The Adventures of Roderick Random

Uncle Bowling’s Explanation

Uncle Bowling’s Explanation

Summary: The narrator reads two letters: one from Uncle Bowling to the apothecary explaining that he quit HMS Thunder after being compelled to kill Captain Oakum in self-defense on the beach at Cape Tiberoon in Hispaniola. Bowling is now safely among the French and has sent an account to his landlord in Deal to lay before the king. The second letter is a personal note to the narrator advising him to mind his studies, explaining Mr. Potion will continue caring for him out of friendship, and promising eventual repayment.

Eviction by the Apothecary

Eviction by the Apothecary

Summary: After reading the letters, the apothecary gives the narrator notice to vacate within the week, claiming hard times, unpaid expenses for the narrator’s maintenance, and a need for the apartment for a new apprentice arriving from the country. The narrator, indignant at this mean-spirited response to his reverses, pays his debt to the last farthing from his pocket money and declares he will not stay another night under the apothecary’s roof.

False Sympathy from a Pretended Friend

False Sympathy from a Pretended Friend

Summary: The narrator sallies out with only three shillings in his purse, hires a small bedroom at one shilling and sixpence per week paid in advance, and the next morning seeks assistance from a person who had always shown him affection and offered friendship. This man receives him cordially and insists on breakfast, but when the narrator explains his situation, he appears disconcerted. Upon hearing of the narrator’s dignified departure from the apothecary’s, this pretended friend inexplicably defends the apothecary and demands the narrator never return, which the narrator agrees to, reproaching himself for not having recognized his false character sooner.