Of all these characters, the one that on the whole made the largest fortunes in the most rapid manner,—and we do not forget the marvels9 of the Waterloo loan, or the miracles of Manchester during the continental10 blockade—was the Anglo-East Indian about the time that Hastings was first appointed to the great viceroyalty. It was not unusual for men in positions so obscure that their names had never reached the public in this country, and who yet had not been absent from their native land for a longer period than the siege of Troy, to return with their million.
One of the most fortunate of this class of obscure adventurers was a certain John Warren. A very few years before the breaking out of the American war, he was a waiter at a celebrated11 club in St James’s Street: a quick yet steady young fellow; assiduous, discreet12, and very civil. In this capacity, he pleased a gentleman who was just appointed to the government of Madras, and who wanted a valet. Warren, though prudent13, was adventurous14; and accepted the opening which he believed fortune offered him. He was prescient. The voyage in those days was an affair of six months. During this period, Warren still more ingratiated himself with his master. He wrote a good hand, and his master a very bad one. He had a natural talent for accounts; a kind of information which was useful to his employer. He arrived at Madras, no longer a valet, but a private secretary.
His master went out to make a fortune; but he was indolent, and had indeed none of the qualities for success, except his great position. Warren had every quality but that. The basis of the confederacy therefore was intelligible15; it was founded on mutual16 interests and cemented by reciprocal assistance. The governor granted monopolies to the secretary, who apportioned17 a due share to his sleeping partner. There appeared one of those dearths not unusual in Hindostan; the population of the famished18 province cried out for rice; the stores of which, diminished by nature, had for months mysteriously disappeared. A provident19 administration it seems had invested the public revenue in its benevolent20 purchase; the misery21 was so excessive that even pestilence22 was anticipated, when the great forestallers came to the rescue of the people over whose destinies they presided; and at the same time fed and pocketed millions.
This was the great stroke of the financial genius of Warren. He was satisfied. He longed once more to see St James’s Street, and to become a member of the club, where he had once been a waiter. But he was the spoiled child of fortune, who would not so easily spare him. The governor died, and had appointed his secretary his sole executor. Not that his excellency particularly trusted his agent, but he dared not confide23 the knowledge of his affairs to any other individual. The estate was so complicated, that Warren offered the heirs a good round sum for his quittance, and to take the settlement upon himself. India so distant, and Chancery so near—the heirs accepted the proposition. Winding24 up this estate, Warren avenged25 the cause of plundered provinces; and the House of Commons itself, with Burke and Francis at its head, could scarcely have mulcted the late governor more severely26.
A Mr Warren, of whom no one had ever heard except that he was a nabob, had recently returned from India and purchased a large estate in the north of England, was returned to Parliament one of the representatives of a close borough27 which he had purchased: a quiet, gentlemanlike, middle-aged28 man, with no decided29 political opinions; and, as parties were then getting very equal, of course very much courted. The throes of Lord North’s administration were commencing. The minister asked the new member to dine with him, and found the new member singularly free from all party prejudices. Mr Warren was one of those members who announced their determination to listen to the debates and to be governed by the arguments. All complimented him, all spoke30 to him. Mr Fox declared that he was a most superior man; Mr Burke said that these were the men who could alone save the country. Mrs Crewe asked him to supper; he was caressed31 by the most brilliant of duchesses.
At length there arrived one of those fierce trials of strength, which precede the fall of a minister, but which sometimes from peculiar32 circumstances, as in the instances of Walpole and Lord North, are not immediate33 in their results. How would Warren vote? was the great question. He would listen to the arguments. Burke was full of confidence that he should catch Warren. The day before the debate there was a levee, which Mr Warren attended. The sovereign stopped him, spoke to him, smiled on him, asked him many questions: about himself, the House of Commons, how he liked it, how he liked England. There was a flutter in the circle; a new favourite at court.
The debate came off, the division took place. Mr Warren voted for the minister. Burke denounced him; the king made him a baronet.
Sir John Warren made a great alliance, at least for him; he married the daughter of an Irish earl; became one of the king’s friends; supported Lord Shelburne, threw over Lord Shelburne, had the tact35 early to discover that Mr Pitt was the man to stick to, stuck to him. Sir John Warren bought another estate, and picked up another borough. He was fast becoming a personage. Throughout the Indian debates he kept himself extremely quiet; once indeed in vindication36 of Mr Hastings, whom he greatly admired, he ventured to correct Mr Francis on a point of fact with which he was personally acquainted. He thought that it was safe, but he never spoke again. He knew not the resources of vindictive37 genius or the powers of a malignant38 imagination. Burke owed the Nabob a turn for the vote which had gained him a baronetcy. The orator39 seized the opportunity and alarmed the secret conscience of the Indian adventurer by his dark allusions40, and his fatal familiarity with the subject.
Another estate however and another borough were some consolation41 for this little misadventure; and in time the French Revolution, to Sir John’s great relief, turned the public attention for ever from Indian affairs. The Nabob from the faithful adherent42 of Mr Pitt had become even his personal friend. The wits indeed had discovered that he had been a waiter; and endless were the epigrams of Fitzpatrick and the jokes of Hare; but Mr Pitt cared nothing about the origin of his supporters. On the contrary, Sir John was exactly the individual from whom the minister meant to carve out his plebeian43 aristocracy; and using his friend as a feeler before he ventured on his greater operations, the Nabob one morning was transformed into an Irish baron34.
