castle rackrent-第6部分

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The　second　edition　of　CASTLE　RACKRENT　came　out　with　Miss　Edgeworth's　name　to　it　in　1811。　　'Its　success　was　so　triumphant；'　Mrs。　Edgeworth　writes；'that　some　oneI　heard　his　name　at　the　time；　but　do　not　now　remember　itnot　only　asserted　that　he　was　the　author；　but　actually　took　the　trouble　to　copy　out　several　chapters　with　corrections　and　erasions　as　if　it　was　his　original　manuscript。'

It　was　when　Miss　Edgeworth　first　came　to　Ireland；so　she　tells　one　of　her　correspondents；that　she　met　the　original　Thady　of　CASTLE　RACKRENT。　　His　character　struck　her　very　much；　and　the　story　came　into　her　mind。　　She　purposely　added　to　the　agent's　age　so　as　to　give　time　for　the　events　to　happen。

Honest　Thady　tells　the　story；　you　can　almost　hear　his　voice；　and　see　him　as　he　stands：　'I　wear　a　long　greatcoat　winter　and　summer；　which　is　very　handy；　as　I　never　put　my　arms　into　the　sleeves；　they　are　as　good　as　new；　though　come　Holantide　next　I've　had　it　these　seven　years：　it　holds　on　by　a　single　button　round　my　neck；　cloak　fashion。　　To　look　at　me；　you　would　hardly　think　〃Poor　Thady〃　was　the　father　of　Attorney　Quirk；　he　is　a　high　gentleman；　and　never　minds　what　poor　Thady　says；　and　having　better　than　fifteen　hundred　a　year　landed　estate；　looks　down　upon　honest　Thady；　but　I　wash　my　hands　of　his　doings；　and　as　I　have　lived；　so　will　I　die；　true　and　loyal　to　the　family。　　The　family　of　Rackrents　is；　I　am　proud　to　say；　one　of　the　most　ancient　in　the　kingdom。'　　And　then　he　gives　the　history　of　the　Rackrents；　beginning　with　Sir　Patrick；　who　could　sit　out　the　best　man　in　Ireland；　let　alone　the　three　kingdoms　itself；　and　who　fitted　up　the　chicken…house　to　accommodate　his　friends　when　they　honoured　him　unexpectedly　with　their　company。　　There　was　'such　a　fine　whillaluh　at　Sir　Patrick's　funeral；　you　might　have　heard　it　to　the　farthest　end　of　the　county；　and　happy　the　man　who　could　get　but　a　sight　of　the　hearse。'　　Then　came　Sir　Murtagh；　who　used　to　boast　that　he　had　a　law…suit　for　every　letter　in　the　alphabet。　'He　dug　up　a　fairy…mount　against　my　advice；'　says　Thady；　'and　had　no　luck　afterwards。　。　。　。　Sir　Murtagh　in　his　passion　broke　a　blood…vessel；　and　all　the　law　in　the　land　could　do　nothing　in　that　case。　。　。　。　My　lady　had　a　fine　jointure　settled　upon　her；　and　took　herself　away；　to　the　great　joy　of　the　tenantry。　　I　never　said　anything　one　way　or　the　other；'　says　Thady；　'whilst　she　was　part　of　the　family；　but　got　up　to　see　her　go　at　three　o'clock　in　the　morning。　　〃It's　a　fine　morning；　honest　Thady；〃　says　she；　〃good…bye　to　ye；〃　and　into　the　carriage　she　stepped；　without　a　word　more；　good　or　bad；　or　even　half…a…crown；　but　I　made　my　bow；　and　stood　to　see　her　safe　out　of　sight　for　the　sake　of　the　family。'

How　marvellously　vivid　it　all　is！　　every　word　tells　as　the　generations　pass　before　us。　　The　very　spirit　of　romantic　Irish　fidelity　is　incarnate　in　Thady。　　Jason　Quirk　represents　the　feline　element；　which　also　belongs　to　our　extraordinary　Celtic　race。　　The　little　volume　contains　the　history　of　a　nation。　　It　is　a　masterpiece　which　Miss　Edgeworth　has　never　surpassed。　　It　is　almost　provoking　to　have　so　many　details　of　other　and　less　interesting　stories；　such　as　EARLY　LESSONS；　A　KNAPSACK；　THE　PRUSSIAN　VASE；　etc。；　and　to　hear　so　little　of　these　two　books　by　which　she　will　be　best　remembered。


