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The Works of Henry Fielding: Joseph Andrews. Preface to David Simple, etc
The Works of Henry Fielding Joseph Andrews Preface to David Simple etc Author:Henry Fielding Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAP. IV. What happened after their journey to London. Jl O sooner was young Andrews arrived at London, than he began to scrape an acquaintance with his pa... more »rty-coloured brethren, who endeavoured to make him despise his former course of life. His hair was cut after the newest fashion, and became his chief care; he went abroad with it all the morning in papers, and dressed it out in the afternoon. They could not however teach him to game, swear, drink, nor any other genteel v ice the town abounded with. He applied most of his leisure hours to music, in which he greatly improved himself; and became so perfect a connoisseur in that art, that he led the opinion of all the other footmen at an opera, and they never condemned or applauded a single song contrary to his approbation or dislike. He was a little too forward in riots at the playhouses and assemblies ; and when he attended his lady at church (which was but seldom) he behaved with less seeming devotion than formerly: however, if he was outwardly a pretty fellow, his morals remained entirely uncorrupted, though he was at the same time smarter and genteeler than any of the beaux in town, either in or out of livery. His lady, who had often said of him that Joey was the handsomest and genteelest footman in the kingdom, but that it was pity he wanted spirit, began now to find that fault no longer; on the contrary, she was frequently heard to cry out, Ay, there is some life in this fellow. She plainly saw the effects which the town air hath on the soberest constitutions. She would now walk out with him into Hyde Park in a morning, and when tired, which happened almost every minute, would leanon his arm, and converse with him in great familiarity. Whenever she stept out of her coach, she would take .him by the hand, and sometime...« less