The Expedition of Humphry ClinkerSmollett, T. (Tobias)
General
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
Smollett, T. (Tobias)
Epistolary fiction; Great Britain -- Fiction; Travelers -- Fiction
Shall I state the difference between my town grievances, and my country
comforts? At Brambleton-hall, I have elbow-room within doors, and
breathe a clear, elastic, salutary air--I enjoy refreshing sleep, which
is never disturbed by horrid noise, nor interrupted, but in a-morning,
by the sweet twitter of the martlet at my window--I drink the virgin
lymph, pure and chrystalline as it gushes from the rock, or the
sparkling beveridge, home-brewed from malt of my own making; or I
indulge with cyder, which my own orchard affords; or with claret of
the best growth, imported for my own use, by a correspondent on whose
integrity I can depend; my bread is sweet and nourishing, made from my
own wheat, ground in my own mill, and baked in my own oven; my table
is, in a great measure, furnished from my own ground; my five-year old
mutton, fed on the fragrant herbage of the mountains, that might vie
with venison in juice and flavour; my delicious veal, fattened with
nothing but the mother’s milk, that fills the dish with gravy; my
poultry from the barn-door, that never knew confinement, but when they
were at roost; my rabbits panting from the warren; my game fresh from
the moors; my trout and salmon struggling from the stream; oysters from
their native banks; and herrings, with other sea fish, I can eat in
four hours after they are taken--My sallads, roots, and potherbs, my own
garden yields in plenty and perfection; the produce of the natural
soil, prepared by moderate cultivation. The same soil affords all the
different fruits which England may call her own, so that my dessert is
every day fresh-gathered from the tree; my dairy flows with nectarious
tildes of milk and cream, from whence we derive abundance of excellent
butter, curds, and cheese; and the refuse fattens my pigs, that are
destined for hams and bacon--I go to bed betimes, and rise with the
sun--I make shift to pass the hours without weariness or regret, and
am not destitute of amusements within doors, when the weather will not
permit me to go abroad--I read, and chat, and play at billiards, cards
or back-gammon--Without doors, I superintend my farm, and execute
plans of improvements, the effects of which I enjoy with unspeakable
delight--Nor do I take less pleasure in seeing my tenants thrive under
my auspices, and the poor live comfortably by the employment which I
provide--You know I have one or two sensible friends, to whom I can open
all my heart; a blessing which, perhaps, I might have sought in vain
among the crowded scenes of life: there are a few others of more humble
parts, whom I esteem for their integrity; and their conversation I find
inoffensive, though not very entertaining. Finally, I live in the midst
of honest men, and trusty dependents, who, I flatter myself, have a
disinterested attachment to my person. You, yourself, my dear Doctor,
can vouch for the truth of these assertions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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