honest parishioners, who were among the number.. They attended us to our inn, where a sumptuous entertainment was provided, and coarser provisions distributed in great quántities among the pópulace. After supper, as my spirits were exhausted by the alternátion of pleasure and pain which they had sustained during the day, I asked permission to withdraw; and leaving the company in the midst of their mirth, as soon as I found myself alóne, I poured out my heart in grátitude to the Giver of joy as well as of sorrow, and then slept undisturbed till morning. CHAPTER XXXII. The Conclusion, The next morning, as soon as I awaked, I found my éldest son sitting by my béd-side 4 who came to increase my joy with another turn of fortune in my fáyour. First having released me from the settlement that I had made the day before in his favour, he let me know that my merchant, who had failed in town, was arrested at Antwerp, and there had given up effécts to a much greater amount than what was due to his créditors. My boy's generosity pleásed me álmost as much as this unlooked-for good fortune. But I had 4. I found my eldest son sitting by my bedside. In Cooke's Ausgabe heifst es at my bedside, in Uebereinstim mung mit folgendem Satze gleich im Anfang des sechsund. zwanzigsten Kapitels: I was awakened by my family, whom I found in tears at my bedside. Doch wird auch by zur Bezeichnung dieses Verhältnisses gebraucht, als: She saw her master standing by the bedside in his shirt (Fielding). some doubts whether I ought justice to accept his offer. While I was póndering upón this, Sir William éntered the room, to whom I commúnicated my doubts. His opinion was, that as my son was already possessed of a véry åffluent fortune by his marriage, I might accépt his offer without any hesitation. His business, however, was to inform me, that as he had the night before sent for the licenses 5, and expected them every hour, he hoped that I would not refuse my assistance in making all the company happy that morning. A footman éntered while we were speaking, to tell us that the méssenger was returned; and as I was by this time reády, I went down, where I found the whole cómpany as mérry as áffluence and innocence could make them. However, as they were now preparing för a véry sólemn céremony, their laughter entirely displeased me. I told them of the grave, becoming, and sublime depórtment they should assume upón this mystical occasion, and read them two homilies, and a thésis of my own compósing, in order to prepáre 5 Sent for the licenses. S. Anm. 91 zum einunddreissig. sten Kapitel. - 6 Two homilies and a thesis. Homilies sind eine Art von' Predigten, welche im Anfange der Reformation in England unter Eduard VI. und der Königinn Elisabeth auf Befehl der Regierung abgefasst und zum Vorlesen in den Kir chen durch öffentlichen Befehl bestimmt wurden. Sie machten nebst den 39 Glaubensartikeln aus dem Katechismus das Lehrgebäude der Englischen Kirche aus. Man konnte der Geistlichkeit damals noch nicht ganz das Vertrauen schenken, dafs sie die neuen Lehren durch ihre eigenen Predigten gehörig ins Licht setzen und dem Volke in Hinsicht derselben richtige Begriffe beibringen würde; und dieses veranlasste, dass man auf die Art den Religionslehrern das in die Hände gab, was sie predigen sollten. Jetzt wird von diesen homi lies, deren etwa 34 sein mögen, wenig mehr Gebrauch gemacht. Thesis ist so viel als Aufsatz, Abhandlung. them. Yet they still seemed perfectly refractory 7 and ungovernable. Even as we were going along to church, to which I led the way, all gravity had quite forsaken them, and I was often témpted to turn back in indignátion. In church a new dilemma aróse, which prómised no easy solution. This was, which couple should be married first; my son's bride warmly insisted that Lády Thornhill (that was to be) should take the lead; but this the other refused with équal árdour, protésting she would not be guilty of such rudeness for the world. The argument was supported' for some time. between both with équal obstinacy and good breeding. But as I stood all this time with my book reády, I was at last quite tired of the contest, and shutting it, >> I perceive,<< cried I, »that none of you have a mind to be married, and I think we had as good go back again; for I suppose there will bé no business done here to-day.« This at once reduced them to reason. The Baronet and his lády were first married, and then my son and his lovely pártner. 