Marmozet Becomes Joint Patentee
Brayer favors the play with attention, proposes alterations, and promises on his honour to bring it on next winter, provided the copy is delivered before the end of April. Melopoyn submits to these conditions and performs them accordingly. However, during the summer, Mr. Marmozet becomes joint patentee with Mr. Brayer. When Melopoyn claims performance of the agreement, he is told Brayer can do nothing without his partner’s consent, and Marmozet is pre-engaged to another author.
Imprisonment and Conclusion
Melopoyn’s condition becomes desperate when his good friend and landlord dies. The executors obtain judgment against his effects, seize them, and turn him out into the streets. He is arrested at the suit of his tailor and thrown into prison, where he has lived five weeks on the bounty of fellow prisoners. His life is scarcely tolerable until Random’s uncommon benevolence enables him to enjoy it with comfort.
CHAPTER LXIV
The source text recounts the narrator’s transition from deep despair in prison to his uncle’s unexpected rescue and his subsequent departure as a ship’s surgeon. The narrative follows his emotional struggles, interactions with fellow prisoners, and ultimate acceptance of a maritime career that will take him away from England.
Deep Melancholy
The narrator sinks into profound depression following his imprisonment. Despite the narrator’s earlier commentary criticizing his simplicity and lamenting the knavery of those who duped him, he now finds himself consumed by melancholy thoughts of Narcissa. He contemplates her image constantly, weeps over memories of her enchanting features, and curses his fate for separating them. His attempts to find solace through diversions at Jackson’s card parties and games prove futile as relentless melancholy takes hold of his soul. He sends Strap daily to inquire at Banter’s lodgings in hopes of hearing from his beloved, but each disappointment only deepens his despair.
Slovenly Condition
Over three months of imprisonment, the narrator neglects all personal hygiene and appearance. He stops washing, shaving, or changing clothes. His face becomes gaunt from poor eating, covered in dirt, and his hair grows wild and unkempt. His overall appearance becomes so squalid and frightful that when Strap finally brings him news that someone below wants to speak with him, he rushes downstairs expecting a letter from Narcissa, only to discover a much more welcome visitor who immediately recognizes the deplorable state to which he has fallen.
Uncle’s Arrival
Strap brings word that a man has arrived wishing to speak with him. The narrator rushes downstairs expecting news from his beloved, but instead discovers his generous uncle, Mr. Bowling. The uncle initially mistakes him for an escaped lunatic, drawing his hanger and demanding the turnkey improve his guard. After the narrator’s voice jogs his memory, Mr. Bowling shakes his hand with great affection, expressing concern at finding his nephew in such wretched condition. The uncle has traveled from the Coast of Guinea and, upon learning the particulars of the narrator’s circumstances, provides immediate assistance.
Uncle’s Maritime Success
Mr. Bowling recounts his recent profitable voyage. He served as mate on a ship attacked by a French privateer during which the captain was killed. Bowling took command, sank the enemy vessel, and subsequently captured a merchant ship from Martinico laden with sugar, indigo, and silver. He carried this prize safely to Kinsale in Ireland where it was condemned as lawful plunder. This exploit earned him both a substantial sum of money and the favor of his owners, who have already promoted him to command a large ship armed with twenty nine-pounders, ready to sail on a lucrative voyage whose destination he cannot yet reveal.
Surgeon Offer
After paying off the narrator’s debt to the tailor who had arrested him, Mr. Bowling proposes that the narrator sail with him as his ship’s surgeon. He promises this position will enable the narrator to accumulate a fortune within a few years through industry. The uncle further offers to leave him his entire estate upon his death. When the narrator hesitates, expressing concern about abandoning his love for Narcissa, Mr. Bowling dismissively suggests that love stems from idleness and will fade once the narrator becomes occupied with business and money-making.
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