The Plan we fome Time ago received from our Correfpondent J-n M——n, is now en-
graving, and shall be inferted the fift Opportunity.

We hope Ruricola will excufe our net inferting his Ænigma, because we imagine it both to
long and too easy to be folved; and defire the Continuance of bis Favours.

Errat. SONG, p. 86, 7. 12, for clain, r. chain.

THE

LONDON MAGAZINE.

FEBRUARY,

A Book having been lately published, which has given great Amusement, and, we hope, Inftruction to the polite Part of the Town, we think ourfelves obliged to give our Readers fome Account of it.

A

Tis intitled, The Hifory of ToмJONES, a Foundling, by Henry Fielding, Efq; * being a novel, or profe epick compofition, and calculated B to recommend religion and virtue, to fhew the bad confequences of indifcretion, and to fet feveral kinds of vice in their most deformed and shocking light. This piece, like all fuch good compofitions, confifts of a principal hiftory, and a great C many epifodes or incidents; all which arife naturally from the fubject, and contribute towards carrying on the chief plot or defign. Through the whole, the reader's attention is always kept awake by fome new furprizing accident, and his curiofity upon the stretch, to discover the ef fects of that accident; fo that after one has begun to read, it is difficult to leave off before having read the whole.

1749.

fethire, was a man of an agreeable Thomas Allworthy, Efq; of Somere perfon, a found conftitution, a fölid understanding, a benevolent heart, and of one of the largest estates in the county. He was a widower without any children, and therefore his fifter, Mifs Bridget, lived with him as his houfe-keeper, being then a maiden lady of no great beauty, about 30. This gentleman returning home, after having been three months at London, and stepping into bed, found in it an infant wrapt up in fome coarse linen, on which he called his fifter's maid, and ordered her to take care of the child; but next morning, at the defire of his fifter and her maid, an enquiry was made in the neighbourhood after the mother, when one Jenny Jones confeffed, upon the first challenge, that fhe was the mother. This Jenny had lived fome years as fervant-maid in the family of a schoolmaster in the parish, named Partridge, by whom the had been taught not only to read English, but understand Latin, and being a girl of quick parts, foon got fo much learning as to make her the envy of the neighbourhood; which was increased by her appearing lately at church in a new filk gown and lac'd cap, from whence, and from her being turned out of her place by the jealoufy of her miftrefs, a fufpicion arofe, that she was the mother of the child. When he was brought February, 1749. G 2 before. * Printed for A. Millar, 6 vols, 120. Price 18s, bourd.

The principal history is that of Tom Jones the foundling, who is the hero, and of Mifs Sophia Western, who is the heroine of the piece; which is as follows.

D

E

before Mr. Allworthy, as a juftice of the peace, fhe confeffed her being the mother, but faid fhe was bound by the most folemn oaths not to discover the father, for that time at least, which oaths no punishment fhould force her to break; and he, in confi- A deration of her firmnefs, as well as fraaknefs, and to prevent her utter ruin, fent her to a remote part of the country, where he was not known, instead of fending her to the houfe of correction; refolving, at the fame time, to take care of the child, to whom he gave the name of Thomas Jones.

A

E

B

Tho' this proceeded entirely from his benevolent difpofition, yet it raifed a fufpicion, that he himself was the father of the child; which he long neglected. In the mean time, C as he was a man of great hofpitality, he had always in his houfe fome gen. tlemen, whofe fortunes confifted only in their learning or wit, which in moft countries is a fort of coin not current at any common market. mong the reft was one Dr. Blifil, D who foon difcovered, that Mifs Bridget, notwithstanding her age, longed much for what few women can easily live without; but as he had himself a wife, he could make no addreffes; therefore he introduced his brother Capt. Blifil into the family, who foon prevailed with mifs to marry him privately, and the doctor got him reconciled to the 'quile; fo that from that time till his death he lived in the family, from which he very foon mof ungratefully bandhed his brother; and having, foon after the F marriage, a fon by his wife, he was at the fame pains, but not with the fame fuccefs, to get the foundling, Tom Jones, banished, by directly accufing the fchoolmafter, Partridge, with being the father, which obliged Mr. Allworthy to make an G enquiry into the fact; and tho' Partridge ftoutly denied it, yet upon the evidence of his wife, he was found guilty; which brought fo

many misfortunes upon him, that he was forced to fly the country.

