SQUIRE WESTERN
AS SEEN IN:
'Tom Jones, A Foundling'
CREATED BY:
Henry Fielding
PORTRAYED BY:
Brian Blessed
From Wikipedia:
Squire Western (Hunter/wealthy squire who owns neighbouring estate to
Squire Allworthy, a simpleton who wants to marry his daughter Sophia to Squire
Allworthy’s heir, first Blifil and then Jones, against her will, with quite
violent, if not physically, means).
From the source:
MRS. WESTERN had been engaged abroad all that
day. The squire met her at her return home; and when she enquired after Sophia,
he acquainted her that he had secured her safe enough. “She is locked up in
chamber,” cries he, “and Honour keeps the key.”
As his looks were full of prodigious wisdom and
sagacity when he gave his sister this information, it is probable he expected
much applause from her for what he had done; but how was he disappointed when,
with a most disdainful aspect, she cried, “Sure, brother, you are the weakest of
all men. Why will you not confide in me for the management of my niece? Why will
you interpose? You have now undone all that I have been spending my breath in
order to bring about. While I have been endeavouring to fill her mind with
maxims of prudence, you have been provoking her to reject them. English women,
brother, I thank heaven, are no slaves. We are not to be locked up like the
Spanish and Italian wives. We have as good a right to liberty as yourselves. We
are to be convinced by reason and persuasion only, and not governed by force. I
have seen the world, brother, and know what arguments to make use of; and if
your folly had not prevented me, should have prevailed with her to form her
conduct by those rules of prudence and discretion which I formerly taught her.”
“To be sure,” said the squire, “I am always in
the wrong.”
“Brother,” answered the lady, “you are not in the
wrong, unless when you meddle with matters beyond your knowledge. You must agree
that I have seen most of the world; and happy had it been for my niece if she
had not been taken from under my care. It is by living at home with you that she
hath learnt romantic notions of love and nonsense.”
“You don’t imagine, I hope,” cries the squire,
“that I have taught her any such things.”
“Your ignorance, brother,” returned she, “as the
great Milton says, almost subdues my patience.”
“D—n Milton!” answered the squire: “if he had the
impudence to say so to my face, I’d lend him a douse, thof he was never so great
a man. Patience! An you come to that, sister, I have more occasion of patience,
to be used like an overgrown schoolboy, as I am by you. Do you think no one hath
any understanding, unless he hath been about at court? Pox! the world is come to
a fine pass indeed, if we are all fools, except a parcel of roundheads and
Hanover rats. Pox! I hope the times are a coming when we shall make fools of
them, and every man shall enjoy his own. That’s all, sister; and every man shall
enjoy his own. I hope to zee it, sister, before the Hanover rats have eat up all
our corn, and left us nothing but turneps to feed upon.”
“I protest, brother,” cries she, “you are now got
beyond my understanding. Your jargon of turneps and Hanover rats is to me
perfectly unintelligible.”
“I believe,” cries he, “you don’t care to hear
o’em; but the country interest may succeed one day or other for all
that.”
“I wish,” answered the lady, “you would think a
little of your daughter’s interest; for, believe me, she is in greater danger
than the nation.”
“Just now,” said he, “you chid me for thinking on
her, and would ha’ her left to you.”
“And if you will promise to interpose no more,”
answered she, “I will, out of my regard to my niece, undertake the
charge.”
“Well, do then,” said the squire, “for you know I
always agreed, that women are the properest to manage women.”
BCnU!
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