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AUTHOR'S　PREFACE

The　Prevailing　taste　of　the　public　for　anecdote　has　been　censured　and　ridiculed　by　critics　who　aspire　to　the　character　of　superior　wisdom；　but　if　we　consider　it　in　a　proper　point　of　view；　this　taste　is　an　incontestable　proof　of　the　good　sense　and　profoundly　philosophic　temper　of　the　present　times。　　Of　the　numbers　who　study；　or　at　least　who　read　history；　how　few　derive　any　advantage　from　their　labours！　　The　heroes　of　history　are　so　decked　out　by　the　fine　fancy　of　the　professed　historian；　they　talk　in　such　measured　prose；　and　act　from　such　sublime　or　such　diabolical　motives；　that　few　have　sufficient　taste；　wickedness；　or　heroism；　to　sympathise　in　their　fate。　　Besides；　there　is　much　uncertainty　even　in　the　best　authenticated　ancient　or　modern　histories；　and　that　love　of　truth；　which　in　some　minds　is　innate　and　immutable；　necessarily　leads　to　a　love　of　secret　memoirs　and　private　anecdotes。　　We　cannot　judge　either　of　the　feelings　or　of　the　characters　of　men　with　perfect　accuracy；　from　their　actions　or　their　appearance　in　public；　it　is　from　their　careless　conversations；　their　half…finished　sentences；　that　we　may　hope　with　the　greatest　probability　of　success　to　discover　their　real　characters。　　The　life　of　a　great　or　of　a　little　man　written　by　himself；　the　familiar　letters；　the　diary　of　any　individual　published　by　his　friends　or　by　his　enemies；　after　his　decease；　are　esteemed　important　literary　curiosities。　　We　are　surely　justified；　in　this　eager　desire；　to　collect　the　most　minute　facts　relative　to　the　domestic　lives；　not　only　of　the　great　and　good；　but　even　of　the　worthless　and　insignificant；　since　it　is　only　by　a　comparison　of　their　actual　happiness　or　misery　in　the　privacy　of　domestic　life　that　we　can　form　a　just　estimate　of　the　real　reward　of　virtue；　or　the　real　punishment　of　vice。　　That　the　great　are　not　as　happy　as　they　seem；　that　the　external　circumstances　of　fortune　and　rank　do　not　constitute　felicity；　is　asserted　by　every　moralist：　　the　historian　can　seldom；　consistently　with　his　dignity；　pause　to　illustrate　this　truth；　it　is　therefore　to　the　biographer　we　must　have　recourse。　　After　we　have　beheld　splendid　characters　playing　their　parts　on　the　great　theatre　of　the　world；　with　all　the　advantages　of　stage　effect　and　decoration；　we　anxiously　beg　to　be　admitted　behind　the　scenes；　that　we　may　take　a　nearer　view　of　the　actors　and　actresses。

Some　may　perhaps　imagine　that　the　value　of　biography　depends　upon　the　judgment　and　taste　of　the　biographer；　but　on　the　contrary　it　may　be　maintained；　that　the　merits　of　a　biographer　are　inversely　as　the　extent　of　his　intellectual　powers　and　of　his　literary　talents。　　A　plain　unvarnished　tale　is　preferable　to　the　most　highly　ornamented　narrative。　　Where　we　see　that　a　man　has　the　power；　we　may　naturally　suspect　that　he　has　the　will　to　deceive　us；　and　those　who　are　used　to　literary　manufacture　know　how　much　is　often　sacrificed　to　the　rounding　of　a　period；　or　the　pointing　of　an　antithesis。