The new Baron figured in his patent as Lord Fitz-Warene, his Norman origin and descent from the old barons44 of this name having been discovered at Herald’s college. This was a rich harvest for Fitzpatrick and Hare; but the public gets accustomed to everything, and has an easy habit of faith. The new Baron cared nothing for ridicule45, for he was working for posterity46. He was compensated47 for every annoyance48 by the remembrance that the St James’s Street waiter was ennobled, and by his determination that his children should rank still higher in the proud peerage of his country. So he obtained the royal permission to resume the surname and arms of his ancestors, as well as their title.
There was an ill-natured story set afloat, that Sir John owed this promotion49 to having lent money to the minister; but this was a calumny50. Mr Pitt never borrowed money of his friends. Once indeed, to save his library, he took a thousand pounds from an individual on whom he had conferred high rank and immense promotion: and this individual, who had the minister’s bond when Mr Pitt died, insisted on his right, and actually extracted the 1,000 l. from the insolvent51 estate of his magnificent patron. But Mr Pitt always preferred an usurer to a friend; and to the last day of his life borrowed money at fifty per cent.
The Nabob departed this life before the Minister, but he lived long enough to realize his most aspiring52 dream. Two years before his death the Irish baron was quietly converted into an English peer; and without exciting any attention, all the squibs of Fitzpatrick, all the jokes of Hare, quite forgotten, the waiter of the St James’s Street club took his seat in the most natural manner possible in the House of Lords.
The great estate of the late Lord Fitz-Warene was situated53 at Mowbray, a village which principally belonged to him, and near which he had raised a gothic castle, worthy54 of his Norman name and ancestry55. Mowbray was one of those places which during the long war had expanded from an almost unknown village to a large and flourishing manufacturing town; a circumstance, which, as Lady Marney observed, might have somewhat deteriorated56 the atmosphere of the splendid castle, but which had nevertheless doubled the vast rental57 of its lord. He who had succeeded to his father was Altamont Belvidere (named after his mother’s family) Fitz-Warene, Lord Fitz-Warene. He was not deficient58 in abilities, though he had not his father’s talents, but he was over-educated for his intellect; a common misfortune. The new Lord Fitz-Warene was the most aristocratic of breathing beings. He most fully59, entirely60, and absolutely believed in his pedigree; his coat of arms was emblazoned on every window, embroidered61 on every chair, carved in every corner. Shortly after his father’s death he was united to the daughter of a ducal house, by whom he had a son and two daughters, chrisened by names which the ancient records of the Fitz-Warenes authorised. His son, who gave promise of abilities which might have rendered the family really distinguished62, was Valence; his daughters, Joan and Maud. All that seemed wanting to the glory of the house was a great distinction of which a rich peer, with six seats in the House of Commons, could not ultimately despair. Lord Fitz-Warene aspired63 to rank among the earls of England. But the successors of Mr Pitt were strong; they thought the Fitz-Warenes had already been too rapidly advanced; it was whispered that the king did not like the new man; that his majesty64 thought him pompous65, full of pretence66, in short, a fool. But though the successors of Mr Pitt managed to govern the country for twenty years and were generally very strong, in such an interval67 of time however good their management or great their luck, there were inevitably68 occasions when they found themselves in difficulties, when it was necessary to conciliate the lukewarm or to reward the devoted69. Lord Fitz-Warene well understood how to avail himself of these occasions; it was astonishing how conscientious70 and scrupulous71 he became during Walcheren expeditions, Manchester massacres72, Queen’s trials. Every scrape of the government was a step in the ladder to the great borough-monger. The old king too had disappeared from the stage; and the tawdry grandeur73 of the great Norman peer rather suited George the Fourth. He was rather a favourite at the Cottage; they wanted his six votes for Canning; he made his terms; and one of the means by which we got a man of genius for a minister, was elevating Lord Fitz-Warene in the peerage, by the style and title of Earl de Mowbray of Mowbray Castle.
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1
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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2
aristocrats
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| n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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3
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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4
plundered
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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aspires
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的第三人称单数 ) | |
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territorial
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| adj.领土的，领地的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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11
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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12
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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13
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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15
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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16
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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17
apportioned
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| vt.分摊，分配（apportion的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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18
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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19
provident
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| adj.为将来做准备的，有先见之明的 | |
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20
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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21
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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22
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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23
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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24
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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25
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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borough
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| n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇 | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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30
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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31
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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vindication
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| n.洗冤，证实 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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40
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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41
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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42
adherent
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| n.信徒，追随者，拥护者 | |
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43
plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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44
barons
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| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
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45
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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46
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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47
compensated
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| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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48
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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49
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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50
calumny
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| n.诽谤，污蔑，中伤 | |
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51
insolvent
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| adj.破产的，无偿还能力的 | |
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52
aspiring
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| adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求 | |
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53
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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54
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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55
ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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56
deteriorated
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| 恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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58
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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59
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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60
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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61
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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62
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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63
aspired
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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65
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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66
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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67
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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68
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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69
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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70
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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71
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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72
massacres
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| 大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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