thought it an act of benevolence to give being to a human creature,
who would be so plentifully provided with the most essential means
of happiness. The whole thoughts, therefore, of both the brothers were
how to engage the affections of this amiable lady.
But fortune, who is a tender parent, and often doth more for her
favourite offspring than either they deserve or wish, had been so
industrious for the captain, that whilst he was laying schemes to
execute his purpose, the lady conceived the same desires with himself,
and was on her side contriving how to give the captain proper
encouragement, without appearing too forward; for she was a strict
observer of all rules of decorum. In this, however, she easily
succeeded; for as the captain was always on the look-out, no glance,
gesture, or word escaped him.
The satisfaction which the captain received from the kind
behaviour of Miss Bridget, was not a little abated by his
apprehensions of Mr. Allworthy; for, notwithstanding his disinterested
professions, the captain imagined he would, when he came to act,
follow the example of the rest of the world, and refuse his consent to
a match so disadvantageous, in point of interest, to his sister.
From what oracle he received this opinion, I shall leave the reader to
determine: but however he came by it, it strangely perplexed him how
to regulate his conduct so as at once to convey his affection to the
lady, and to conceal it from her brother. He at length resolved to
take all private opportunities of making his addresses; but in the
presence of Mr. Allworthy to be as reserved and as much upon his guard
as was possible; and this conduct was highly approved by the brother.
He soon found means to make his addresses, in express terms, to
his mistress, from whom he received an answer in the proper form,
viz.: the answer which was first made some thousands of years ago, and
which hath been handed down by tradition from mother to daughter
ever since. If I was to translate this into Latin, I should render
it by these two words, Nolo Episcopari: a phrase likewise of
immemorial use on another occasion.
The captain, however he came by his knowledge, perfectly well
understood the lady, and very soon after repeated his application with
more warmth and earnestness than before, and was again, according to
due form, rejected; but as he had increased in the eagerness of his
desires, so the lady, with the same propriety, decreased in the
violence of her refusal.
Not to tire the reader, by leading him through every scene of this
courtship (which, though in the opinion of a certain great author,
it is the pleasantest scene of life to the actor, is, perhaps, as dull
and tiresome as any whatever to the audience), the captain made his
advances in form, the citadel was defended in form, and at length,
in proper form, surrendered at discretion.
During this whole time, which filled the space of near a month,
the captain preserved great distance of behaviour to his lady in the
presence of the brother; and the more he succeeded with her in
private, the more reserved was he in public. And as for the lady,
she had no sooner secured her lover than she behaved to him before
company with the highest degree of indifference; so that Mr. Allworthy
must have had the insight of the devil (or perhaps some of his worse
qualities) to have entertained the least suspicion of what was going
forward.
Chapter 12
Containing what the reader may, perhaps, expect to find in it
In all bargains, whether to fight or to marry, or concerning any
other such business, little previous ceremony is required to bring the
matter to an issue when both parties are really in earnest. This was
the case at present, and in less than a month the captain and his lady
were man and wife.
The great concern now was to break the matter to Mr. Allworthy;
and this was undertaken by the doctor.
One day, then, as Allworthy was walking in his garden, the doctor
came to him, and, with great gravity of aspect, and all the concern
which he could possibly affect in his countenance, said, "I am come,
sir, to impart an affair to you of the utmost consequence; but how
shall I mention to you what it almost distracts me to think of!" He
then launched forth into the most bitter invectives both against men
and women; accusing the former of having no attachment but to their
interest, and the latter of being so addicted to vicious
inclinations that they could never be safely trusted with one of the
other sex. "Could I," said he, "sir, have suspected that a lady of
such prudence, such judgment, such learning, should indulge so
indiscreet a passion! or could I have imagined that my brother- why
do I call him so? he is no longer a brother of mine-"
"Indeed but he is," said Allworthy, "and a brother of mine too."
"Bless me, sir!" said the doctor, "do you know the shocking affair?"
"Look'ee, Mr. Blifil," answered the good man, "it hath been my
constant maxim in life to make the best of all matters which happen.
My sister, though many years younger than I, is at least old enough to
be at the age of discretion. Had he imposed on a child, I should
have been more averse to have forgiven him; but a woman upwards of
thirty must certainly be supposed to know what will make her most
happy. She hath married a gentleman, though perhaps not quite her
equal in fortune; and if he hath any perfections in her eye which
can make up that deficiency, I see no reason why I should object to
her choice of her own happiness; which I, no more than herself,
imagine to consist only in immense wealth. I might, perhaps, from
the many declarations I have made of complying with almost any
proposal, have expected to have been consulted on this occasion; but
these matters are of a very delicate nature, and the scruples of
modesty, perhaps, are not to be overcome. As to your brother, I have
really no anger against him at all. He hath no obligations to me,
nor do I think he was under any necessity of asking my consent,
since the woman is, as I have said, sui juris,* and of a proper age to
be entirely answerable only to herself for her conduct."
*Of her own right.
The doctor accused Mr. Allworthy of too great lenity, repeated his
accusations against his brother, and declared that he should never
more be brought either to see, or to own him for his relation. He then
launched forth into a panegyric on Allworthy's goodness; into the
highest encomiums on his friendship; and concluded by saying, he
should never forgive his brother for having put the place which he
bore in that friendship to a hazard.
