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Produced by Tapio Riikonen (tapri@kolumbus.fi)
The Adventures of Roderick Random
By Tobias Smollett
THE AUTHOR'S 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 sympathises
with him in his 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 public, 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 era of their
excellence, unless the Cyropaedia of Xenophon may be so called;
and it was not till arts and sciences began to revive after the
irruption of the barbarians into Europe, that anything of this kind
appeared. But when the minds of men were debauched by the imposition
of priestcraft 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 necromancy 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 me 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 that
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 expense, 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. lit 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 promise, that
I imagined nothing could more effectually expose the absurdity of
such miserable expletives, than a natural and verbal representation
of the discourse in which they occur.
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 newspaper; and the ass, ornamented
with a huge tie-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 group 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 lodging of the painter, and finding him at home, "Hark ye,
Mr. Monkey," said he, "I have a good mind to convince you, that
though 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 d--ned scandalous libel--but don't
yon 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 Aesculapius! 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 newspaper, 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 show your face by day, you
ungrateful slanderous knave!"
In vain the astonished painter declared that he had no intention to
give offence, or to characterise 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
shouldst 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 though thou art, perhaps, distinguished by a
bottle nose, twenty of thy neighbours may be in the same predicament."
THE ADVENTURES OF RODERICK RANDOM
0. CHAPTER I
1. CHAPTER II
2. CHAPTER III
3. CHAPTER IV
4. CHAPTER V
5. CHAPTER VI
6. CHAPTER VII
7. CHAPTER VIII
8. CHAPTER IX
9. CHAPTER X
10. CHAPTER XI
11. CHAPTER XII
12. CHAPTER XIII
13. CHAPTER XIV
14. CHAPTER XV
15. CHAPTER XVI
16. CHAPTER XVII
17. CHAPTER XVIII
18. CHAPTER XIX
19. CHAPTER XX
20. CHAPTER XXI
21. CHAPTER XXII
22. CHAPTER XXIII
23. CHAPTER XXIV
24. CHAPTER XXV
25. CHAPTER XXVI
26. CHAPTER XXVII
27. CHAPTER XXVIII
28. CHAPTER XXIX
29. CHAPTER XXX
30. CHAPTER XXXI
31. CHAPTER XXII
32. CHAPTER XXXIII
33. CHAPTER XXXIV
34. CHAPTER XXXV
35. CHAPTER XXXVI
36. CHAPTER XXXVII
37. CHAPTER XXXVIII
38. CHAPTER XXXIX
39. CHAPTER XL
40. CHAPTER XLI
41. CHAPTER XLII
42. CHAPTER XLIII
43. CHAPTER XLIV
44. CHAPTER XLV
45. CHAPTER XLVI
46. CHAPTER XLVII
47. CHAFTER XLVIII
48. CHAPTER XLIX
49. CHAPTER L
50. CHAPTER LI
51. CHAPTER LII
52. CHAPTER LIII
53. CHAPTER LIV
54. CHAPTER LV
55. CHAPTER LVI
56. CHAPTER LVII
57. CHAPTER LVIII
58. CRAPTER LIX
59. CHAPTER LX
60. CHAPTER LXI
61. CHAPTER LXII
62. CHAPTER LXIII
63. CHAPTER LXIV
64. CHAPTER LXV
65. CHAPTER LXVI
66. CHAPTER LXVII
67. CHAPTER LXVIII
68. CHAPTER LXIX
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