The Expedition of Humphry ClinkerSmollett, T. (Tobias)
General
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
Smollett, T. (Tobias)
Epistolary fiction; Great Britain -- Fiction; Travelers -- Fiction
I have here met with my old acquaintance, H[ewet]t, whom you have often
heard me mention as one of the most original characters upon earth--I
first knew him at Venice, and afterwards saw him in different parts of
Italy, where he was well known by the nick-name of Cavallo Bianco,
from his appearing always mounted on a pale horse, like Death in the
Revelations. You must remember the account I once gave you of a curious
dispute he had at Constantinople, with a couple of Turks, in defence of
the Christian religion; a dispute from which he acquired the epithet
of Demonstrator--The truth is, H--owns no religion but that of nature;
but, on this occasion, he was stimulated to shew his parts, for the
honour of his country--Some years ago, being in the Campidoglio at Rome,
he made up to the bust of Jupiter, and, bowing very low, exclaimed in
the Italian language, ‘I hope, sir, if ever you get your head above
water again, you will remember that I paid my respects to you in your
adversity.’ This sally was reported to the cardinal Camerlengo, and by
him laid before pope Benedict XIV, who could not help laughing at the
extravagance of the address, and said to the cardinal, ‘Those English
heretics think they have a right to go to the devil in their own way.’
Indeed H-- was the only Englishman I ever knew, who had resolution
enough to live in his own way, in the midst of foreigners; for, neither
in dress, diet, customs, or conversation, did he deviate one tittle from
the manner in which he had been brought up. About twelve years ago, he
began a Giro or circuit, which he thus performed--At Naples, where
he fixed his headquarters, he embarked for Marseilles, from whence he
travelled with a Voiturin to Antibes--There he took his passage to
Genoa and Lerici; from which last place he proceeded, by the way of
Cambratina, to Pisa and Florence--After having halted some time in
this metropolis, he set out with a Vetturino for Rome, where he reposed
himself a few weeks, and then continued his route for Naples, in order
to wait for the next opportunity of embarkation--After having twelve
times described this circle, he lately flew off at a tangent to visit
some trees at his country-house in England, which he had planted above
twenty years ago, after the plan of the double colonnade in the piazza
of St Peter’s at Rome--He came hither to Scarborough, to pay his
respects to his noble friend and former pupil, the M-- of G--, and,
forgetting that he is now turned of seventy, sacrificed so liberally to
Bacchus, that next day he was seized with a fit of the apoplexy, which
has a little impaired his memory; but he retains all the oddity of
his character in perfection, and is going back to Italy by the way of
Geneva, that he may have a conference with his friend Voltaire, about
giving the last blow to the Christian superstition--He intends to take
shipping here for Holland or Hamburgh; for it is a matter of great
indifference to him at what part of the continent he first lands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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