The History Of The Life Of The Late Mr. Jonathan Wild The Great(Fiscle Part 3) - Henry Fielding (best young adult book series txt) 📗

As Any Spirit Crusted

Over With Clay Can Carry It,  Falling Very Little Short Of

Diabolism Itself.

 

This Method Was Immediately Put In Execution,  And The Count The

First Day Took Only A Single Brilliant,  Worth About Three Hundred

Pounds,  And Ordered A Necklace,  Earrings,  And Solitaire,  Of The Of

Three Thousand More,  To Be Prepared By That Day Sevennight.

 

The Interval Was Employed By Wild In Prosecuting His Scheme Of

Raising A Gang,  In Which He Met With Such Success,  That Within A

Few Days He Had Levied Several Bold And Resolute Fellows,  Fit For

Any Enterprize,  How Dangerous Or Great Soever.

 

We Have Before Remarked That The Truest Mark Of Greatness Is

Insatiability. Wild Had Covenanted With The Count To Receive

Three-Fourths Of The Booty,  And Had,  At The Same Time,  Covenanted

With Himself To Secure The Other Fourth Part Likewise,  For Which

He Had Formed A Very Great And Noble Design; But He Now Saw With

Concern That Sum Which Was To Be Received In Hand By Heartfree In

Danger Of Being Absolutely Lost. In Order Therefore To Possess

Himself Of That Likewise,  He Contrived That The Jewels Should Be

Brought In The Afternoon,  And That Heartfree Should Be Detained

Before The Count Could See Him; So That The Night Should Overtake

Him In His Return,  When Two Of His Gang Were Ordered To Attack And

Plunder Him.

 

 

 

Book 2 Chapter 3 Pg 55

Containing Scenes Of Softness,  Love,  And Honour All In The Great

Stile.

 

 

 

 

 

The Count Had Disposed Of His Jewel For Its Full Value,  And This

He Had By Dexterity Raised To A Thousand Pounds; This Sum

Therefore He Paid Down To Heartfree,  Promising Him The Rest Within

A Month. His House,  His Equipage,  His Appearance,  But,  Above All,

A Certain Plausibility In His Voice And Behaviour Would Have

Deceived Any,  But One Whose Great And Wise Heart Had Dictated To

Him Something Within,  Which Would Have Secured Him From Any Danger

Of Imposition From Without. Heartfree Therefore Did Not In The

Least Scruple Giving Him Credit; But,  As He Had In Reality

Procured Those Jewels Of Another,  His Own Little Stock Not Being

Able To Furnish Anything So Valuable,  He Begged The Count Would Be

So Kind To Give His Note For The Money,  Payable At The Time He

Mentioned; Which That Gentleman Did Not In The Least Scruple; So

He Paid Him The Thousand Pound In Specie,  And Gave His Note For

Two Thousand Eight Hundred Pounds More To Heartfree,  Who Burnt

With Gratitude To Wild For The Noble Customer He Had Recommended

To Him.

 

As Soon As Heartfree Was Departed,  Wild,  Who Waited In Another

Room,  Came In And Received The Casket From The Count,  It Having

Been Agreed Between Them That This Should Be Deposited In His

Hands,  As He Was The Original Contriver Of The Scheme,  And Was To

Have The Largest Share. Wild,  Having Received The Casket,  Offered

To Meet The Count Late That Evening To Come To A Division,  But

Such Was The Latter's Confidence In The Honour Of Our Hero,  That

He Said,  If It Was Any Inconvenience To Him,  The Next Morning

Would Do Altogether As Well. This Was More Agreeable To Wild,  And

Accordingly,  An Appointment Being Made For That Purpose,  He Set

Out In Haste To Pursue Heartfree To The Place Where The Two

Gentlemen Were Ordered To Meet And Attack Him. Those Gentlemen

With Noble Resolution Executed Their Purpose; They Attacked And

Spoiled The Enemy Of The Whole Sum He Had Received From The Count.

