The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle

Chapter XXXVIII

Volume One, Chapter XXXVIII 165 thou wilt find thyself in a condition to keep in the line with the best of thy fellows.” He then reminded Gauntlet of his promise to call at the garison in his return from Dover, and imparted something in a whisper to the governor, while Jack Hatchway unable to speak, pulled his hat over his eyes, and squeezing Peregrine by the hand, gave him an iron pistol of curious workmanship, as a memorial of his friendship. Our youth, who was not unmoved on this occasion, received the pledge, which he acknowledged with the present of a silver tobacco-box, that he had bought for that purpose; and the two lads of the castle getting into the coach,6 were driven homewards, in a state of silent dejection. Godfrey and Peregrine seated themselves in the post-chaise, and Jolter, the valet de chambre and lacquey bestriding their beasts, they proceeded for the place of their destination , at which they arrived in safety that same night, and bespoke a passage in the pacquet-boat which was to sail next day.7 chapter xxxviii. He adjusts the method of his correspondence with Gauntlet; meets by accident with an Italian Charlatan, and a certain apothecary, who proves to be a noted character. There the two friends adjusted the articles of their future correspondence, and Peregrine having written a letter to his mistress, wherein he renewed his former vows of eternal fidelity, it was intrusted to the care of her brother, while Mr. Jolter, at the desire of his pupil, provided an elegant supper, and some excellent Burgundy, that they might spend this eve of his departure with the greater enjoyment. Things being thus disposed, and a servant employed in laying the cloth, their ears were of a sudden invaded by a strange tumultuous noise in the next room, occasioned by the overthrow of tables, chairs and glasses, with odd unintelligible exclamations in broken French, and a jargon of threats in the Welsh dialect. Our young gentlemen ran immediately into the apartment from whence this clamour seemed to proceed, and found a thin meagre swarthy figure gasping in all the agony of fear, under the hands of a squat, thick, hard-featured man, who collared him with great demonstrations of wrath, saying, “If you was as mighty a magician as Owen Glendower,1 or the witch of Entor,2 look you, ay, or as Paul Beor himself,3 I will make pold, by the assistance of Got, and in his Majesty’s naam, to seize and secure, and confine and confront you, until such time as you suffer and endure and undergo the pains and penalties of the law, for your diabolical practices. Shentlemens,” added he, turning to our adventurers , “I take you to witness that I protest and assert and avow that this person is as pig a necromancer as you would desire to behold; and I supplicate and beseech and 166 The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle intreat of you, that he may be prought pefore his petters, and compelled to give an account of his compact and commerce with the imps of darkness, look you; for as I am a christian soul, and hope for joyful resurrection, I have this plessed evening seen him perform such things as could not be done without the aid and instruction and connivance of the Tevil.” Gauntlet seemed to enter into the sentiments of this Welsh reformer, and actually laid hold on the delinquent’s shoulder, crying, “Damn the rascal! I’ll lay any wager that he’s a Jesuit; for none of his order travel without a familiar.”4 But Peregrine, who looked upon the affair in another point of view, interposed in behalf of the stranger, whom he freed from his aggressors, observing that there was no occasion to use violence , and asked in French what he had done to incur the censure of the informer. The poor foreigner, more dead than alive, answered that he was an Italian charlatan,5 who had practised with some reputation in Padua, until he had the misfortune to attract the notice of the Inquisition, by exhibiting certain wonderful performances by his skill in natural knowledge, which that tribunal considered as the effects of sorcery, and persecuted him accordingly; so that he had been fain to make a precipitate retreat into France, where not finding his account in his talents, he was now arrived in England, with a view of practising his art...