6. BOOK VI.
1. CHAP. I.
THE Captain had now leisure to reflect
on the predicament in which
he left Teague; and thinking he might
have had what was sufficient to cure him
of his folly, or at least restrain it, thought
of making a visit to the house of employment,
or sending to liberate the valet.
This thought running in his head, he
naturally suggested it to a gentleman with
whom he was, at this time, in conversation,
on indifferent subjects; the gentleman
lodging at the same inn, or public
house, and seeming to be a person of considerable
shrewdness and discernment, not
only of the affairs of men in general, but
of the special spirit and character of these
times.
Said the gentleman; The folly of your
man has certainly been very great, to suppose,
that he could be qualified to sustain
the profession of an advocate, and to practise
law: For, though in this, as in most
other professions, “the race is not always
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong;”
but the people that sheweth favour; that is,
take up an opinion of abilities, where
there are none; yet your servant, having
so little, even of the semblance of qualification,
it would be counting too much on
the circumstance, to promise great success
in his case. His prospect of advancement
would be much more certain in the political
career. You seem, by your account,
to have discouraged him in taking a feat in
the legislature; and would not wish now
to contradict yourself: yet why not indulge
him in taking a place in the executive
of some government. As far as I see,
with that ambition which is natural to him,
you will find him but of little use, as a
waiter; and you may as well let him do
something for himself, as not. If appointed
in the department of finance, he can
use clerks; and, in a very short time, he
may learn to write his name, so as to give
his signature to any paper; and this, with
the help of clerks to do the accountant business,
would be sufficient: At least, there
have been those in these departments, who
have been approved, and yet could do little
more. Should he even become a governor;
furnished with a secretary, he can
be at no loss to compose his messages, or
other communications, to individuals, or
public bodies.
But what I would propose, and will
suit him best, will be to go into the general
government; and, under this, the
diplomatic line will be eligible. He might
be appointed consul to the port of Cork
or Dublin; or the Barbary States; or other
places: Or he might go as ambassador
to the grand Mogul; or envoy extraordinary
to the king of England; or
other princes or potentates in Europe.
If you should think of favouring him in
this career, it will be necessary for him to
appear at the levee of the president, that
he may be introduced with a certain gradual
etiquette of advancement.
What! said the Captain; introduce a
ragged bog-trotter to the president of the
United States!
Not ragged, said the gentleman; you
can have a pair of breeches made for him;
and put shoes upon his feet: a sword will
be necessary; and some other articles of
equipment. And when you bring this
into view with his making his fortune,
you will not consider it as advancing much
for a person whom you wish to serve.
The Captain began to think there was
weight in the observations of this gentleman;
and that it might be proper to let
the bog-trotter have a chance of doing
what he could: Accordingly, he wrote a
note to the keeper of the house of employment,
to liberate him for the present.
The state of politics at this time, and
the prospect of Teague's advancement, we
shall leave to the Third Volume of this
work.
