He achieves an Adventure at the Assembly, and quarrels with his Governor.
At the assembly, were no fewer than three gentlemen of fortune, who rivalled our lover in his passion for Emilia, and who had severally begged the honour of dancing with her upon this occasion. She had excused herself to each, on pretence1 of a slight indisposition that she foresaw would detain her from the ball, and desired they would provide themselves with other partners. Obliged to admit her excuse, they accordingly followed her advice; and after they had engaged themselves beyond the power of retracting2, had the mortification3 of seeing her there unclaimed. They in their turn made up to her, and expressed their surprise and concern at finding her in the assembly unprovided, after she had declined their invitation; but she told them that her cold had forsaken4 her since she had the pleasure of seeing them, and that she would rely upon accident for a partner. Just as she pronounced these words to the last of the three, Peregrine advanced as an utter stranger, bowed with great respect, told her he understood she was unengaged, and would think himself highly honoured in being accepted as her partner for the night; and he had the good fortune to succeed in his application.
As they were by far the handsomest and best-accomplished couple in the room, they could not fail of attracting the notice and admiration5 of the spectators, which inflamed6 the jealousy7 of his three competitors, who immediately entered into a conspiracy9 against this gaudy10 stranger, whom, as their rival, they resolved to affront11 in public. Pursuant to the plan which they projected for this purpose, the first country-dance was no sooner concluded, than one of them, with his partner, took place of Peregrine and his mistress, contrary to the regulation of the ball. Our lover, imputing12 his behaviour to inadvertency, informed the gentleman of his mistake, and civilly desired he would rectify13 his error. The other told him, in an imperious tone, that he wanted none of his advice, and bade him mind his own affairs. Peregrine answered, with some warmth, and insisted upon his right: a dispute commenced, high words, ensued, in the course of which, our impetuous youth hearing himself reviled14 with the appellation15 of scoundrel, pulled off his antagonist16’s periwig, and flung it in his face. The ladies immediately shrieked17, the gentlemen interposed, Emilia was seized with a fit of trembling, and conducted to her seat by her youthful admirer, who begged pardon for having discomposed her, and vindicated18 what he had done, by representing the necessity he was under to resent the provocation19 he had received.
Though she could not help owning the justice of his plea, she not the less concerned at the dangerous situation in which he had involved himself, and, in the utmost consternation20 and anxiety, insisted upon going directly home: he could not resist her importunities; and her cousin being determined21 to accompany her, he escorted to their lodgings22, where he wished them good night, after having, in order to quiet their apprehensions24, protested, that if his opponent was satisfied, he should never take any step towards the prosecution25 of the quarrel. Meanwhile the assembly-room became a of scene of tumult26 and uproar27: the person who conceived himself injured, seeing Peregrine retire, struggled with his companions, in order to pursue and take satisfaction of our hero, whom he loaded with terms of abuse, and challenged to single combat. The director of the ball held a consultation28 with all the subscribers who were present; and it was determined, by a majority of votes, that the two gentlemen who had occasioned the disturbance29 should be desired to withdraw. This resolution being signified to one of the parties then present, he made some difficulty of complying, but was persuaded to submit by his two confederates, who accompanied him to the street-door, where he was met by Peregrine on his return to the assembly.
