The Works of Henry Fielding vol. 11 Read online

  INTRODUCTION.

  Whether the ensuing pages were really the dream or vision of some verypious and holy person; or whether they were really written in the otherworld, and sent back to this, which is the opinion of many (though Ithink too much inclining to superstition); or lastly, whether, asinfinitely the greatest part imagine, they were really the production ofsome choice inhabitant of New Bethlehem, is not necessary nor easy todetermine. It will be abundantly sufficient if I give the reader anaccount by what means they came into my possession.

  Mr Robert Powney, stationer, who dwells opposite to Catherine-street inthe Strand, a very honest man and of great gravity of countenance; who,among other excellent stationary commodities, is particularly eminentfor his pens, which I am abundantly bound to acknowledge, as I owe totheir peculiar goodness that my manuscripts have by any means beenlegible: this gentleman, I say, furnished me some time since with abundle of those pens, wrapped up with great care and caution, in a verylarge sheet of paper full of characters, written as it seemed in a verybad hand. Now, I have a surprising curiosity to read everything which isalmost illegible; partly perhaps from the sweet remembrance of the dearScrawls, Skrawls, or Skrales (for the word is variously spelt), which Ihave in my youth received from that lovely part of the creation forwhich I have the tenderest regard; and partly from that temper of mindwhich makes men set an immense value on old manuscripts so effaced,bustoes so maimed, and pictures so black that no one can tell what tomake of them. I therefore perused this sheet with wonderful application,and in about a day's time discovered that I could not understand it. Iimmediately repaired to Mr Powney, and inquired very eagerly whether hehad not more of the same manuscript? He produced about one hundredpages, acquainting me that he had saved no more; but that the book wasoriginally a huge folio, had been left in his garret by a gentleman wholodged there, and who had left him no other satisfaction for ninemonths' lodging. He proceeded to inform me that the manuscript had beenhawked about (as he phrased it) among all the booksellers, who refusedto meddle; some alledged that they could not read, others that theycould not understand it. Some would have it to be an atheistical book,and some that it was a libel on the government; for one or other ofwhich reasons they all refused to print it. That it had been likewiseshewn to the R--l Society, but they shook their heads, saying, there wasnothing in it wonderful enough for them. That, hearing the gentleman wasgone to the West-Indies, and believing it to be good for nothing else,he had used it as waste paper. He said I was welcome to what remained,and he was heartily sorry for what was missing, as I seemed to set somevalue on it.

  '_I desired him to name a price_']

  I desired him much to name a price: but he would receive noconsideration farther than the payment of a small bill I owed him, whichat that time he said he looked on as so much money given him.

  I presently communicated this manuscript to my friend parson AbrahamAdams, who, after a long and careful perusal, returned it me with hisopinion that there was more in it than at first appeared; that theauthor seemed not entirely unacquainted with the writings of Plato; buthe wished he had quoted him sometimes in his margin, that I might besure (said he) he had read him in the original: for nothing, continuedthe parson, is commoner than for men now-a-days to pretend to have readGreek authors, who have met with them only in translations, and cannotconjugate a verb in _mi_.

  To deliver my own sentiments on the occasion, I think the authordiscovers a philosophical turn of thinking, with some little knowledgeof the world, and no very inadequate value of it. There are some indeedwho, from the vivacity of their temper and the happiness of theirstation, are willing to consider its blessings as more substantial, andthe whole to be a scene of more consequence than it is here represented:but, without controverting their opinions at present, the number of wiseand good men who have thought with our author are sufficient to keep himin countenance: nor can this be attended with any ill inference, sincehe everywhere teaches this moral: That the greatest and truest happinesswhich this world affords, is to be found only in the possession ofgoodness and virtue; a doctrine which, as it is undoubtedly true, sohath it so noble and practical a tendency, that it can never be toooften or too strongly inculcated on the minds of men.

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  BOOK I.