A Flagrant Instance of Fathom1’s Virtue2, in the Manner of His Retreat to England.
Fathom, who had lent an attentive3 ear to every circumstance of this disastrous4 story, no sooner heard it concluded, than, with an aspect of generous and cordial compassion5, not even unattended with tears, he condoled6 the lamentable7 fate of Don Diego de Zelos, deplored8 the untimely death of the gentle Antonia and the fair Serafina, and undertook the interest of the wretched Castilian with such warmth of sympathising zeal9, as drew a flood from his eyes, while he wrung10 his benefactor’s hand in a transport of gratitude11. Those were literally12 tears of joy, or at least of satisfaction, on both sides; as our hero wept with affection and attachment13 to the jewels that were to be committed to his care; but, far from discovering the true source of his tenderness, he affected14 to dissuade15 the Spaniard from parting with the diamonds, which he counselled him to reserve for a more pressing occasion; and, in the meantime, earnestly entreated16 him to depend upon his friendship for present relief.
This generous proffer17 served only to confirm Don Diego’s resolution, which he forthwith executed, by putting into the hands of Ferdinand jewels to the value of a thousand crowns, and desiring him to detain for his own use any part of the sum they would raise. Our adventurer thanked him for the good opinion he entertained of his integrity, an opinion fully19 manifested in honouring him with such important confidence, and assured him he would transact20 his affairs with the utmost diligence, caution, and despatch21. The evening being by this time almost consumed, these new allies retired22 separately to rest; though each passed the night without repose23, in very different reflections, the Castilian being, as usual, agitated24 with the unceasing pangs25 of his unalterable misery26, interspersed27 with gleaming hopes of revenge; and Fathom being kept awake with revolving28 plans for turning his fellow-lodger’s credulity to his own advantage. From the nature of the Spaniard’s situation, he might have appropriated the jewels to himself, and remained in Paris without fear of a prosecution29, because the injured party had, by the above narrative30, left his life and liberty at discretion31.— But he did not think himself secure from the personal resentment32 of an enraged33 desperate Castilian; and therefore determined34 to withdraw himself privately35 into that country where he had all along proposed to fix the standard of his finesse36, which fortune had now empowered him to exercise according to his wish.
Bent37 upon this retreat, he went abroad in the morning, on pretence38 of acting39 in the concerns of his friend Don Diego, and having hired a post-chaise to be ready at the dawning of next day, returned to his lodgings40, where he cajoled the Spaniard with a feigned41 report of his negotiation42; then, securing his most valuable effects about his person, arose with the cock, repaired to the place at which he had appointed to meet the postillion with the carriage, and set out for England without further delay, leaving the unhappy Zelos to the horrors of indigence43, and the additional agony of this fresh disappointment. Yet he was not the only person affected by the abrupt44 departure of Fathom, which was hastened by the importunities, threats, and reproaches of his landlord’s daughter, whom he had debauched under promise of marriage, and now left in the fourth month of her pregnancy45.
Notwithstanding the dangerous adventure in which he had been formerly46 involved by travelling in the night, he did not think proper to make the usual halts on this journey, for sleep or refreshment47, nor did he once quit the chaise till his arrival at Boulogne, which he reached in twenty hours after his departure from Paris. Here he thought he might safely indulge himself with a comfortable meal; accordingly he bespoke48 a poulard for dinner, and while that was preparing, went forth18 to view the city and harbour. When he beheld49 the white cliffs of Albion, his heart throbbed50 with all the joy of a beloved son, who, after a tedious and fatiguing51 voyage, reviews the chimneys of his father’s house. He surveyed the neighbouring coast of England with fond and longing52 eyes, like another Moses, reconnoitring the land of Canaan from the top of Mount Pisgah; and to such a degree of impatience53 was he inflamed54 by the sight, that, instead of proceeding55 to Calais, he resolved to take his passage directly from Boulogne, even if he should hire a vessel56 for the purpose. With these sentiments, he inquired if there was any ship bound for England, and was so fortunate as to find the master of a small bark, who intended to weigh anchor for Deal that same evening at high water.
