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Page 42
There is one misfortune which attends all great men and their
schemes, viz.--that, in order to carry them into execution, they
are obliged, in proposing their purpose to their tools, to
discover themselves to be of that disposition in which certain
little writers have advised mankind to place no confidence; an
advice which hath been sometimes taken. Indeed, many
inconveniences arise to the said great men from these scribblers
publishing without restraint their hints or alarms to society; and
many great and glorious schemes have been thus frustrated;
wherefore it were to be wished that in all well-regulated
governments such liberties should be by some wholesome laws
restrained, and all writers inhibited from venting any other
instructions to the people than what should be first approved and
licensed by the said great men, or their proper instruments or
tools; by which means nothing would ever be published but what
made for the advancing their most noble projects.
Heartfree, whose suspicions were again raised by this advice,
viewing Wild with inconceivable disdain, spoke as follows: "There
is one thing the loss of which I should deplore infinitely beyond
that of liberty and of life also; I mean that of a good
conscience; a blessing which he who possesses can never be
thoroughly unhappy; for the bitterest potion of life is by this so
sweetened, that it soon becomes palatable; whereas, without it,
the most delicate enjoyments quickly lose all their relish, and
life itself grows insipid, or rather nauseous, to us. Would you
then lessen my misfortunes by robbing me of what hath been my only
comfort under them, and on which I place my dependence of being
relieved from them? I have read that Socrates refused to save his
life by breaking the laws of his country, and departing from his
prison when it was open. Perhaps my virtue would not go so far;
but heaven forbid liberty should have such charms to tempt me to
the perpetration of so horrid a crime as murder! As to the poor
evasion of committing it by other hands, it might be useful indeed
to those who seek only the escape from temporal punishment, but
can be of no service to excuse me to that Being whom I chiefly
fear offending; nay, it would greatly aggravate my guilt by so
impudent an endeavour to impose upon Him, and by so wickedly
involving others in my crime. Give me, therefore, no more advice
of this kind; for this is my great comfort in all my afflictions,
that it is in the power of no enemy to rob me of my conscience,
nor will I ever be so much my own enemy as to injure it."
Though our hero heard all this with proper contempt, he made no
direct answer, but endeavoured to evade his proposal as much as
possible, which he did with admirable dexterity: this method of
getting tolerably well off, when you are repulsed in your attack
on a man's conscience, may be stiled the art of retreating, in
which the politician, as well as the general, hath sometimes a
wonderful opportunity of displaying his great abilities in his
profession.
Wild, having made this admirable retreat, and argued away all
design of involving his friend in the guilt of murder, concluded,
however, that he thought him rather too scrupulous in not
attempting his escape and then, promising to use all such means as
the other would permit in his service, took his leave for the
present. Heartfree, having indulged himself an hour with his
children, repaired to rest, which he enjoyed quiet and
undisturbed; whilst Wild, disdaining repose, sat up all night,
consulting how he might bring about the final destruction of his
friend, without being beholden to any assistance from himself,
which he now despaired of procuring. With the result of these
consultations we shall acquaint our reader in good time, but at
present we have matters of much more consequence to relate to him.
CHAPTER SIX
THE EVENT OF FIREBLOOD'S ADVENTURE; AND A THREAT OF MARRIAGE,
WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN CONCLUDED EITHER AT SMITHFIELD OR ST.
JAMES'S.
Fireblood returned from his enterprise unsuccessful. The gentleman
happened to go home another way than he had intended; so that the
whole design miscarried. Fireblood had indeed robbed the coach,
and had wantonly discharged a pistol into it, which lightly
wounded one of the passengers in the arm. The booty he met with
was not very considerable, though much greater than that with
which he acquainted Wild; for of eleven pounds in money, two
silver watches, and a wedding-ring, he produced no more than two
guineas and the ring, which he protested with numberless oaths was
his whole booty. However, when an advertisement of the robbery was
published, with a reward promised for the ring and the watches,
Fireblood was obliged to confess the whole, and to acquaint our
hero where he pawned the watches; which Wild, taking the full
value of them for his pains, restored to the right owner.
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