Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-02-05

the case. and, indeed 1t Is probable that
Amelia liked him quite as well after his
ruin as she would have done, had he been
as rich as Rothschild.
The biographers agree than he would
have been very successful at the bar. but
for certain circumstances. These sgly
circumstances always fall in the way of
men Of Ficlding's genius; for though he
amassed considerable quantity Of law.
was repu,ed to be good speaker. and had
a great wit. and knowledge Of human
nature which might serve him in excellent
stead, 1t is to be remarked that those with
out certain degree of patience and con
duet will not insure a mans triumph at
the bar. and so Fielding never rose TO be
u Lord Chancellor or even judge.
His days OF trouble had now begun IN
in earnest, and indeed he met them like a
man. He wrote necessarily for the peri
odical works Of the day, issued pamhIets,
made translation,, published journals and
criticisms, turned his hand, in word, to
any work that offered. and lived as best
he might This indiscriminate literary
labor, which obiges man to scatter his
iniellects upon so many triHes and to pro-
vide eekly varieties as sets off against the
inevitable weekly butch ers's bills, has been
the ruin of many men oftalcnt since Field
ing's time, and it was lucky for the world
and for him that at time of life when his
powers were at the highest he procured a
place which kept him beyond the reach
of weekly want, and enabled him to
gather bis great intellects together and
produce the greatest satire and two of the
most complete romanccs in our language.
Let us remark, as a strong proof Of the
natural honesty of the man, the exquisite
art of these performances. the care with
which the situations are elaborated, and
the noble, manly language corrected
When Harry Fielding was writing for the
weeks bread, We find style and sentiment
both careless, and plots hastily worked of.
How could lie do otherwisel Mr.. Snap,
the baiiii, was waiting with writ with
ont-his wife and little ones asking wist-
fully for bread Within. Away, with ali
its imperfections on its head, the play or
the pamphlet must go. Indeed, he would
have been no honest man had he kept them
longer on his hands, with such urgent de-
mands upon him as he had.
But as soon as he is out of the way oil
this base kind of want, his whole style
changes, aud instead Of the reckless and
slovenly hack writer, we have one of the
most minute and careful artists that ever
lived. DR.. Beatte gave his testimony to
the merit of"Tom Jones'" Moral or i'm.
moral, let any man examine this romance
as work Of art merely. and it must strike
him as the most astonishing production OF
human ingenuity. There is not an Incl
dent ever so trifiing but advances the sto-
ry, grows out of former incidents and is
connected with the whole Such litera
ry providence it we may use such word,
is not to be seen in any other work Of fc
ton. You might cut out the half of Don
Quixoic, Or add, transpose or alter any
given romance of Walter Scott, and Meth.
cr would suffer Roderick Random, and
heroes ofthat sort, run through a series OF
adventures, al the end of which the 6ddl les
are brought and there is a marriage. But
the history OF Tom Jones connects the first
page with the very last, and it is marvel
lous to think how the author could have
built and carried all this structure in his
brain, as he must have done, before he be-
gan to put it to paper.
And now a word or two about our darl
ing Amelia" or hch we have read
through every single word in Captain Ros-
GOES handsome edition, AS for Captain
Booth, Madam" writes old Richardson to
one Of his toades, Captain Booth has
done his business. The piece is short. is
as dead as ifit had been published forty
years ago." indeed human nature is nS'
altered since Richardson's time; and il
there are rakes, male and female, as there
were hundred years since, there are in
like manner envious critics now as then
How eager they are TO predict man
fall, how unwilling to acknowledge his
rise. Ii a man write popular work, he
is sure to be snarled at; iia literary man
rise to ernincnce out of his profession, all
his old comrades are against him.
Well, in spite of Richardson's prophe-
c;es, the piece which was dead at its birth
is alive a hundred years after. and will
live, as we fancy, as long as the English
language shall endure. Fielding IN his
own noble words. has given key to the
philosophy Of the work. "The nature of
man cries honest DR.. Harrison, "is far
from being in itself evil; it abounds with
benevoence and charity, and pity. cove
ting praise and honor. and stunning shame
and disgrace. Bad education, bad habits;
aud bad customs dcbauch our nature, and
drive it headlong into vice" And the au-
thor's tale is an exempli6cation Of this text
Poor Booths habits and customs are bad
indeed, but who can deny the benevolence
and charity, and pity of this simple and
kindly being? His vices even if we may
say so. are those of man; there is moth.
ing morbid or mawkish in any Of Field
Eing's heroes; no passionate pleasing exlen.
uation, such as one finds m the pseudo.
moral romances OF the sentimental chara C.
ter; no fashy excuses like those which
Sheridan puts forward, (unconsciously.
most likely. for those brilliant backguards
who are the chief characters of his come
dies. Vice is never to be mistaken Cor vir-
tue in Fielding's honest, downright books;
it goes by its name and invariably gets its
punishment.
Besides the matchless character ofAme-
liza whose beauty and charming innocent
consciousness Of it $50 delicaiely described
by the novelist, whose Tenderness and purity
are such that they endear her to reader as
much as ifshe were actually alive. his own
wife or mother, and make him consider her
as some dear relative and companion OF
is scarcely modest to talk in public; be-
ST des Amelia there are other characters.
not so beautiful, but not less admirably true