Part 1 (1/2)
The Surprising Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew
by Unknown
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF BAMPFYLDE MOORE CAREW
Mr Bampfylde Moore Careas descended from the ancient family of the Carews, son of the Reverend Mr Theodore Carew, of the parish of Brickley, near Tiverton, in the county of Devon; of which parish he was , and at his death universally lamented Mr Careas born in the month of July 1693; and never was there known a entlemen of the first rank and quality at any baptish Bampfylde, Esq, who afterwards died of an unfortunate fall from his horse, and the Hon Major Moore, were both his illustrious Godfathers, both of whose na who should be the president, doubtless presaging the honour that should redound to them from the future actions of our hero, the affair was deter up a piece of money, which on by Mr Bae piece of plate, whereon was engraved, in large letters,
BAMPFYLDE MOORE CAREW
The reverend Mr Carew had several other children, both sons and daughters, besides Mr Carew, all of whom he educated in a tender and pious e of twelve sent to Tiverton school, where he contracted an intientlemen of the first rank in Somersetshi+re, Devonshi+re, Cornwall, and Dorsetshi+re
The desire of the reader to be infor is so natural, we should be guilty of a great neglect, e to o our readers in this respect, ure in rhetoric, (which is of very great service to lish, enlarging, present our readers with a very amiable picture
The stature of our hero was tall andand well-proportioned, his features regular, his countenance open and ingenuous, bearing all those characteristical ood-naturedthe first four years of his continuance at Tiverton school, his close application to, and delight in his studies, gave his friends great hopes that he ure in that honourable profession which his father becaned
He attained, for his age, a very considerable knowledge in the Latin and Greek tongues; but soon a new exercise or acco, in which our hero soon ility of liates, &c, our hero, by indefatigable study and application, added to it a rereat service to the exercise, and which, we believe, was peculiar to himself; and, besides this, found out a secret, hitherto known but to hi whatever to follow him
The Tiverton scholars had at this time the command of a fine cry of hounds, whereby Mr Carew had frequent opportunity of gratifying his inclinations in that diversion It was then that he entered into a very strict friendshi+p and familiarity with John Martin, Thoentlemen of the best rank and fortune
The wise Spaniards have a proverb, Tell me who you are with, and I will tell you what you are; and we ourselves say, Birds of a feather flock together It is generally allowed that proverbs are built upon experience, and contain great truths; and though at this ti, he contracted no acquaintance, and kept no coentlemen of birth and fortune, ere rather superior to himself than beneath hi in a county adjacent to Tiverton, as a great sportsman, and used to hunt with the Tiverton scholars, came and acquainted them of a fine deer, which he had seen with a collar about his neck, in the fields about his farentlereeable news to the Tiverton scholars, ith Mr Carew, John Martin, Thoreat body to hunt it; this happened a short time before the harvest The chase was very hot, and lasted several hours, and they ran the deer e to the fields of corn that were then almost ripe
Upon the death of the deer and exa to Colonel Nutcoentlee came to Tiverton, and complained heavily to Mr Rayner, the schoolmaster, of the havock made in their fields, which occasioned strict enquiry to beto be our hero and his companions, they were so severely threatened, that, for fear, they absented theo in the evening to Brick-house, an alehouse, about half a mile from Tiverton, they accidentally fell into co and carousing This society consisted of seventeen or eighteen persons of both sexes, who that day met there with a full purpose of merriment and jollity; and after a plentifulcups of October, and cider, went s and country dances crowned the jovial banquet; in short, so great an air of freedom, sters from that time conceived a sudden inclination to enlist into their coipseys, they, considering their appearance, behaviour, and education, regarded as only spoke in jest; but as they tarried there all night in their co, they were at length induced to believe theed them, and ad first gone through, and the proper oaths administered
The reader may perhaps be surprised at the mention of oaths administered, and cereentlemen; but his surprise will lessen e inforovernh they have no written laws, by which means they avoid all perplexity with lawyers, yet they pay obedience to one who is styled their king; to which great honour we shall hereafter see our hero arrive, having first proved hireat number of necessary achievements
There are, perhaps, no people so coreat a share of liberty The king is elective by the whole people, but none are allowed to stand as candidates for that honour, but such as have been long in their society, and perfectly studied the nature and institution of it; they iven repeated proofs of their personal wisdoe and capacity; this is the better known, as they always keep a public record or register of all reood or bad) actions performed by any of the society; and they can have no temptation tohas no titles or lucrative eht influence or corrupt their judg enjoys is, that he is constantly supplied hatever is necessary for his maintenance, from the contributions of his people; whilst he, in return, directs all his care to the defending and protecting his people fro whatever isa due regard paid to their laws, in registering their s at their general assest these people only that the office of a king is the same as it was at its first institution;-viz a father and protector of his people
The laws of these people are few and simple, but most exactly and punctually observed; the fundaard for each eneral, which is inculcated into them from their earliest infancy; so that this whole coer bands of love and harmony, than oftentiovernments; this naturally prevents all oppressions, fraud, and over-reachings of one another, so couishes that bitter passion of the mind (the source, perhaps, of reat and certain truth, that Love worketh no evil
Their general ed to be present at, is a very strong cement of their love, and indeed of all their other virtues; for, as the general register of their actions, which we have before spoken of, is read at these s, those who have deserved well of the coht of all the rest; and those who have done any thing against their fundanoh sense of pecuniary rewards, and they think the punishi+ng of the body of little service towards a theup this nice sense of honour and shame, they are always enabled to keep their community in better order than the most severe corporeal punishovernments
But what has still more tended to preserve their happiness is, that they know no other use of riches than the enjoyment of them; but, as the word is liable to be misconstrued by many of our readers, we think it necessary to inform them, we do not mean by it that sordid enjoyment which the miser feels when he bolts up his money in a well-secured iron chest, or that delicious pleasure he is sensible of when he counts over his hoarded stores, and finds they are increased with a half-guinea, or even a half-crown; nor do we mean that enjoyment which the well-known Mr
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The people we are speaking of are happily ignorant of such enjoyment oftheir gains into a coains are ser, excepting only that a nominy is affixed on those who do not contribute to the common stock proportionably to their abilities, and the opportunities they have of gain; and this is the source of their uninterrupted happiness; for by this rind thes to torment them; they have no settled habitations, but, like the Scythians of old, remove from place to place, as often as their conveniency or pleasure requires it, which renders their life a perpetual scene of the greatest variety