That　the　ignorant　may　have　their　prejudices　as　well　as　the　learned　cannot　be　disputed；　but　we　see　and　despise　vulgar　errors：　we　never　bow　to　the　authority　of　him　who　has　no　great　name　to　sanction　his　absurdities。　　The　partiality　which　blinds　a　biographer　to　the　defects　of　his　hero；　in　proportion　as　it　is　gross；　ceases　to　be　dangerous；　but　if　it　be　concealed　by　the　appearance　of　candour；　which　men　of　great　abilities　best　know　how　to　assume；　it　endangers　our　judgment　sometimes；　and　sometimes　our　morals。　　If　her　Grace　the　Duchess　of　Newcastle；　instead　of　penning　her　lord's　elaborate　eulogium；　had　undertaken　to　write　the　life　of　Savage；　we　should　not　have　been　in　any　danger　of　mistaking　an　idle；　ungrateful　libertine　for　a　man　of　genius　and　virtue。　　The　talents　of　a　biographer　are　often　fatal　to　his　reader。　　For　these　reasons　the　public　often　judiciously　countenance　those　who；　without　sagacity　to　discriminate　character；　without　elegance　of　style　to　relieve　the　tediousness　of　narrative；　without　enlargement　of　mind　to　draw　any　conclusions　from　the　facts　they　relate；　simply　pour　forth　anecdotes；　and　retail　conversations；　with　all　the　minute　prolixity　of　a　gossip　in　a　country　town。

The　author　of　the　following　Memoirs　has　upon　these　grounds　fair　claims　to　the　public　favour　and　attention；　he　was　an　illiterate　old　steward；　whose　partiality　to　THE　FAMILY；　in　which　he　was　bred　and　born；　must　be　obvious　to　the　reader。　　He　tells　the　history　of　the　Rackrent　family　in　his　vernacular　idiom；　and　in　the　full　confidence　that　Sir　Patrick；　Sir　Murtagh；　Sir　Kit；　and　Sir　Condy　Rackrent's　affairs　will　be　as　interesting　to　all　the　world　as　they　were　to　himself。　　Those　who　were　acquainted　with　the　manners　of　a　certain　class　of　the　gentry　of　Ireland　some　years　ago；　will　want　no　evidence　of　the　truth　of　honest　Thady's　narrative；　to　those　who　are　totally　unacquainted　with　Ireland；　the　following　Memoirs　will　perhaps　be　scarcely　intelligible；　or　probably　they　may　appear　perfectly　incredible。　　For　the　information　of　the　IGNORANT　English　reader；　a　few　notes　have　been　subjoined　by　the　editor；　and　he　had　it　once　in　contemplation　to　translate　the　language　of　Thady　into　plain　English；　but　Thady's　idiom　is　incapable　of　translation；　and；　besides；　the　authenticity　of　his　story　would　have　been　more　exposed　to　doubt　if　it　were　not　told　in　his　own　characteristic　manner。　　Several　years　ago　he　related　to　the　editor　the　history　of　the　Rackrent　family；　and　it　was　with　some　difficulty　that　he　was　persuaded　to　have　it　committed　to　writing；　however；　his　feelings　for　'THE　HONOUR　OF　THE　FAMILY；'　as　he　expressed　himself；　prevailed　over　his　habitual　laziness；　and　he　at　length　completed　the　narrative　which　is　now　laid　before　the　public。

The　editor　hopes　his　readers　will　observe　that　these　are　'tales　of　other　times；'　that　the　manners　depicted　in　the　following　pages　are　not　those　of　the　present　age；　the　race　of　the　Rackrents　has　long　since　been　extinct　in　Ireland；　and　the　drunken　Sir　Patrick；　the　litigious　Sir　Murtagh；　the　fighting　Sir　Kit；　and　the　slovenly　Sir　Condy；　are　characters　which　could　no　more　be　met　with　at　present　in　Ireland；　than　Squire　Western　or　Parson　Trulliber　in　England。　　There　is　a　time　when　individuals　can　bear　to　be　rallied　for　their　past　follies　and　absurdities；　after　they　have　acquired　new　habits　and　a　new　consciousness。　　Nations；　as　well　as　individuals；　gradually　lose　attachment　to　their　identity；　and　the　present　generation　is　amused；　rather　than　offended；　by　the　ridicule　that　is　thrown　upon　its　ancestors。

Probably　we　shall　soon　have　it　in　our　power；　in　a　hundred　instances；　to　verify　the　truth　of　these　observations。

When　Ireland　loses　her　identity　by　an　union　with　Great　Britain；　she　will　look　back；　with　a　smile　of　good…humoured　complacency；　on　the　Sir　Kits　and　Sir　Condys　of　her　former　existence。

1800。


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CASTLE　RACKRENT


MONDAY　MORNING　＇See　GLOSSARY　1＇。

Having；　out　of　friendship　for　the　family；　upon　whose　estate；　praised　be　Heaven！　　I　and　mine　have　liv