The Adventures of Roderick Random

Banter Roasts Medlar

Banter Roasts Medlar After visiting an art auction and walking on the Mall, the group goes to a dinner ordinary, where Banter announces he intends to roast Medlar. He begins by feigning concern for Medlar’s health, implying he was out late carousing the night before, then spins a fabricated story about finding Medlar dancing bareheaded in a gin house with a group of destitute women at Medlar’s expense, warning him his late-night habits will ruin his health in his old age. When Medlar protests, Banter brings up a past humiliation: when Medlar had courted a wealthy Islington widow, a false rumor about his manhood had gotten him discarded, and Banter had fixed the situation by lying to the widow that Medlar had three illegitimate children in the country. The made-up story draws laughter from the whole table and enrages Medlar, who hurls insults at Banter and claims Banter invented the story because Medlar refused to lend him money for his debauched habits. Banter fires back with embarrassing, specific details about Medlar’s constant poverty: that he sometimes sleeps 24 hours straight to skip meals, subsists on bread, cheese and small beer, or eats cheap ox cheek in a cellar. Medlar flies into a rage, swears he can always afford to pay Banter’s tailor bills, and threatens to sue Banter for defamation, but is so angry he loses his appetite and cannot eat another bite, while Banter mocks him and advises him to stock up food for his upcoming fast.

Medlar Warns Against Banter

Medlar Warns Against Banter After dinner, when Banter leaves for an appointment, Medlar pulls the narrator aside to warn him about Banter. He calls Banter a dissolute rake who has already wasted a large fortune and his health on prostitutes, and says Banter has corrupted many young men by introducing them to debauched company and setting lewd examples of vice, warning the narrator that Banter will soon rob him of both his money and his reputation if he is not careful. The narrator thanks Medlar for the warning but privately wishes Medlar had given it earlier, before the narrator lost five guineas to Banter in a recent bet. The narrator suspects Medlar’s warning is motivated by revenge for the humiliation Banter inflicted on him at dinner.

Consulting Wagtail on Banter

Consulting Wagtail on Banter As soon as he can get away from Medlar, the narrator asks Wagtail for his opinion of Banter’s character, planning to compare the two conflicting accounts and form his own judgment. Wagtail describes Banter as a well-born, wealthy, charming gentleman, a scholar, wit, and critic who is well-connected in London society, with unassailable honor and courage, though some of his past extravagances and talent for satire have made him enemies and led some people to avoid his company. From the two contrasting descriptions, the narrator concludes Banter is a talented young man who has spent his fortune but kept his vices, and has grown bitter with the world because he can no longer live the lifestyle he wants.

Evening at the Play

Evening at the Play The narrator goes to the Bedford Coffee-house that evening, meets up with Wagtail and Banter, and the group goes to a theater performance together. After the play, the narrator takes the two men back to his lodgings, where they share a friendly, cheerful supper.

CHAPITRE XLIX.

This chapter follows the narrator as he receives a violent duel challenge from Irish suitor Rourk Oregan, who claims Melinda Goosetrap is promised to him. The pair amicably resolve their dispute after a failed standoff at Montague House, with the narrator agreeing to advocate for Oregan with Melinda. Strap intervenes and has the narrator arrested out of concern for his safety, but he is immediately released once the duel is confirmed over. The narrator meets Oregan’s impoverished friends and outfits Oregan in new clothes from his own wardrobe. He then visits Melinda, recounts the duel incident, and formally proposes marriage, only to be rejected by both Melinda and her mother when he cannot meet her demands for a full financial settlement and rent-roll. The chapter closes with the narrator confiding the rejection to Strap while hiding his secret relief that the courtship has ended.