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Page 40
Our hero next applied himself to another of his gang, who
instantly received his orders, and, instead of hesitating at a
single murder, asked if he should blow out the brains of all the
passengers, coachman and all. But Wild, whose moderation we have
before noted, would not permit him; and therefore, having given
him an exact description of the devoted person, with his other
necessary instructions, he dismissed him, with the strictest
orders to avoid, if possible, doing hurt to any other person.
The name of this youth, who will hereafter make some figure in
this history, being the Achates of our AEneas, or rather the
Hephaestion of our Alexander, was Fireblood. He had every
qualification to make second-rate GREAT MAN; or, in other words,
he was completely equipped for the tool of a real or first-rate
GREAT MAN. We shall therefore (which is the properest way of
dealing with this kind of GREATNESS) describe him negatively, and
content ourselves with telling our reader what qualities he had
not; in which number were humanity, modesty, and fear, not one
grain of any of which was mingled in his whole composition.
We will now leave this youth, who was esteemed the most promising
of the whole gang, and whom Wild often declared to be one of the
prettiest lads he had ever seen, of which opinion, indeed, were
most other people of his acquaintance; we will however leave him
at his entrance on this enterprize, and keep our attention fixed
on our hero, whom we shall observe taking large strides towards
the summit of human glory.
Wild, immediately at his return to town, went to pay a visit to
Miss Laetitia Snap; for he had that weakness of suffering himself
to be enslaved by women, so naturally incident to men of heroic
disposition; to say the truth, it might more properly be called a
slavery to his own appetite; for, could he have satisfied that, he
had not cared three farthings what had become of the little tyrant
for whom he professed so violent a regard. Here he was informed
that Mr. Heartfree had been conveyed to Newgate the day before,
the writ being then returnable. He was somewhat concerned at this
news; not from any compassion for the misfortunes of Heartfree,
whom he hated with such inveteracy that one would have imagined he
had suffered the same injuries from him which he had done towards
him. His concern therefore had another motive; in fact, he was
uneasy at the place of Mr. Heartfree's confinement, as it was to
be the scene of his future glory, and where consequently he should
be frequently obliged to see a face which hatred, and not shame,
made him detest the sight of.
To prevent this, therefore, several methods suggested themselves
to him. At first he thought of removing him out of the way by the
ordinary method of murder, which he doubted not but Fireblood
would be very ready to execute; for that youth had, at their last
interview, sworn, D--n his eyes, he thought there was no better
pastime than blowing a man's brains out. But, besides the danger
of this method, it did not look horrible nor barbarous enough for
the last mischief which he should do to Heartfree. Considering,
therefore, a little farther with himself, he at length came to a
resolution to hang him, if possible, the very next session.
Now, though the observation--how apt men are to hate those they
injure, or how unforgiving they are of the injuries they do
themselves, be common enough, yet I do not remember to have ever
seen the reason of this strange phaenomenon as at first it
appears. Know therefore, reader, that with much and severe
scrutiny we have discovered this hatred to be founded on the
passion of fear, and to arise from an apprehension that the person
whom we have ourselves greatly injured will use all possible
endeavours to revenge and retaliate the injuries we have done him.
An opinion so firmly established in bad and great minds (and those
who confer injuries on others have seldom very good or mean ones)
that no benevolence, nor even beneficence, on the injured side,
can eradicate it. On the contrary, they refer all these acts of
kindness to imposture and design of lulling their suspicion, till
an opportunity offers of striking a surer and severer blow; and
thus, while the good man who hath received it hath truly forgotten
the injury, the evil mind which did it hath it in lively and fresh
remembrance.
As we scorn to keep any discoveries secret from our readers, whose
instruction, as well as diversion, we have greatly considered in
this history, we have here digressed somewhat to communicate the
following short lesson to those who are simple and well inclined:
though as a Christian thou art obliged, and we advise thee, to
forgive thy enemy, NEVER TRUST THE MAN WHO HATH REASON TO SUSPECT
THAT YOU KNOW HE HATH INJURED YOU.
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