Sentiment of the Ordinary’s, Worthy1 to Be Written in Letters of Gold; a Very Extraordinary Instance of Folly2 in Friendly, And a Dreadful Accident which Befel Our Hero.
Heartfree had not been long in Newgate before his frequent conversation with his children, and other instances of a good heart, which betrayed themselves in his actions and conversation, created an opinion in all about him that he was one of the silliest fellows in the universe. The ordinary himself, a very sagacious as well as very worthy person, declared that he was a cursed rogue3, but no conjuror4.
What indeed might induce the former, i.e. the roguish part of this opinion in the ordinary, was a wicked sentiment which Heartfree one day disclosed in conversation, and which we, who are truly orthodox, will not pretend to justify5, that he believed a sincere Turk would be saved. To this the good man, with becoming zeal6 and indignation, answered, I know not what may become of a sincere Turk; but, if this be your persuasion7, I pronounce it impossible you should be saved. No, sir; so far from a sincere Turk’s being within the pale of salvation8, neither will any sincere Presbyterian, Anabaptist, nor Quaker whatever, be saved.
But neither did the one nor the other part of this character prevail on Friendly to abandon his old master. He spent his whole time with him, except only those hours when he was absent for his sake, in procuring9 evidence for him against his trial, which was now shortly to come on. Indeed this young man was the only comfort, besides a clear conscience and the hopes beyond the grave, which this poor wretch10 had; for the sight of his children was like one of those alluring11 pleasures which men in some diseases indulge themselves often fatally in, which at once flatter and heighten their malady12.
Friendly being one day present while Heartfree was, with tears in his eyes, embracing his eldest13 daughter, and lamenting14 the hard fate to which he feared he should be obliged to leave her, spoke15 to him thus: “I have long observed with admiration16 the magnanimity with which you go through your own misfortunes, and the steady countenance17 with which you look on death. I have observed that all your agonies arise from the thoughts of parting with your children, and of leaving them in a distrest condition; now, though I hope all your fears will prove ill grounded, yet, that I may relieve you as much as possible from them, be assured that, as nothing can give me more real misery18 than to observe so tender and loving a concern in a master, to whose goodness I owe so many obligations, and whom I so sincerely love, so nothing can afford me equal pleasure with my contributing to lessen19 or to remove it. Be convinced, therefore, if you can place any confidence in my promise, that I will employ my little fortune, which you know to be not entirely20 inconsiderable, in the support of this your little family. Should any misfortune, which I pray Heaven avert21, happen to you before you have better provided for these little ones, I will be myself their father, nor shall either of them ever know distress22 if it be any way in my power to prevent it. Your younger daughter I will provide for, and as for my little prattler23, your elder, as I never yet thought of any woman for a wife, I will receive her as such at your hands; nor will I ever relinquish24 her for another.” Heartfree flew to his friend, and embraced him with raptures25 of acknowledgment. He vowed26 to him that he had eased every anxious thought of his mind but one, and that he must carry with him out of the world. “O Friendly!” cried he, “it is my concern for that best of women, whom I hate myself for having ever censured27 in my opinion. O Friendly! thou didst know her goodness; yet, sure, her perfect character none but myself was ever acquainted with. She had every perfection, both of mind and body, which Heaven hath indulged to her whole sex, and possessed28 all in a higher excellence29 than nature ever indulged to another in any single virtue30. Can I bear the loss of such a woman? Can I bear the apprehensions31 of what mischiefs32 that villain34 may have done to her, of which death is perhaps the lightest?” Friendly gently interrupted him as soon as he saw any opportunity, endeavouring to comfort him on this head likewise, by magnifying every circumstance which could possibly afford any hopes of his seeing her again.
By this kind of behaviour, in which the young man exemplified so uncommon35 an height of friendship, he had soon obtained in the castle the character of as odd and silly a fellow as his master. Indeed they were both the byword, laughing-stock, and contempt of the whole place.