However, Mr. Allworthy continued to provide for the foundling, and had him brought up and educated in his own house, with young Mr. Blifil his nephew. Tho' thefe two were brought up together, they foon appeared to be of a very different character: Jones was a lad of quick parts, high metal, a benevolent difpofition, and a free open temper; by which he made himself very a greeable, but was often led into little rash indifcretions. On the other hand, Blifil was of flow parts, a phlegmatick, referved temper, and an artful, cunning difpofition; but as he was the prefumptive heir of 'Squtre Allworthy, he was the favourite of parfon Thwackum and Mr. Square; the former a zealous churchman their tutor, and the latter a moral philofopher and freethinker, entertained at the 'Squire's house.

As Jones foon became an excellent fportfman, he recommended himself highly to the favour of 'Squire Weftern, a neighbouring gentleman of a great eftate, and father of Mifs Sophia Western, a man of a boisterous, ftupid, obftinate nature, who neither loved nor knew any thing but hunting and drinking, yet had a great love, in his way, for Mis Sophia, who was his only child, and a young lády of exquifite beauty, great fenfe, nice honour, and a moft amiable temper.

Jones, by being her father's companion, was of courfe often in her company, and being most agreeable in his perfon, as well as converfation, without any defign in either, they. became, by degrees, deeply enamoured with each other; fo deeply, that neither could ever banish the tyrant love from the heart, tho' both endeavoured it, because they could never expect her father's confent to a match.

In the mean time, Mr. Allworthy was taken dangerously ill of a fever,

upon

1749.

PLAN of a late celebrated NOVEL.

upon which he called his family about
him, when he told Blifil, whofe father
had died fome years before, and his
mother was abfent on a vifit, that
he had left him his whole eftate, ex-
cept the following legacies, viz. 500l.
a year to his mother during her life, A
500l. a year, with 1000l. in money,
to Mr. Jones, 1000l. to Thwac-
kum, the like fum to Square, fmall
legacies to his fervants, and fome
charities. Whilft he was giving this
account, with fome good advices,
to his family, a footman came and B
told him, that an attorney from Salif
bury was come with a meffage, which,
he faid, he must deliver to himself.
As he was not in a condition to re-
ceive it, he defired Mr. Blifil to go
and receive the gentleman's meffage;
which he did, and they all retired to C
leave the fick gentleman to compofe
himself to reft.

Upon Mr. Blifil's return to them,
he told them, with a melancholy
countenance, that the attorney, whose
name was Dowling, had brought an
account of his mother's dying fud- D
denly at Salisbury; on which it was
debated, whether this fhould be com-
municated to Mr. Allworthy. The
phyfician oppofed it, but Mr. Blifil
infifted it fhould, and upon hearing
the news, he directed Mr. Blifil to
take care of the funeral.

53

resolved within himself to force his daughter to fay fhe liked the match, whether fhe did fo or not.

In the mean time, the aunt difcovered, that Sophy's love was for Jones; and upon communicating this to her brother, they both refolved, that Spoby fhould, as foon as poffible, be married to Bifil, and poor Jones was banifhed the house. But this was not the only misfortune that befel him. Mr. Western flew in a rage to acquaint Mr. Allworthy with what had been difcovered. The latter fell into a paffion at Jones, who was abfent; and Blifil being prefent, took that opportunity to tell all the bad ftories he could think of relating to Jones; all which he got Thwackum and Square to confirm, and upon this Jones was banished that house also, and ordered never to see Mr. Allworthy's face any more.

Jones's firft defign was to go to fea, and for that purpose he took the road to Bristol; but in the way, meeting with a party of foldiers going to join the army under the duke, then marching against the rebels, he refolved to go and ferve as a volunteer in the army. In his way thither he, by accident, met with Partridge, who begg'd and obtained leave to accompany him as a fervant. After paffing E Gloucefter, they loft their way in the night aud came into a wood, where Jones refcued a lady, by knocking down a fellow who had tore all the cloaths off of her back, and was going to murder her. This lady he conducted to Upton, where he dif covered, by fome foldiers, that the lady's name was Waters, the wife or miftrefs of a captain in their regiment; and the lady was so grateful, when they were alone together, as to make broad figns, that he might, after the people were gone to bed, flip into her room and have a fhare of hers, if he pleased, which offer he had too much gallantry not to embrace.

