History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Page 4

  Chapter ii.

  A short description of squire Allworthy, and a fuller account of MissBridget Allworthy, his sister.

  In that part of the western division of this kingdom which is commonlycalled Somersetshire, there lately lived, and perhaps lives still, agentleman whose name was Allworthy, and who might well be called thefavourite of both nature and fortune; for both of these seem to havecontended which should bless and enrich him most. In this contention,nature may seem to some to have come off victorious, as she bestowedon him many gifts, while fortune had only one gift in her power; butin pouring forth this, she was so very profuse, that others perhapsmay think this single endowment to have been more than equivalent toall the various blessings which he enjoyed from nature. From theformer of these, he derived an agreeable person, a sound constitution,a solid understanding, and a benevolent heart; by the latter, he wasdecreed to the inheritance of one of the largest estates in thecounty.

  This gentleman had in his youth married a very worthy and beautifulwoman, of whom he had been extremely fond: by her he had threechildren, all of whom died in their infancy. He had likewise had themisfortune of burying this beloved wife herself, about five yearsbefore the time in which this history chuses to set out. This loss,however great, he bore like a man of sense and constancy, though itmust be confest he would often talk a little whimsically on this head;for he sometimes said he looked on himself as still married, andconsidered his wife as only gone a little before him, a journey whichhe should most certainly, sooner or later, take after her; and that hehad not the least doubt of meeting her again in a place where heshould never part with her more--sentiments for which his sense wasarraigned by one part of his neighbours, his religion by a second, andhis sincerity by a third.

  He now lived, for the most part, retired in the country, with onesister, for whom he had a very tender affection. This lady was nowsomewhat past the age of thirty, an aera at which, in the opinion ofthe malicious, the title of old maid may with no impropriety beassumed. She was of that species of women whom you commend rather forgood qualities than beauty, and who are generally called, by their ownsex, very good sort of women--as good a sort of woman, madam, as youwould wish to know. Indeed, she was so far from regretting want ofbeauty, that she never mentioned that perfection, if it can be calledone, without contempt; and would often thank God she was not ashandsome as Miss Such-a-one, whom perhaps beauty had led into errorswhich she might have otherwise avoided. Miss Bridget Allworthy (forthat was the name of this lady) very rightly conceived the charms ofperson in a woman to be no better than snares for herself, as well asfor others; and yet so discreet was she in her conduct, that herprudence was as much on the guard as if she had all the snares toapprehend which were ever laid for her whole sex. Indeed, I haveobserved, though it may seem unaccountable to the reader, that thisguard of prudence, like the trained bands, is always readiest to go onduty where there is the least danger. It often basely and cowardlydeserts those paragons for whom the men are all wishing, sighing,dying, and spreading every net in their power; and constantly attendsat the heels of that higher order of women for whom the other sex havea more distant and awful respect, and whom (from despair, I suppose,of success) they never venture to attack.

  Reader, I think proper, before we proceed any farther together, toacquaint thee that I intend to digress, through this whole history, asoften as I see occasion, of which I am myself a better judge than anypitiful critic whatever; and here I must desire all those critics tomind their own business, and not to intermeddle with affairs or workswhich no ways concern them; for till they produce the authority bywhich they are constituted judges, I shall not plead to theirjurisdiction.