The sessions now came on at the Old Bailey. The grand jury at Hicks’s-hall had found the bill of indictment36 against Heartfree, and on the second day of the session he was brought to his trial; where, notwithstanding the utmost efforts of Friendly and the honest old female servant, the circumstances of the fact corroborating38 the evidence of Fireblood, as well as that of Wild, who counterfeited39 the most artful reluctance40 at appearing against his old friend Heartfree, the jury found the prisoner guilty.
Wild had now accomplished41 his scheme; for as to remained, it was certainly unavoidable, seeing Heartfree was entirely void of interest with the and was besides convicted on a statute42 the infringers of which could hope no pardon.
The catastrophe43 to which our hero had reduced this wretch was so wonderful an effort of greatness, that it probably made Fortune envious44 of her own darling; but whether it was from this envy, or only from that known inconstancy and weakness so often and judiciously45 remarked in that lady’s temper, who frequently lifts men to the summit of human greatness, only
ut lapsu graviore ruant;
certain it is, she now began to meditate46 mischief33 against Wild, who seems to have come to that period at which all heroes have arrived, and which she was resolved they never should transcend47. In short, there seems to be a certain measure of mischief and iniquity48 which every great man is to fill up, and then Fortune looks on him of no more use than a silkworm whose bottom is spun49, and deserts him. Mr. Blueskin was convicted the same day of robbery, by our hero, an unkindness which, though he had drawn50 on himself, and necessitated51 him to, he took greatly amiss: as Wild, therefore, was standing37 near him, with that disregard and indifference52 which great men are too carelessly inclined to have for those whom they have ruined, Blueskin, privily53 drawing a knife, thrust the same into the body of our hero with such violence, that all who saw it concluded he had done his business. And, indeed, had not fortune, not so much out of love to our hero as from a fixed54 resolution to accomplish a certain purpose, of which we have formerly55 given a hint, carefully placed his guts56 out of the way, he must have fallen a sacrifice to the wrath57 of his enemy, which, as he afterwards said, he did not deserve; for, had he been contented58 to have robbed and only submitted to give him the booty, he might have still continued safe and unimpeached in the gang; but, so it was, that the knife, missing noble parts (the noblest of many) the guts, perforated only the hollow of his belly59, and caused no other harm than an immoderate effusion of blood, of which, though it at present weakened him, he soon after recovered.
This accident, however, was in the end attended with worse consequences: for, as very few people (those greatest of all men, absolute princes excepted) attempt to cut the thread of human life, like the fetal sisters, merely out of wantonness and for their diversion, but rather by so doing propose to themselves the acquisition of some future good, or the avenging60 some past evil; and as the former of these motives61 did not appear probable, it put inquisitive62 persons on examining into the latter. Now, as the vast schemes of Wild, when they were discovered, however great in their nature, seemed to some persons, like the projects of most other such persons, rather to be calculated for the glory of the great man himself than to redound63 to the general good of society, designs began to be laid by several of those who thought it principally their duty to put a stop to the future progress of our hero; and a learned judge particularly, a great enemy to this kind of greatness, procured64 a clause in an Act of Parliament a trap for Wild, which he soon after fell into. By this law it was made capital in a prig to steal with the hands of other people. A law so plainly calculated for the destruction of all priggish greatness, that it was indeed impossible for our hero to avoid it.
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1
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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conjuror
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| n.魔术师，变戏法者 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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malady
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| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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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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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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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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lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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prattler
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| n.空谈者 | |
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relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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raptures
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| 极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 ) | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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censured
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 ) | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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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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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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mischiefs
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| 损害( mischief的名词复数 )； 危害； 胡闹； 调皮捣蛋的人 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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indictment
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| n.起诉；诉状 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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38
corroborating
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| v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的现在分词 ) | |
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39
counterfeited
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| v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的过去分词 ) | |
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40
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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41
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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statute
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| n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例 | |
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43
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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44
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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45
judiciously
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| adv.明断地，明智而审慎地 | |
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46
meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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47
transcend
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| vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围 | |
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48
iniquity
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| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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49
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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50
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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51
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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privily
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| adv.暗中，秘密地 | |
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54
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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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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56
guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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57
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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avenging
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| adj.报仇的，复仇的v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的现在分词 )；为…报复 | |
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61
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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62
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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redound
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| v.有助于；提；报应 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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