Allworthy thus answered: "Had I conceived any displeasure against
your brother, I should never have carried that resentment to the
innocent: but I assure you I have no such displeasure. Your brother
appears to me to be a man of sense and honour. I do not disapprove the
taste of my sister; nor will I doubt but that she is equally the
object of his inclinations. I have always thought love the only
foundation of happiness in a married state, as it can only produce
that high and tender friendship which should always be the cement of
this union; and, in my opinion, all those marriages which are
contracted from other motives are greatly criminal; they are a
profanation of a most holy ceremony, and generally end in disquiet and
misery: for surely we may call it a profanation to convert this most
sacred institution into a wicked sacrifice to lust or avarice: and
what better can be said of those matches to which men are induced
merely by the consideration of a beautiful person, or a great fortune?
"To deny that beauty is an agreeable object to the eye, and even
worthy some admiration, would be false and foolish. Beautiful is an
epithet often used in Scripture, and always mentioned with honour.
It was my own fortune to marry a woman whom the world thought
handsome, and I can truly say I liked her the better on that
account. But to make this the sole consideration of marriage, to
lust after it so violently as to overlook all imperfections for its
sake, or to require it so absolutely as to reject and disdain
religion, virtue, and sense, which are qualities in their nature of
much higher perfection, only because an elegance of person is wanting:
this is surely inconsistent, either with a wise man or a good
Christian. And it is, perhaps, being too charitable to conclude that
such persons mean anything more by their marriage than to please their
carnal appetites; for the satisfaction of which, we are taught, it was
not ordained.
"In the next place, with respect to fortune. Worldly prudence
perhaps, exacts some consideration on this head; nor will I absolutely
and altogether condemn it. As the world is constituted, the demands of
a married state, and the care of posterity, require some little regard
to what we call circumstances. Yet this provision is greatly
increased, beyond what is really necessary, by folly and vanity, which
create abundantly more wants than nature. Equipage for the wife, and
large fortunes for the children, are by custom enrolled in the list of
necessaries; and to procure these, everything truly solid and sweet,
and virtuous and religious, are neglected and overlooked.
"And this in many degrees; the last and greatest of which seems
scarce distinguishable from madness;- I mean where persons of immense
fortunes contract themselves to those who are, and must be,
disagreeable to them- to fools and knaves- in order to increase an
estate already larger even than the demands of their pleasures. Surely
such persons, if they will not be thought mad, must own, either that
they are incapable of tasting the sweets of the tenderest
friendship, or that they sacrifice the greatest happiness of which
they are capable to the vain, uncertain, and senseless laws of
vulgar opinion, which owe as well their force as their foundation to
folly."
Here Allworthy concluded his sermon, to which Blifil had listened
with the profoundest attention, though it cost him some pains to
prevent now and then a small discomposure of his muscles. He now
praised every period of what he had heard with the warmth of a young
divine, who hath the honour to dine with a bishop the same day in
which his lordship hath mounted the pulpit.
Chapter 13
Which concludes the first book; with an instance of ingratitude,
which, we hope, will appear unnatural
The reader, from what hath been said, may imagine that the
reconciliation (if indeed it could be so called) was only matter of
form; we shall therefore pass it over, and hasten to what must
surely be thought matter of substance.
The doctor had acquainted his brother with what had past between Mr.
Allworthy and him; and added with a smile, "I promise you I paid you
off; nay, I absolutely desired the good gentleman not to forgive
you: for you know after he had made a declaration in your favour, I
might with safety venture on such a request with a person of his
temper; and I was willing, as well for your sake as for my own, to
prevent the least possibility of a suspicion."
Captain Blifil took not the least notice of this, at that time;
but he afterwards made a very notable use of it.
One of the maxims which the devil, in a late visit upon earth,
left to his disciples, is, when once you are got up, to kick the stool
from under you. In plain English, when you have made your fortune by
the good offices of a friend, you are advised to discard him as soon
as you can.
Whether the captain acted by this maxim, I will not positively
determine: so far we may confidently say, that his actions may be
fairly derived from this diabolical principle; and indeed it is
difficult to assign any other motive to them: for no sooner was he
possessed of Miss Bridget, and reconciled to Allworthy, than he
began to show a coldness to his brother which increased daily; till at
length it grew into rudeness, and became very visible to every one.
The doctor remonstrated to him privately concerning this behaviour,
but could obtain no other satisfaction than the following plain
declaration: "If you dislike anything in my brother's house, sir,
you know you are at liberty to quit it." This strange, cruel, and
almost unaccountable ingratitude in the captain, absolutely broke
the poor doctor's heart; for ingratitude never so thoroughly pierces
the human breast as when it proceeds from those in whose behalf we
have been guilty of transgressions. Reflections on great and good
actions, however they are received or returned by those in whose
favour they are performed, always administer some comfort to us; but
what consolation shall we receive under so biting a calamity as the
ungrateful behaviour of our friend, when our wounded conscience at the
same time flies in our face, and upbraids us with having spotted it in
the service of one so worthless!
Mr. Allworthy himself spoke to the captain in his brother's
behalf, and desired to know what offence the doctor had committed;
when the hard-hearted villain had the baseness to say that he should
never forgive him for the injury which he had endeavoured to do him in
his favour; which, he said, he had pumped out of him, and was such a
cruelty that it ought not to be forgiven.
Allworthy spoke in very high terms upon this declaration, which,
he said, became not a human creature. He expressed, indeed, so much
resentment against an unforgiving temper, that the captain at last
pretended to be convinced by his arguments, and outwardly professed to
be reconciled.
As for the bride, she was now in her honeymoon, and so
passionately fond of her new husband that he never appeared to her
to be in the wrong; and his displeasure against any person was a
sufficient reason for her dislike to the same.
The captain, at Mr. Allworthy's instance, was outwardly, as we
