Adventures and adventurers > Adventures of Roderick Random

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aversion to it, lest I should disoblige the 1
♦nly friend 1 had in the world. But this
resolution was soon dropt, at the advice of
«vi' us’>;r, who assured Mr. Bowling, it tvould
. be a'thousand pities to baulk my genius,
which would certam.y, o ^ day, make my
fortune on shore. Upon which, this gene¬
rous tar^determined to give me university
education ; and accordingly settled my board
,and other expences, at a town not many
miles distant, famous for its cotttges, whither •
We repaired, in a short time. But before i
the day of our departure, the schoolmaster
Laid aside .all decency and restraint^ and
abused me in the grossest - language, as a
wieKed, profligate, dull, beggarly, miscreant,
whom he had taught through charity. This j
brutal behaviour made me think it high time
to be revenged of this insolent pedagogue.
Having consulted my. adherents, I found ,
tii in all staunch in their promises tp stand
*by me; and \v^ formed a scheme, which was
as follows: .In the afternoon preceding the
d '-v of our departure for the university, I was
“to fake the advantage of the ushers going
wut to irTake water, and shut the great door,
that lie might not come to the assistance of
irs superior. This being done, the assault!
w;;r'io b * begun by my. spitting in the master’s
foce; {'was to be &?conded by two of tlie
sfrohges- hoys in the school, ■and we were to
drag him to a bench, over which h© was
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