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From This World to the Next-Part8_HENRY FIELDING(1707-1754)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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to me till the year of the memorabletumult in which the Jews of



that city are reported in history to have massacred more

Christians than at that time dwelt in it. Indeed, the truth is,



they did maul the dogs pretty handsomely; but I myself was not

present, for as all our people were ordered to be armed, I took



that opportunity of selling two swords, which probably I might

otherwise never have disposed of, they being extremely old and



rusty; so that, having no weapon left, I did not care to venture

abroad. Besides, though I really thought it an act meriting



salvation to murder the Nazarenes, as the fact was to be

committed at midnight, at which time, to avoid suspicion, we were



all to sally from our own houses, I could not persuade myself to

consume so much oil in sitting up to that hour: for these



reasons therefore I remained at home that evening.

"I was at this time greatly enamored with one Hypatia, the



daughter of a philosopher; a young lady of the greatest beauty

and merit: indeed, she had every imaginable ornament both of



mind and body. She seemed not to dislike my person; but there

were two obstructions to our marriage, viz., my religion and her



poverty: both which might probably have been got over, had not

those dogs the Christians murdered her; and, what is worse,



afterwards burned her body: worse, I say, because I lost by that

means a jewel of some value, which I had presented to her,



designing, if our nuptials did not take place, to demand it of

her back again.



"Being thus disappointed in my love, I soon after left Alexandria

and went to the imperial city, where I apprehended I should find



a good market for jewels on the approaching marriage of the

emperor with Athenais. I disguised myself as a beggar on this



journey, for these reasons: first, as I imagined I should thus

carry my jewels with greater safety; and, secondly, to lessen my



expenses; which latter expedient succeeded so well, that I begged

two oboli on my way more than my traveling cost me, my diet being



chiefly roots, and my drink water.

"But perhaps, it had been better for me if I had been more lavish



and more expeditious; for the ceremony was over before I reached

Constantinople; so that I lost that glorious opportunity of



disposing of my jewels with which many of our people were greatly

enriched.



"The life of a miser is very little worth relating, as it is one

constant scheme of getting or saving money. I shall therefore



repeat to you some few only of my adventures, without regard to

any order.



"A Roman Jew, who was a great lover of Falernian wine, and who

indulged himself very freely with it, came to dine at my house;



when, knowing he should meet with little wine, and that of the

cheaper sort, sent me in half-a-dozen jars of Falernian. Can you



believe I would not give this man his own wine? Sir, I

adulterated it so that I made six jars of [them] three, which he



and his friend drank; the other three I afterwards sold to the

very person who originally sent them me, knowing he would give a



better price than any other.

"A noble Roman came one day to my house in the country, which I



had purchased, for half the value, of a distressed person. My

neighbors paid him the compliment of some music, on which



account, when he departed, he left a piece of gold with me to be

distributed among them. I pocketed this money, and ordered them



a small vessel of sour wine, which I could not have sold for

above two drachms, and afterwards made them pay in work three



times the value of it.

"As I was not entirely void of religion, though I pretended to



infinitely more than I had, so I endeavored to reconcile my

transactions to my conscience as well as possible. Thus I never



invited any one to eat with me, but those on whose pockets I had

some design. After our collation it was constantly my method to



set down in a book I kept for that purpose, what I thought they




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