The Adventures of Roderick Random

Horseman Captain Falls, Receives Medical Aid

The captain, who had pursued the highwayman, soon arrives at the inn after his horse’s girth broke during the chase, causing him to fall into the mud. He complains bitterly about his bruises. The servant recommends Roderick, who has medical knowledge, to bleed the captain. Roderick performs this service and is rewarded with half-a-crown.

Inn Card Game with Farmers, Exciseman, and Curate

During the time before dinner, Roderick observes a card game in the inn involving two farmers, an exciseman, and a young curate wearing a rusty gown and cassock. The match is clearly unequal, as the two farmers, who are partners, lose all their cash in short order to what Roderick perceives to be a pair of sharpers. When one farmer questions the game’s fairness, the clergyman responds by swearing and asserting his honor.

Curate Shuffle Cheats Farmers, Entertains with Fiddle

Roderick is scandalized by the curate’s indecent behavior, including his swearing and bawdy songs. To compensate for stripping the farmers, the curate produces a fiddle hidden in his gown lining and plays melodiously while singing. His good humor spreads such glee that the farmers forget their losses, and everyone present begins dancing in the yard.

Vicar Arrives, Curate Derides His Conduct

While dancing, the curate spots a horseman approaching and announces the arrival of “our dog of a doctor.” He assists the vicar, a rosy-faced man of about fifty, off his horse with cordial inquiries about his health. The vicar enters the kitchen with great solemnity, calling for ale and a pipe while barely acknowledging the company. When the curate invites him to dinner, the vicar refuses, explaining he must dine at home. After the vicar departs, the curate denounces him as a rascal and complains bitterly about doing all the vicar’s work for only twenty pounds yearly while the vicar enjoys two livings worth four hundred pounds per annum.