Transported with this information, he immediately agreed for his passage, sold the post-chaise to his landlord for thirty guineas, as a piece of furniture for which he could have no further use, purchased a portmanteau, together with some linen57 and wearing apparel, and, at the recommendation of his host, took into his service an extra postillion or helper, who had formerly worn the livery of a travelling marquis. This new domestic, whose name was Maurice, underwent, with great applause, the examination of our hero, who perceived in him a fund of sagacity and presence of mind, by which he was excellently qualified58 for being the valet of an adventurer. He was therefore accommodated with a second-hand59 suit and another shirt, and at once listed under the banners of Count Fathom, who spent the whole afternoon in giving him proper instructions for the regulation of his conduct.
Having settled these preliminaries to his own satisfaction, he and his baggage were embarked60 about six o’clock in the month of September, and it was not without emotion that he found himself benighted61 upon the great deep, of which, before the preceding day, he had never enjoyed even the most distant prospect62. However, he was not a man to be afraid, where there was really no appearance of danger; and the agreeable presages63 of future fortune supported his spirits, amidst the disagreeable nausea64 which commonly attends landsmen at sea, until he was set ashore65 upon the beach at Deal, which he entered in good health about seven o’clock in the morning.
Like Caesar, however, he found some difficulty in landing, on account of the swelling66 surf, that tumbled about with such violence as had almost overset the cutter that carried him on shore; and, in his eagerness to jump upon the strand67, his foot slipped from the side of the boat, so that he was thrown forwards in an horizontal direction, and his hands were the first parts of him that touched English ground. Upon this occasion, he, in imitation of Scipio’s behaviour on the coast of Africa, hailed the omen68, and, grasping a handful of the sand, was heard to exclaim, in the Italian language: “Ah, ah, Old England, I have thee fast.”
As he walked up to the inn, followed by Maurice loaded with his portmanteau, he congratulated himself upon his happy voyage, and the peaceable possession of his spoil, and could not help snuffing up the British air with marks of infinite relish69 and satisfaction. His first care was to recompense himself for the want of sleep he had undergone, and, after he had sufficiently70 recruited himself with several hours of uninterrupted repose, he set out in a post-chaise for Canterbury, where he took a place in the London stage, which he was told would depart next morning, the coach being already full. On this very first day of his arrival, he perceived between the English and the people among whom he had hitherto lived, such essential difference in customs, appearance, and way of living, as inspired him with high notions of that British freedom, opulence71, and convenience, on which he had often heard his mother expatiate72. On the road, he feasted his eyesight with the verdant73 hills covered with flocks of sheep, the fruitful vales parcelled out into cultivated enclosures; the very cattle seemed to profit by the wealth of their masters, being large, sturdy, and sleek74, and every peasant breathed the insolence75 of liberty and independence. In a word, he viewed the wide-extended plains of Kent with a lover’s eye, and, his ambition becoming romantic, could not help fancying himself another conqueror76 of the isle77.
He was not, however, long amused by these vain chimeras78, which soon vanished before other reflections of more importance and solidity. His imagination, it must be owned, was at all times too chaste79 to admit those overweening hopes, which often mislead the mind of the projector80. He had studied mankind with incredible diligence, and knew perfectly81 well how far he could depend on the passions and foibles of human nature. That he might now act consistent with his former sagacity, he resolved to pass himself upon his fellow-travellers for a French gentleman, equally a stranger to the language and country of England, in order to glean82 from their discourse83 such intelligence as might avail him in his future operations; and his lacquey was tutored accordingly.
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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condoled
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| v.表示同情，吊唁( condole的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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proffer
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| v.献出，赠送；n.提议，建议 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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transact
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| v.处理；做交易；谈判 | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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finesse
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| n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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indigence
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| n.贫穷 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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pregnancy
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| n.怀孕，怀孕期 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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49
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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presages
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| v.预示，预兆( presage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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nausea
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| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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opulence
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| n.财富，富裕 | |
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expatiate
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| v.细说，详述 | |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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chimeras
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| n.（由几种动物的各部分构成的）假想的怪兽( chimera的名词复数 )；不可能实现的想法；幻想；妄想 | |
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chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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projector
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| n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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glean
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| v.收集(消息、资料、情报等) | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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