F

Mr. Allworthy, however, recovered; but before he could come out of his room, a quarrel happened between Jones and Blifil, which not only increased the hatred of the latter, but was the cause of Mr. Western's fifter's difcovering, that his daughter Sophia was in love, either with Jones or Blifil, though as yet not certain which. Upon her communicating this fufpicion to her brother, he prefently refolved to propofe to Mr. Allworthy a match between his daughter and Mr. Blifil, which the G other agreed to, on condition, that the young people liked each other; but Mr. Western, who had not half his fenfe, nor any of his humanity,

After their arrival, a coach and four

C

to marry Blifil. Upon her arrival fhe heard that Mr. Jones was in the house, and by bribing the maid, fhe learned that he was in bed with a lady; on which, fired with disdain, she prefently fet out again from thence, but left her muff with a bit of paper in it, on which fhe wrote Sophia Western, which fhe defired the maid to lay in his way, and by which he found, as foon as he got up in the morning, that fhe had been in the houfe, and that she had made her ef cape from her father. This made him inftantly refolve to go in pursuit of her, and tho' he had no know. ledge of the road fhe was to take, by feveral accidents he found that Mifs Sophia and her maid, together with another lady and her maid, (Mrs. Fitzpatrick and the having fallen in company together upon the road from Upton) had met, at an inn upon the road, with an Irish peer of the other lady's acquaintance, who took them into his coach and fix, and that they were all gone together for

four came in with two ladies from
Ireland, who intended to refresh there,
and fet out again to Bath; but the
coachman got fo drunk, that he could
not fet forward, and confequently the
two ladies were forced to take up
their lodging there, which made them A
very uneasy. However, to bed they
went, and Mr. Jones and Mrs.
Waters went likewife to the chambers
provided for them; but Mr. Jones
foon left his own, and flipt into
that of Mrs. Waters. Whilft they
were in bed together, one Mr. Fitz- B
patrick arrived from Ireland in pur-
fuit of his wife, who was a coufin and
intimate aquaintance of Mifs Sophia
Webern's and had run away with and
married Mr. Fitzpatrick, but was fo ill
ufed by him, that he was obliged to
elope. This gentleman, upon hear-
ing a defcription of Mrs. Waters,
prefently imagined her to be his
wife, and being fhewed her room,
he broke open the door, and rushed
in; on which Mr. Jones leaped out
of bed, and a skuffle enfued, in which
Mr. Fitzpatrick got fome hearty D London.
knocks which he could not forget;
but upon the maid's coming in with
a candle, he found he was mistaken,
fo begged pardon and retired. Upon
his return to the kitchen, the coach-
man, who was now a little fober,
told him he had two empty places E
in his coach, which he and another
Irish gentleman in the inn might have,
to which they agreed; fo that, if
it had not been for the noise of the
above fray, he might next morning
have feen his wife in the coach; but
as fhe was awaked by the noife, and F
knew her husband's voice, as foon
as she heard he was gone to bed, the
got up, and together with her maid
went off on horteback towards Lon-
don.

Soon after this fray was over, arrived at the fame inn Mifs Sophia G Western and her chamber maid, the having made her efcape from her father's houfe, by the help of her maid, to prevent her being forced

Upon this, Jones, with his man Partridge, took poft for London, where he arrived foon after his beloved Sophy, but was fome days be. fore he could find out where she was, and much longer before he could fee her; and he had but once, by great accident, got an opportunity to speak with her; when her father having been informed where she was, came to town, feized her, and carried her with him to his own lodgings. Upon which Mr. Allworthy and Blifil being fent for, they came both to town, fo that poor Sophy was again in danger of being forced to marry the man the hated, or to live a pri foner in her father's house upon bread and water, as he often threatned.

When Mr. Jones came first to town, he took lodgings at the house of Mrs. Miller, a clergyman's widow, who had been long fupported by the charity of Mr. Allworthy, and with

whom