good a Protestant as any inEngland; and that nothing but regard to right made him and the rest ofthe popish party to be Jacobites."--"I believe him to be as much aProtestant as I believe he hath any right," says Jones; "and I make nodoubt of our success, but not without a battle. So that I am not sosanguine as your friend the popish priest." "Nay, to be sure, sir,"answered Partridge, "all the prophecies I have ever read speak of agreat deal of blood to be spilt in the quarrel, and the miller withthree thumbs, who is now alive, is to hold the horses of three kings,up to his knees in blood. Lord, have mercy upon us all, and sendbetter times!" "With what stuff and nonsense hast thou filled thyhead!" answered Jones: "this too, I suppose, comes from the popishpriest. Monsters and prodigies are the proper arguments to supportmonstrous and absurd doctrines. The cause of King George is the causeof liberty and true religion. In other words, it is the cause ofcommon sense, my boy, and I warrant you will succeed, thou
gh Briariushimself was to rise again with his hundred thumbs, and to turnmiller." Partridge made no reply to this. He was, indeed, cast intothe utmost confusion by this declaration of Jones. For, to inform thereader of a secret, which he had no proper opportunity of revealingbefore, Partridge was in truth a Jacobite, and had concluded thatJones was of the same party, and was now proceeding to join therebels. An opinion which was not without foundation. For the tall,long-sided dame, mentioned by Hudibras--that many-eyed, many-tongued,many-mouthed, many-eared monster of Virgil, had related the story ofthe quarrel between Jones and the officer, with the usual regard totruth. She had, indeed, changed the name of Sophia into that of thePretender, and had reported, that drinking his health was the causefor which Jones was knocked down. This Partridge had heard, and mostfirmly believed. 'Tis no wonder, therefore, that he had thenceentertained the above-mentioned opinion of Jones; and which he hadalmost discovered to him before he found out his own mistake. And atthis the reader will be the less inclined to wonder, if he pleases torecollect the doubtful phrase in which Jones first communicated hisresolution to Mr Partridge; and, indeed, had the words been lessambiguous, Partridge might very well have construed them as he did;being persuaded as he was that the whole nation were of the sameinclination in their hearts; nor did it stagger him that Jones hadtravelled in the company of soldiers; for he had the same opinion ofthe army which he had of the rest of the people.

  But however well affected he might be to James or Charles, he wasstill much more attached to Little Benjamin than to either; for whichreason he no sooner discovered the principles of his fellow-travellerthan he thought proper to conceal and outwardly give up his own to theman on whom he depended for the making his fortune, since he by nomeans believed the affairs of Jones to be so desperate as they reallywere with Mr Allworthy; for as he had kept a constant correspondencewith some of his neighbours since he left that country, he had heardmuch, indeed more than was true, of the great affection Mr Allworthybore this young man, who, as Partridge had been instructed, was to bethat gentleman's heir, and whom, as we have said, he did not in theleast doubt to be his son.

  He imagined therefore that whatever quarrel was between them, it wouldbe certainly made up at the return of Mr Jones; an event from which hepromised great advantages, if he could take this opportunity ofingratiating himself with that young gentleman; and if he could by anymeans be instrumental in procuring his return, he doubted not, as wehave before said, but it would as highly advance him in the favour ofMr Allworthy.

  We have already observed, that he was a very good-natured fellow, andhe hath himself declared the violent attachment he had to the personand character of Jones; but possibly the views which I have justbefore mentioned, might likewise have some little share in promptinghim to undertake this expedition, at least in urging him to continueit, after he had discovered that his master and himself, like someprudent fathers and sons, though they travelled together in greatfriendship, had embraced opposite parties. I am led into thisconjecture, by having remarked, that though love, friendship, esteem,and such like, have very powerful operations in the human mind;interest, however, is an ingredient seldom omitted by wise men, whenthey would work others to their own purposes. This is indeed a mostexcellent medicine, and, like Ward's pill, flies at once to theparticular part of the body on which you desire to operate, whether itbe the tongue, the hand, or any other member, where it scarce everfails of immediately producing the desired effect.