1 7 Refractory. Von Chalmers (in seiner neuen Ausgabe von Johnson's Dict) wird dieses Wort auf der ersten Silbe betont; Walker aber glaubt, den Accent auf die zweite Silbe legen zu müssen:,, All our orthoepists, sagt er in seinem Pronounc. Diction., except Bailey and Dyche, place the accent on the second syllable of this word; and we need but attend to the difficulty and indistinctness which arises from placing the accent on the first syllable, to condemn it. The mutes a hard and t are formed by parts of the organs so distant from each other, that, without the help of the accent to strengthen the organs, they are not very easily pronounced. to say nothing of the difficulty of pronouncing the substantive refractoriness and the adverb refractorily with the accent on the first syllable, which must necessarily be the case if we accent the first syllable of this word. " 8 We had as good go back again. §. 811. S. Engl. Sprachl. I had previously that morning given órders that a coach should be sent for my honest neighbour Flámborough and his family, by which means, upon our return to the inn, we had the pleasure of finding the two Miss Flamboroughs alighted before us. Mr. Jénkinson gave his hand to the éldest, and, my son Móses led up the other; and I have since found, that he has taken a réal liking to the girl, and my consent and bounty he shall have 9 whenever he thinks proper to demánd them. We were no sooner retúrned to the inn, but numbers of my parishioners, hearing of my success, came to congratulate me; but among the rest were those who rose to rescue me, and whom I formerly rebuked with such sharpness. I told the story to Sir William, my son-in-law, who went out and reproved them with great severity; but finding them quite disheartened by his harsh reproof, he gave them half-a-guinea a-piéce to drink his health, and raise their dejécted spirits. Soon after this we were called to a véry genteel entertainment, which was dressed by Mr. Thornhill's cook. And it may not be improper to obsérve, with respect to that gentleman, that he now resides in quality of compánion at a relátion's house, being very well liked, and seldom sitting at the side-table except when there is no room at the other, for they make no stranger of him. His time is pretty much taken up in keeping his relátion, who is a little mélancholy, in spirits, and in learning to blow the Frenchhorn. My éldest daughter, however, still remembers 9 My bounty he shall have, d. i. ich will ihn dabei freigebig unterstützen. 10 They make no stranger of him, sie machen keinen Fremden aus ihm, d. i. sie betrachten und behandeln ikn nicht als einen Fremden, machen mit ihm keine Umstände. 1 1 him with regrét; and she has éven told me, though I make a great sécret of it, that when he reforms she may be brought to relént. But to return, for I am not apt to digréss thus: when we were to sit down to dinner, our ceremonies were going to be renéwed. The question was, whether my éldest daughter, as being a mátron, should not sit above the two young brides; but the debate was cut short by my son George, who proposed that the company should sit indiscriminately, évery gentleman by his lady. This was received with great approbátion by all, excépting my wife, who I could perceive was not pérfectly sátisfied, as she expected to have had the pleasure of sitting at the head of the table, and carving the meat for all the company 12. But notwithstanding this, it is impossible to describe our good-húmour. I can't say whether we had more wit amongst us now than úsual, but I am certain we had more laughing, which answered the end as well. One jest I particularly remémber: old Mr. Wilmot drinking to Móses, whose head was turned another way, my son replied, » Mádam, I thank you.« Upón which the old géntleman, winking upon the rest of the company, obsérved that he was thinking of his mistress. At which jest I thought the two Miss Flamboroughs would have died with laughing. As soon as dinner was over, accórding to my old custom, I requested that the table might be taken away, to have the pleasure of seeing all my 11 To sit down to dinner. Die Tranung mufs nämlich stets des Vormittags zwischen 8 bis 12 Uhr vor sich gehen. 12 And carving the meat for all the company. Diese Lesart findet sich in W. Scott's Ausgabe. In der von Cooke besorgten heifst es: and carving all the meat for all the company, In den übrigen fehlt das all vor the com pany. |