The Adventures of Roderick Random

Corrupt Witnesses Testify Against Morgan

The testimony against Morgan comes from witnesses who have been seduced and tutored by Mackshane for the purpose. Mackshane’s servant testifies that Morgan, descending the cockpit-ladder, called the captain a savage beast and said he ought to be hunted down as an enemy to mankind. The clerk interprets this as strong presumption of a design against the captain’s life, presupposing malice aforethought. A boy from their mess confirms that Morgan called the captain a bear and the surgeon an ass. A sentinel testifies that Morgan prophesied Oakum and Mackshane would “toss upon billows of burning brimstone in hell” for their cruelty. The clerk claims this proves Morgan planned to kill them before they could repent.

Morgan Defends His Metaphorical Insults

When confronted with the testimonies, Morgan acknowledges the words but denies their malicious interpretation. He explains that he spoke by metaphor, parable, comparison, and types, using figures of speech as people traditionally do. He compares his language to how one signifies meekness by a lamb, lechery by a goat, and craftiness by a fox. By the same principle, he likens ignorance to an ass, brutality to a bear, and fury to a tiger. Morgan insists he spoke these words before God and will not unsay them before man, asserting his right to express his sentiments through figurative language rather than literal accusations. Oakum considers this defence insolence and orders Morgan back to confinement.

The Narrator’s Biased Religious Interrogation

With Morgan removed, the clerk proceeds to examine the narrator. He asks about the place of the narrator’s nativity, and when told it is the north of Scotland, Oakum declares it more likely the north of Ireland. The examination then focuses on religion. When the narrator declares himself a Protestant, Oakum immediately labels him an arrant Roman Catholic. The clerk attempts to make him swear on the sign of the cross, which Oakum forbids as profanation. Questions follow about sacraments; the narrator’s correct answer of two (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) is met with accusations that he would reject confirmation and marriage. The examination exposes Oakum’s own Roman Catholic background while demonstrating the court’s religious prejudice and ignorance.

False Conspiracy Charges and Thompson’s Suicide Letter

The examination turns to accusations of espionage and conspiracy against the captain’s life. The court claims the narrator entered into a conspiracy with Thompson and others, using sinister means like poison and pistol to destroy Oakum. A ship’s boy testifies to overhearing whispered words including “Oakum, rascal, poison, pistol.” The court claims Thompson’s death proves the conspiracy, suggesting he either felt remorse or feared discovery. The narrator produces Thompson’s suicide letter, brought by Jack Rattlin, which explains Thompson’s death quite differently. The letter reveals that Thompson was driven to suicide by the fatigue and barbarous usage of Doctor Mackshane, who was bent on destroying both Thompson and the narrator. Upon reading the letter aloud, Mackshane immediately snatches it, tears it into pieces, and declares it a villainous forgery. The captain and clerk support this accusation, though the narrator insists the remains should be compared with Thompson’s other writings.

Dispute Over the Alleged Cipher Diary

The final accusation concerns a book of “ciphers” found among the narrator’s papers. The narrator explains these are simply Greek characters, used to keep a diary of everything remarkable since the voyage began until he was put in irons. Thompson copied this method. Mackshane scoffs at the explanation, demanding what occasion there was for Greek characters if not to hide seditious writings. He claims the characters are not Greek but Chinese. The doctor even produces gibberish that sounds like Irish and passes it off as Greek, supported by the captain’s credulity. Morgan is brought back to examine the book and reads an entire page in English, proving the characters are indeed Greek and legible. Rather than concede, Mackshane claims Morgan was in on the deception.

Fraudulent Greek Language Test

The narrator proposes referring the dispute to any qualified person on board who understands Greek. Oakum orders the entire ship’s company, officers and all, summoned to deck. Two foremast men claim skill in Greek acquired during voyages to the Levant among Greeks of the Morea. When tested, one admits he can neither read nor write, while the other produces only barbarous corrupted language. The narrator explains that modern Greek differs from ancient Greek as much as modern English differs from old Saxon. He offers to face Mackshane in conversation with these seamen, but Mackshane instead addresses one of them in Irish, and they conduct a dialogue they claim is Greek. The captain accepts this false testimony and declares the narrator’s protestations an imposture. Despite the narrator’s offer to translate any passage from the Greek Testament to prove the truth, the court refuses, and Morgan is dismissed to confinement.