 

As Soon As The Engagement Was Over,  And Heartfree Left Sprawling

On The Ground,  Our Hero,  Who Wisely Declined Trusting The Booty In

His Friends' Hands,  Though He Had Good Experience Of Their Honour,

Made Off After The Conquerors: At Length,  They Being All At A

Place Of Safety,  Wild,  According To A Previous Agreement,  Received

Nine-Tenths Of The Booty: The Subordinate Heroes Did Indeed

Profess Some Little Unwillingness (Perhaps More Than Was Strictly

Book 2 Chapter 3 Pg 56

Consistent With Honour) To Perform Their Contract; But Wild,

Partly By Argument,  But More By Oaths And Threatenings,  Prevailed

With Them To Fulfil Their Promise.

 

Our Hero Having Thus,  With Wonderful Address,  Brought This Great

And Glorious Action To A Happy Conclusion,  Resolved To Relax His

Mind After His Fatigue,  In The Conversation Of The Fair. He

Therefore Set Forwards To His Lovely Laetitia; But In His Way

Accidentally Met With A Young Lady Of His Acquaintance,  Miss Molly

Straddle,  Who Was Taking The Air In Bridges-Street. Miss Molly,

Seeing Mr. Wild,  Stopped Him,  And With A Familiarity Peculiar To A

Genteel Town Education,  Tapped,  Or Rather Slapped Him On The Back,

And Asked Him To Treat Her With A Pint Of Wine At A Neighbouring

Tavern. The Hero,  Though He Loved The Chaste Laetitia With

Excessive Tenderness,  Was Not Of That Low Sniveling Breed Of

Mortals Who,  As It Is Generally Expressed,  Tye Themselves To A

Womans Apron-Strings; In A Word,  Who Are Tainted With That Mean,

Base,  Low Vice,  Or Virtue As It Is Called,  Of Constancy; Therefore

He Immediately Consented,  And Attended Her To A Tavern Famous For

Excellent Wine,  Known By The Name Of The Rummer And Horseshoe,

Where They Retired To A Room By Themselves. Wild Was Very Vehement

In His Addresses,  But To No Purpose; The Young Lady Declared She

Would Grant No Favour Till He Had Made Her A Present; This Was

Immediately Complied With,  And The Lover Made As Happy As He Could

Desire.

 

The Immoderate Fondness Which Wild Entertained For His Dear

Laetitia Would Not Suffer Him To Waste Any Considerable Time With

Miss Straddle. Notwithstanding,  Therefore,  All The Endearments And

Caresses Of That Young Lady,  He Soon Made An Excuse To Go Down

Stairs,  And Thence Immediately Set Forward To Laetitia Without

Taking Any Formal Leave Of Miss Straddle,  Or Indeed Of The Drawer,

With Whom The Lady Was Afterwards Obliged To Come To An Account

For The Reckoning.

 

Mr. Wild,  On His Arrival At Mr. Snap's,  Found Only Miss Doshy At

Home,  That Young Lady Being Employed Alone,  In Imitation Of

Penelope,  With Her Thread Or Worsted,  Only With This Difference,

That Whereas Penelope Unravelled By Night What She Had Knit Or

Wove Or Spun By Day,  So What Our Young Heroine Unravelled By Day

She Knit Again By Night. In Short,  She Was Mending A Pair Of Blue

Stockings With Red Clocks; A Circumstance Which Perhaps We Might

Have Omitted,  Had It Not Served To Show That There Are Still Some

Ladies Of This Age Who Imitate The Simplicity Of The Ancients.