This choleric30 gentleman, who was a country squire31, no sooner saw his rival, than he began to brandish32 his cudgel in a menacing posture33, when our adventurous34 youth, stepping back with one foot, laid his hand upon the hilt of his sword, which he drew half way out of the scabbard. This attitude, and the sight of the blade which glistened35 by moonlight in his face, checked, in some sort, the ardour of his assailant, who desired he would lay aside his toaster, and take a bout36 with him at equal arms. Peregrine, who was an expert cudgel-player, accepted the invitation: then, exchanging weapons with Pipes, who stood behind him, put himself in a posture of defence, and received the attack of his adversary37, who struck at random38, without either skill or economy. Pickle39 could have beaten the cudgel out of his hand at the first blow; but as in that case he would have been obliged in honour to give immediate8 quarter, he resolved to discipline his antagonist without endeavouring to disable him, until he should be heartily40 satisfied with the vengeance41 he had taken. With this view be returned the salute42, and raised such a clatter43 about the squire’s pate44, that one who had heard without seeing the application, would have taken the sound for that of a salt-box, in the hand of a dexterous45 merry-andrew, belonging to one of the booths at Bartholomew-fair. Neither was this salutation confined to his head: his shoulders, arms, thighs46, ankles, and ribs47, were visited with amazing rapidity, while Tom Pipes sounded the charge through his fist. Peregrine, tired with his exercise, which had almost bereft48 his enemy of sensation, at last struck the decisive blow, in consequence of which the squire’s weapon flew out of his grasp, and he allowed our hero to be the better man. Satisfied with this acknowledgment, the victor walked upstairs with such elevation49 of spirits and insolence50 of mien51, that nobody chose to intimate the resolution, which had been taken in his absence; there, having amused himself for some time in beholding52 the country-dances, he retreated to his lodging23, where he indulged himself all night in the contemplation of his own success.
Next day in the forenoon he went to visit his partner; and the gentleman, at whose house she lived, having been informed of his family and condition, received him with great courtesy, as the acquaintance of his cousin Gauntlet, and invited him to dinner that same day. Emilia was remarkably53 well pleased, when she understood the issue of his adventure, which began to make some noise in town even though it deprived her of a wealthy admirer. The squire, having consulted an attorney about the nature of the dispute, in hopes of being able to prosecute54 Peregrine for an assault, found little encouragement to go to law: he therefore resolved to pocket the insult and injury he had undergone, and to discontinue his addresses to her who was the cause of both.
Our lover being told by his mistress that she proposed to stay a fortnight longer in Windsor, he determined to enjoy her company all that time, and then to give her a convoy55 to the house of her mother, whom he longed to see. In consequence of this plan, he every day contrived56 some fresh party of pleasure for the ladies, to whom he had by this time free access; and entangled57 himself so much in the snares58 of love, that he seemed quite enchanted59 by Emilia’s charms, which were now indeed almost irresistible60. While he thus heedlessly roved in the flowery paths of pleasure, his governor at Oxford61. alarmed at the unusual duration of his absence, went to the young gentlemen who had accompanied him in his excursion, and very earnestly entreated62 them to tell him, what they knew concerning his pupil: they accordingly gave him an account of the reencounter that happened between Peregrine and Miss Emily Gauntlet in the castle, and mentioned circumstances sufficient to convince him that his charge was very dangerously engaged.
Far from having an authority over Peregrine, Mr. Jolter durst not even disoblige him: therefore, instead of writing to the commodore, he took horse immediately, and that same night reached Windsor, where he found his stray sheep very much surprised at his unexpected arrival. The governor desiring to have some serious conversation with him, they shut themselves up in an apartment, when Jolter, with great solemnity, communicated the cause of his journey, which was no other than his concern for his pupil’s welfare; and very gravely undertook to prove, by mathematical demonstration63, that this intrigue64, if further pursued, would tend to the young gentleman’s ruin and disgrace. This singular proposition raised the curiosity of Peregrine, who promised to yield all manner of attention, and desired him to begin without further preamble65.
