BOOK V.

FIELDING.

CHAPTER XIV.

"The prose Homer of

NEXT to Richardson among the novelists of this period, the second place is given to Henry Fielding, called by Byron "the prose Homer of human nature. In his personal character as well as in his literary career, human nature." in everything, indeed, but the power of his genius, he was the exact opposite of Richardson, though very nearly his contemporary. He lived from 1707 to 1754, while Richardson, who was born eight years earlier, died some years later.

Lady Mary.

He was of noble birth, being a descendant of the illustrious house of Denbigh and son of General Fielding. He was the second cousin of Lady Mary Wortley, A cousin of descended in the same degree from George, Earl of Desmond. He dedicated to her his first comedy of "Love in Several Masks" in 1727. She had a great regard for him; pitied his misfortunes, excused his failings, and warmly admired his best writings, above all "Tom Jones," in her own copy of which she wrote Ne plus ultra. Nevertheless she frankly said she was "sorry he did not himself perceive that he had made Tom Jones a scoundrel."

Early in life Fielding succeeded to a ruined inheri. tance, and betook himself to the stage, becoming a dramatic author and lively writer in the Covent Garden Journal. He produced a number of pieces, now

Henry Fielding's early struggle with fortune.

"Joseph Andrews."

entirely forgotten, which show that his talent was in no
way adapted to the theater. His career for some
years was a continuous struggle with fortune and his
own extravagance. He married an excellent lady,
whose picture he drew in his "Amelia"; he loved her
passionately and she returned his affection, but they led
no happy life, for they were always poor and seldom in
a state of quiet and safety on account of his debts. If
he ever possessed any money, nothing could keep him
from squandering it at once and nothing induced him to
think of to-morrow. Sometimes they were living in
decent lodgings with tolerable comfort; sometimes in a
wretched garret without the necessaries of life, not to
speak of sponging-houses and hiding-places where he
was occasionally lying perdu. His elastic gaiety of
spirits carried him through it all; but meanwhile care
and anxiety were preying upon her more delicate organ-
ization, and undermining her health. She gradually
declined, caught a fever, and died in his arms.
after the death of this charming woman he married her
maid, a person of but few apparent attractions, but an
excellent creature, devoted to her mistress and almost
broken-hearted for her loss. Her conduct as his wife
justified the act.

Yet

In 1742, when he was thirty-five, he first struck the vein of humorous writing in which he is considered. never to have had a rival, when he produced his first novel, “Joseph Andrews," which was in some sense intended as a parody or caricature, ridiculing the timid. morality of Richardson's "Pamela," its shopkeeper tone, and generally "good boy" style; "Pamela" was then in full blaze of success. Fielding's novel at once received the honor due to a great, original creation, and in a short time he produced the remarkable sa

་

genius.

tirical tale, "Jonathan Wild the Great." In 1749 he was appointed to the laborious, and then far from respectable, post of a London police magistrate, and while thus employed composed "the finest, completest, and profoundest of his works, the incomparable ' Tom Jones. This was followed after a brief interval by "Amelia." Ruined in health by hard work and dissipation, he sailed for Lisbon in 1754. After a short time he died in that city and was buried in the Protestant cemetery there. The qualities which distinguish Fielding's genius are Qualities of accurate observation of character and an extraordinary Fielding's power of deducing the actions and expressions of his personages from the elements of their nature, a constant sympathy with the vigorous unrestrained characters, in all ranks of society, but especially in the lowest, which he loved to delineate. In the construction of his plots he is masterly. That of "Tom Jones" is perhaps the finest example in fiction of a series, what might be called an avalanche, of events, probable yet surprising, each of which helps the ultimate catastrophe. He possessed an almost childish delight in fun and extravagantly ludicrous incident, combined with a philosophic closeness of analysis of character and an impressive tone of moral reflection, the latter often masked under a pleasant air of satire and irony. His novels breathe a sort of fresh open-air atmosphere, in strong contrast to the artificial style employed by Richardson.

