The Character of Our Hero, and the Conclusion of this History.
We will now endeavour to draw the character of this great man; and, by bringing together those several features as it were of his mind which lie scattered1 up and down in this history, to present our readers with a perfect picture of greatness.
Jonathan Wild had every qualification necessary to form a great man. As his most powerful and predominant passion was ambition, so nature had, with consummate3 propriety4, adapted all his faculties5 to the attaining6 those glorious ends to which this passion directed him. He was extremely ingenious in inventing designs, artful in contriving7 the means to accomplish his purposes, and resolute8 in executing them: for as the most exquisite9 cunning and most undaunted boldness qualified10 him for any undertaking11, so was he not restrained by any of those weaknesses which disappoint the views of mean and vulgar souls, and which are comprehended in one general term of honesty, which is a corruption12 of HONOSTY, a word derived13 from what the Greeks call an ass2. He was entirely14 free from those low vices15 of modesty16 and good-nature, which, as he said, implied a total negation17 of human greatness, and were the only qualities which absolutely rendered a man incapable18 of making a considerable figure in the world. His lust19 was inferior only to his ambition; but, as for what simple people call love, he knew not what it was. His avarice20 was immense, but it was of the rapacious21, not of the tenacious22 kind; his rapaciousness23 was indeed so violent, that nothing ever contented24 him but the whole; for, however considerable the share was which his coadjutors allowed him of a booty, he was restless in inventing means to make himself master of the smallest pittance25 reserved by them. He said laws were made for the use of prigs only, and to secure their property; they were never therefore more perverted26 than when their edge was turned against these; but that this generally happened through their want of sufficient dexterity27. The character which he most valued himself upon, and which he principally honoured in others, was that of hypocrisy28. His opinion was, that no one could carry priggism very far without it; for which reason, he said, there was little greatness to be expected in a man who acknowledged his vices, but always much to be hoped from him who professed29 great virtues31: wherefore, though he would always shun32 the person whom he discovered guilty of a good action, yet he was never deterred33 by a good character, which was more commonly the effect of profession than of action: for which reason, he himself was always very liberal of honest professions, and had as much virtue30 and goodness in his mouth as a saint; never in the least scrupling35 to swear by his honour, even to those who knew him the best; nay36, though he held good-nature and modesty in the highest contempt, he constantly practised the affectation of both, and recommended this to others, whose welfare, on his own account, he wished well to. He laid down several maxims37 as the certain methods of attaining greatness, to which, in his own pursuit of it, he constantly adhered. As —
1. Never to do more mischief38 to another than was necessary to the effecting his purpose; for that mischief was too precious a thing to be thrown away.
2. To know no distinction of men from affection; but to sacrifice all with equal readiness to his interest.
3. Never to communicate more of an affair than was necessary to the person who was to execute it.
4. Not to trust him who hath deceived you, nor who knows he hath been deceived by you.
5. To forgive no enemy; but to be cautious and often dilatory39 in revenge.
6. To shun poverty and distress40, and to ally himself as close as possible to power and riches.
7. To maintain a constant gravity in his countenance41 and behaviour, and to affect wisdom on all occasions.
8. To foment42 eternal jealousies43 in his gang, one of another.
9. Never to reward any one equal to his merit; but always to insinuate44 that the reward was above it.
10. That all men were knaves45 or fools, and much the greater number a composition of both.
11. That a good name, like money, must be parted with, or at least greatly risqued, in order to bring the owner any advantage.
12. That virtues, like precious stones, were easily counterfeited46; that the counterfeits48 in both cases adorned49 the wearer equally, and that very few had knowledge or discernment sufficient to distinguish the counterfeit47 jewel from the real.
13. That many men were undone50 by not going deep enough in roguery; as in gaming any man may be a loser who doth not play the whole game.
14. That men proclaim their own virtues, as shopkeepers expose their goods, in order to profit by them.
15. That the heart was the proper seat of hatred52, and the countenance of affection and friendship.
He had many more of the same kind, all equally good with these, and which were after his decease found in his study, as the twelve excellent and celebrated53 rules were in that of king Charles the first; for he never promulgated54 them in his lifetime, not having them constantly in his mouth, as some grave persons have the rules of virtue and morality, without paying the least regard to them in their actions: whereas our hero, by a constant and steady adherence55 to his rules in conforming everything he did to them, acquired at length a settled habit of walking by them, till at last he was in no danger of inadvertently going out of the way; and by these means he arrived at that degree of greatness, which few have equalled; none, we may say, have exceeded: for, though it must be allowed that there have been some few heroes, who have done greater mischiefs56 to mankind, such as those who have betrayed the liberty of their country to others, or have undermined and overpowered it themselves; or conquerors57 who have impoverished58, pillaged59, sacked, burnt, and destroyed the countries and cities of their fellow-creatures, from no other provocation60 than that of glory, i. e., as the tragic61 poet calls it,
a privilege to kill,
A strong temptation to do bravely ill;
yet, if we consider it in the light wherein actions are placed in this line,
Laetius est, quoties magno tibi constat honestum;
when we see our hero, without the least assistance or pretence62, setting himself at the head of a gang, which he had not any shadow of right to govern; if we view him maintaining absolute power, and exercising tyranny over a lawless crew, contrary to all law but that of his own will; if we consider him setting up an open trade publickly, in defiance63 not only of the laws of his country but of the common sense of his countrymen; if we see him first contriving the robbery of others, and again the defrauding64 the very robbers of that booty, which they had ventured their necks to acquire, and which without any hazard, they might have retained; here sure he must appear admirable, and we may challenge not only the truth of history, but almost the latitude65 of fiction, to equal his glory.