The governor, encouraged by this appearance of candour, expressed his satisfaction in finding him so open to conviction, and told him he would proceed upon geometrical principles; then, hemming66 thrice, observed that no mathematical inquiries67 could be carried on, except upon certain data, or concessions68 of truth that were self-evident; and therefore he must have his assent69 to a few axioms, which he was sure Mr. Pickle would see no reason to dispute. “In the first place, then,” said he, “you will grant, I hope, that youth and discretion70 are with respect to each other as two parallel lines, which, though infinitely71 produced, remain still equidistant, and will never coincide: then you must allow that passion acts upon the human mind in a ratio compounded of the acuteness of sense, and constitutional heat; and, thirdly, you will not deny that the angle of remorse72 is equal to that of precipitation. These postulata being admitted,” added he, taking pen, ink, and paper, and drawing a parallelogram, “let youth be represented by the right line, a b, and discretion by another right line, c d, parallel to the former. Complete the parallelogram, a b c d, and let the point of intersection73, b, represent perdition. Let passion, represented under the letter c, have a motion in the direction c a. At the same time, let another motion be communicated to it, in the direction c d, it will proceed in the diagonal c b, and describe it in the same time that it would have described the side c a, by the first motion, or the side, c d, by the second. To understand the demonstration of this corollary, we must premise74 this obvious principle, that when a body is acted upon by a motion of power parallel to a right line given in position, this power, or motion, has no effect to cause the body to approach towards that line, or recede75 from it, but to move in a line parallel to a right line only; as appears from the second law of motion: therefore c a being parallel to d b —”
His pupil having listened to him thus far, could contain himself no longer, but interrupted the investigation76 with a loud laugh, and told him that his postulata put him in mind of a certain learned and ingenious gentleman, who undertook to disprove the existence of natural evil, and asked no other datum77 on which to found his demonstration, but an acknowledgment that “everything that is, is right.” “You may therefore,” said he, in a peremptory78 tone, “spare yourself the trouble of torturing your invention; for, after all, I am pretty certain that I shall want capacity to comprehend the discussion of your lemma, and consequently be obliged to all the pangs79 of an ingenuous80 mind that I refuse my assent to your deduction81.”
Mr. Jolter was disconcerted at this declaration, and so much offended at Peregrine’s disrespect, that he could not help expressing his displeasure, by telling him flatly, that he was too violent and headstrong to be reclaimed82 by reason and gentle means; that he (the tutor) must be obliged, in the discharge of his duty and conscience, to inform the commodore of his pupil’s imprudence; that if the laws of this realm were effectual, they would take cognizance of the gipsy who had led him astray; and observed, by way of contrast, that if such a preposterous83 intrigue had happened in France, she would have been clapped up in a convent two years ago. Our lover’s eyes kindled84 with indignation, when he heard his mistress treated with such irreverence85: he could scarce refrain from inflicting86 manual chastisement87 on the blasphemer, whom he reproached in his wrath88 as an arrogant89 pedant90, without either delicacy91 or sense, and cautioned him against rising any such impertinent freedoms with his affairs for the future on pain of incurring92 more severe effects of his resentment93.
Mr. Jolter, who entertained very high notions of that veneration94 to which he thought himself entitled by his character and qualifications, had not borne, without repining, his want of influence and authority over his pupil, against whom he cherished a particular grudge95 ever since the adventure of the painted eye; and therefore, on this occasion, his politic96 forbearance had been overcome by the accumulated motives97 of his disgust. Indeed, he would have resigned his charge with disdain98, had not he been encouraged to persevere99, by the hopes of a good living which Trunnion had in his gift, or known how to dispose of himself for the present to better advantage.
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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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retracting
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| v.撤回或撤消( retract的现在分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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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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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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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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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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affront
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| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
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imputing
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| v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的现在分词 ) | |
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rectify
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| v.订正，矫正，改正 | |
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reviled
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| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vindicated
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| v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护 | |
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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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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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choleric
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| adj.易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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brandish
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| v.挥舞，挥动；n.挥动，挥舞 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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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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glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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pickle
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| n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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42
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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43
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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pate
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| n.头顶；光顶 | |
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dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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46
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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48
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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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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mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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52
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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53
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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54
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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57
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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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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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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preamble
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| n.前言；序文 | |
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hemming
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| 卷边 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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concessions
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| n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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intersection
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| n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集 | |
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premise
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| n.前提；v.提论，预述 | |
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75
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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datum
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| n.资料；数据；已知数 | |
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peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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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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ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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deduction
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| n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎 | |
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reclaimed
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| adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救 | |
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83
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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84
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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85
irreverence
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| n.不尊敬 | |
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86
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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87
chastisement
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| n.惩罚 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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89
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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pedant
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| n.迂儒；卖弄学问的人 | |
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91
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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incurring
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| 遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 ) | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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94
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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95
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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96
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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99
persevere
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| v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠 | |
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