, as the
Days of whipping were at an End, the Tutor had no other Vent but his own Mouth
for his Gall, the usual poor Resource of impotent Revenge.
    But Square, who was a less violent, was a much more artful Man; and as he
hated Jones more, perhaps, than Thwackum himself did, so he contrived to do him
more Mischief in the Mind of Mr. Allworthy.
    The Reader must remember the several little Incidents of the Partridge, the
Horse, and the Bible, which were recounted in the second Book. By all which
Jones had rather improved than injured the Affection which Mr. Allworthy was
inclined to entertain for him. The same, I believe, must have happened to him
with every other Person who hath any Idea of Friendship, Generosity, and
Greatness of Spirit; that is to say, who hath any Traces of Goodness in his
Mind.
    Square himself was not unacquainted with the true Impression which those
several Instances of Goodness had made on the excellent Heart of Allworthy; for
the Philosopher very well knew what Virtue was, though he was not always,
perhaps, steady in its Pursuit; but as for Thwackum, from what Reason I will not
determine, no such Thoughts ever entered into his Head. He saw Jones in a bad
Light, and he imagined Allworthy saw him in the same, but that he was resolved,
from Pride and Stubbornness of Spirit, not to give up the Boy whom he had once
cherished, since, by so doing, he must tacitly acknowledge that his former
Opinion of him had been wrong.
    Square therefore embraced this Opportunity of injuring Jones in the
tenderest Part, by giving a very bad Turn to all these before-mentioned
Occurrences. »I am sorry, Sir,« said he, »to own I have been deceived as well as
yourself. I could not, I confess, help being pleased with what I ascribed to the
Motive of Friendship, though it was carried to an Excess, and all Excess is
faulty, and vicious; but in this I made Allowance for Youth. Little did I
suspect that the Sacrifice of Truth, which we both imagined to have been made to
Friendship, was, in reality, a Prostitution of it to a depraved and debauched
Appetite. You now plainly see whence all the seeming Generosity of this young
Man to the Family of the Game-keeper proceeded. He supported the Father in order
to corrupt the Daughter, and preserved the Family from starving, to bring one of
them to Shame and Ruin. This is Friendship! this is Generosity! As Sir Richard
Steele