Nor had he any of those flaws in his character which, though they have been commended by weak writers, have (as I hinted in the beginning of this history) by the judicious66 reader been censured67 and despised. Such was the clemency68 of Alexander and Caesar, which nature had so grossly erred34 in giving them, as a painter would who should dress a peasant in robes of state or give the nose or any other feature of a Venus to a satyr. What had the destroyers of mankind, that glorious pair, one of whom came into the world to usurp69 the dominion70 and abolish the constitution of his own country; the other to conquer, enslave, and rule over the whole world, at least as much as was well known to him, and the shortness of his life would give him leave to visit; what had, I say, such as these to do with clemency? Who cannot see the absurdity71 and contradiction of mixing such an ingredient with those noble and great qualities I have before mentioned? Now, in Wild everything was truly great, almost without alloy72, as his imperfections (for surely some small ones he had) were only such as served to denominate him a human creature, of which kind none ever arrived at consummate excellence73. But surely his whole behaviour to his friend Heartfree is a convincing proof that the true iron or steel greatness of his heart was not debased by any softer metal. Indeed, while greatness consists in power, pride, insolence74, and doing mischief to mankind — to speak out — while a great man and a great rogue51 are synonymous terms, so long shall Wild stand unrivalled on the pinnacle75 of GREATNESS. Nor must we omit here, as the finishing of his character, what indeed ought to be remembered on his tomb or his statue, the conformity76 above mentioned of his death to his life; and that Jonathan Wild the Great, after all his mighty77 exploits, was, what so few GREAT men can accomplish — hanged by the neck till he was dead.
Having thus brought our hero to his conclusion, it may be satisfactory to some readers (for many, I doubt not, carry their concern no farther than his fate) to know what became of Heartfree. We shall acquaint them, therefore, that his sufferings were now at an end; that the good magistrate78 easily prevailed for his pardon, nor was contented till he had made him all the reparation he could for his troubles, though the share he had in bringing these upon him was not only innocent but from its motive79 laudable. He procured80 the restoration of the jewels from the man-of-war at her return to England, and, above all, omitted no labour to restore Heartfree to his reputation, and to persuade his neighbours, acquaintance, and customers, of his innocence81. When the commission of bankruptcy82 was satisfied, Heartfree had a considerable sum remaining; for the diamond presented to his wife was of prodigious83 value, and infinitely84 recompensed the loss of those jewels which Miss Straddle had disposed of. He now set up again in his trade: compassion85 for his unmerited misfortunes brought him many customers among those who had any regard to humanity; and he hath, by industry joined with parsimony86, amassed87 a considerable fortune. His wife and he are now grown old in the purest love and friendship, but never had another child. Friendly married his elder daughter at the age of nineteen, and became his partner in trade. As to the younger, she never would listen to the addresses of any lover, not even of a young nobleman, who offered to take her with two thousand pounds, which her father would have willingly produced, and indeed did his utmost to persuade her to the match; but she refused absolutely, nor would give any other reason, when Heartfree pressed her, than that she had dedicated88 her days to his service, and was resolved no other duty should interfere89 with that which she owed the best of fathers, nor prevent her from being the nurse of his old age.
Thus Heartfree, his wife, his two daughters, his son-inlaw, and his grandchildren, of which he hath several, live all together in one house; and that with such amity90 and affection towards each other, that they are in the neighbourhood called the family of love.
As to all the other persons mentioned in this history in the light of greatness, they had all the fate adapted to it, being every one hanged by the neck, save two, viz., Miss Theodosia Snap, who was transported to America, where she was pretty well married, reformed, and made a good wife; and the count, who recovered of the wound he had received from the hermit91 and made his escape into France, where he committed a robbery, was taken, and broke on the wheel.
Indeed, whoever considers the common fate of great men must allow they well deserve and hardly earn that applause which is given them by the world; for, when we reflect on the labours and pains, the cares, disquietudes, and dangers which attend their road to greatness, we may say with the divine that a man may go to heaven with half the pains which it costs him to purchase hell. To say the truth, the world have this reason at least to honour such characters as that of Wild: that, while it is in the power of every man to be perfectly92 honest, not one in a thousand is capable of being a complete rogue; and few indeed there are who, if they were inspired with the vanity of imitating our hero, would not after much fruitless pains be obliged to own themselves inferior to MR. JONATHAN WILD THE GREAT.
The End
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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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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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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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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vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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negation
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| n.否定；否认 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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rapaciousness
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| n.贪婪；强取，贪婪 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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25
pittance
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| n.微薄的薪水，少量 | |
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26
perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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27
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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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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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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32
shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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33
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
erred
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| 犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
scrupling
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| v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的现在分词 ) | |
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36
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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37
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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38
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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39
dilatory
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| adj.迟缓的，不慌不忙的 | |
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40
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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41
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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42
foment
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| v.煽动，助长 | |
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43
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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44
insinuate
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| vt.含沙射影地说，暗示 | |
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45
knaves
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| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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46
counterfeited
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| v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的过去分词 ) | |
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counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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counterfeits
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| v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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promulgated
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| v.宣扬（某事物）( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 )；传播；公布；颁布（法令、新法律等） | |
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adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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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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conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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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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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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defrauding
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| v.诈取，骗取( defraud的现在分词 ) | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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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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clemency
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| n.温和，仁慈，宽厚 | |
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usurp
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| vt.篡夺，霸占；vi.篡位 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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alloy
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| n.合金，(金属的)成色 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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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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pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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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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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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bankruptcy
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| n.破产；无偿付能力 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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84
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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85
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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86
parsimony
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| n.过度节俭，吝啬 | |
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87
amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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89
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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90
amity
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| n.友好关系 | |
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91
hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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92
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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