The Adventures of Roderick Random

Committed to the Round-House

Upon discovering the theft, Jackson threatens the two women sitting beside him and accuses the landlady, Mrs. Harridan, of robbery. The landlady counters by charging Jackson with scandalizing her reputation and assault. One of the women, offended by the narrator’s remarks, declares they are all complicit, and the constable arrests everyone. They are transported to the round-house as prisoners. Jackson reports his robbery to the constable, who reveals that Mrs. Harridan runs a notorious establishment protected by corrupt justices who receive quarterly payments. The constable warns that without settling the matter, they could face hard labor in Bridewell or even trial at the Old Bailey. The constable arranges an arbitration, fining each party three shillings for a bowl of punch that restores peace. When the bowl is finished, the constable explains that only the justice can discharge prisoners.

Carried Before the Justice

The group is escorted to a justice’s house near Covent Garden at about nine o’clock. The justice immediately assumes they are thieves and greets them with hostility. He mistakes the narrator for a transported criminal named Patrick Gaghagan, despite the narrator’s protests. When Jackson attempts to correct the justice, he is threatened with being called a notorious felon. The terrified Jackson falls silent, which the justice interprets as proof of guilt. However, after speaking privately with the constable and learning the truth, the justice adopts a different demeanor. He explains that terrifying young people upon their first appearance before him is his usual practice to deter them from future riot and debauchery. After cloaking his initial error under this pretense of paternal concern, the justice dismisses them all, leaving the narrator immensely relieved.

CHAPTER XVIII

This chapter follows the narrator through a series of setbacks and fortuitous encounters: his disappointing visit to the Navy Office where qualification for a naval position proves fruitless, Strap’s frantic search that culminates in a physical altercation with a blacksmith, and the schoolmaster’s intervention that secures the narrator a journeyman position with a French apothecary. The narrative explores themes of poverty, pride, loyalty, and the serendipitous nature of opportunity in 18th-century London.

Qualification at the Navy Office

The narrator accompanies his companions to deliver their qualification letters at the Navy Office before one o’clock. He discovers he is qualified to serve as second mate of a third-rate ship, which pleases him greatly. The group asks the secretary about vacancies, but receives a curt “No!” in response. When the narrator inquires about ships being put in commission soon, the secretary regards him with utter contempt before pushing them out and locking his office door without further comment.

The Secretary’s Contempt

After leaving the Navy Office, the narrator learns that his companions had been recommended to various commissioners and promised first consideration for vacancies. However, they explain that none rely solely on such interest—they have prepared bribes for the secretary, as some commissioners share in these payments. When asked what he intends to give, the narrator faces an uncomfortable situation: he lacks the means to offer anything, having barely enough to survive. He slips away toward his lodging, cursing his grandfather’s harshness and his relatives’ stinginess that have left him vulnerable to contempt and poverty.

Strap’s Search for the Narrator

Upon returning to his lodging, the narrator finds his landlord relieved—he had feared some terrible accident. Strap, who visited that morning and learned the narrator had been out all night, was nearly frantic with worry. After obtaining permission from his master, Strap set out to find his friend despite knowing almost nothing about London. The narrator fabricates a story about meeting an acquaintance at Surgeons’ Hall to explain his absence. Later that afternoon, Strap arrives at the chamber, having searched Surgeons’ Hall, the Navy Office, and ’Change without success before resorting to stopping people on the street to inquire about the narrator.

The Blacksmith’s Taunt

While Strap desperately asks every passerby about the narrator, he endures mockery and curses. An apprentice blacksmith overhears Strap questioning a porter and asks if the person he seeks is Scottish. Strap eagerly confirms and describes the narrator’s brown coat with long skirts. The blacksmith cruelly jokes that he saw this man heading toward Tyburn in a cart, implying he might be hanged. The taunt enrages Strap, who calls the blacksmith a scoundrel and declares he will fight him over a half-farthing wager.