Admirable

Tom Jones."

In "Tom Jones" it is difficult to know what most to admire the artful conduct of the plot, the immense qualities of variety, wit, and humor of the personages, the gaiety of the incidents, or the acute remarks which the author interspersed amongst the matter of the narration. The trouble is that, in spite of all that is here said, which I readily adduce as the best verdict of present criticism,

A serious defect.

An author

a host.

Fielding is so indecent in plot and language that it is difficult to give any just idea of either without shocking ears polite. To give the plot and omit the chief details, to quote passages and draw the pen through half of every sentence, leaves but a mutilated example of his work. I shall try, however, to give some brilliant passages, even if it is necessary to leave their connection unexplained. It would be a pity to pass over the breezy, delightful narrative of Fielding, and his lightlytouched pictures of the life of his time, vivid as they are and broadly drawn.

The introduction to the work, or bill of fare to the feast. An author ought to consider himself, not as a gentleman who gives a private or eleemosynary treat, but rather as one who keeps a public ordinary, at which all persons are welcome for their money. In the former case, it is well known that the entertainer provides what fare he pleases; and though this should be very indifferent, and utterly disagreeable to the taste of his company, they must not find any fault; nay, on the contrary, good breeding forces them outwardly to approve and to commend whatever is set before them. Now the contrary of this happens to the master of an ordinary. Men who pay for what they eat will insist on gratifying their palates, however nice and even whimsical these may prove; and if everything is not agreeable to their taste, will challenge a right to censure, to abuse, and to d-n their dinner without control.

To prevent, therefore, giving offense to their customers by any such disappointment, it hath been usual with the honest and well-meaning host to provide a bill of fare which all persons may peruse at their first entrance into the house, and having thence acquainted themselves with the entertainment which they may expect, may either stay and regale with what is provided for them, or may depart to some ordinary better accommodated to their taste.

As we do not disdain to borrow wit or wisdom from any man who is capable of lending us either, we have condescended to take a hint from these honest victuallers, and shall prefix not

only a general bill of fare to our whole entertainment, but shall likewise give the reader particular bills to every course which is to be served up in this and the ensuing volumes.

Human nature

The provision, then, which we have here made is no other than Human Nature. Nor do I fear that my sensible reader, the bill of fare. though most luxurious in his taste, will start, cavil, or be offended, because I have named but one article. The tortoise —as the alderman of Bristol, well learned in eating, knows by much experience-besides the delicious calibash and calepee, contains many different kinds of food, nor can the learned reader be ignorant, that in human nature, though here collected under one general name, is such prodigious variety, that a cook will have sooner gone through all the several species of animal and vegetable food in the world, than an author will be able to exhaust so extensive a subject.

An objection may perhaps be apprehended from the more delicate, that this dish is too common and vulgar; for what else is the subject of all the romances, novels, plays, and poems with which the stalls abound? Many exquisite viands might be rejected by the epicure, if it was a sufficient cause for his contemning of them as common and vulgar, that something was to be found in the most paltry alleys under the same name. reality, true nature is as difficult to be met with in authors as the Bayonne hare or Bologna sausage is to be found in the shops. But the whole, to continue the same metaphor, consists in the cookery of the author; for, as Mr. Pope tells us,

True wit is nature to advantage drest ;

What oft was thought, but ne'er so well exprest.

In

The same animal which hath the honor to have some part of his flesh eaten at the table of a duke may perhaps be degraded in another part, and some of his limbs gibbeted, as it were, in the vilest stall in town. Where, then, lies the difference between the food of the nobleman and the porter, if both are at dinner on the same ox or calf, but in the seasoning, the dressing, the garnishing, and the setting forth? Hence the one provokes and incites the most languid appetite, and the other turns and palls that which is the sharpest and keenest.

In like manner, the excellence of the mental entertainment consists less in the subject than in the author's skill in well dressing it up. How pleased, therefore, will the reader be to

The author's skill in pre

paring it.