 

Wild Immediately Asked For His Beloved,  And Was Informed That She

Was Not At Home. He Then Enquired Where She Was To Be Found,  And

Declared He Would Not Depart Till He Had Seen Her,  Nay Not Till He

Had Married Her; For,  Indeed,  His Passion For Her Was Truly

Honourable; In Other Words,  He Had So Ungovernable A Desire For

Her Person,  That He Would Go Any Length To Satisfy It. He Then

Pulled Out The Casket,  Which He Swore Was Full Of The Finest

Jewels,  And That He Would Give Them All To Her,  With Other

Promises,  Which So Prevailed On Miss Doshy,  Who Had Not The Common

Book 2 Chapter 3 Pg 57

Failure Of Sisters In Envying,  And Often Endeavouring To

Disappoint,  Each Other's Happiness,  That She Desired Mr. Wild To

Sit Down A Few Minutes,  Whilst She Endeavoured To Find Her Sister

And To Bring Her To Him. The Lover Thanked Her,  And Promised To

Stay Till Her Return; And Miss Doshy,  Leaving Mr. Wild To His

Meditations,  Fastened Him In The Kitchen By Barring The Door (For

Most Of The Doors In This Mansion Were Made To Be Bolted On The

Outside),  And Then,  Slapping To The Door Of The House With Great

Violence,  Without Going Out At It,  She Stole Softly Up Stairs

Where Miss Laetitia Was Engaged In Close Conference With Mr.

Bagshot. Miss Letty,  Being Informed By Her Sister In A Whisper Of

What Mr. Wild Had Said,  And What He Had Produced,  Told Mr. Bagshot

That A Young Lady Was Below To Visit Her Whom She Would Despatch

With All Imaginable Haste And Return To Him. She Desired Him

Therefore To Stay With Patience For Her In The Mean Time,  And That

She Would Leave The Door Unlocked,  Though Her Papa Would Never

Forgive Her If He Should Discover It. Bagshot Promised On His

Honour Not To Step Without His Chamber; And The Two Young Ladies

Went Softly Down Stairs,  When,  Pretending First To Make Their

Entry Into The House,  They Repaired To The Kitchen,  Where Not Even

The Presence Of The Chaste Laetitia Could Restore That Harmony To

The Countenance Of Her Lover Which Miss Theodosia Had Left Him

Possessed Of; For,  During Her Absence,  He Had Discovered The

Absence Of A Purse Containing Bank-Notes For 900 Pounds,  Which Had

Been Taken From Mr. Heartfree,  And Which,  Indeed,  Miss Straddle

Had,  In The Warmth Of His Amorous Caresses,  Unperceived Drawn From

Him. However,  As He Had That Perfect Mastery Of His Temper,  Or

Rather Of His Muscles,  Which Is As Necessary To The Forming A

Great Character As To The Personating It On The Stage,  He Soon

Conveyed A Smile Into His Countenance,  And,  Sealing As Well His

Misfortune As His Chagrin At It,  Began To Pay Honourable Addresses

To Miss Letty. This Young Lady,  Among Many Other Good Ingredients

Had Three Very Predominant Passions; To Wit,  Vanity,  Wantonness,

And Avarice. To Satisfy The First Of These She Employed Mr. Smirk

And Company; To The Second,  Mr. Bagshot And Company; And Our Hero

Had The Honour And Happiness Of Solely Engrossing The Third. Now,

These Three Sorts Of Lovers She Had Very Different Ways Of

Entertaining. With The First She Was All Gay And Coquette; With

The Second All Fond And Rampant; And With The Last All Cold And

Reserved. She Therefore Told Mr. Wild,  With A Most Composed

Aspect,  That She Was Glad He Had Repented Of His Manner Of

Treating Her At Their Last Interview,  Where His Behaviour Was So

Monstrous That She Had Resolved Never To See Him Any More; That

She Was Afraid Her Own Sex Would Hardly Pardon Her The Weakness

She Was Guilty Of In Receding From That Resolution,  Which She Was

Persuaded She Never Should Have Brought Herself To,  Had Not Her

Sister,  Who Was There To Confirm What She Said (As She Did With

Many Oaths),  Betrayed Her Into His Company,  By Pretending It Was

Another Person To Visit Her: But,  However,  As He Now Thought

Proper To Give Her More Convincing Proofs Of