The Adventures of Roderick Random

Strap Finds Employment

When the narrator returns to their lodging after the disappointing meeting with Cringer, he learns that Strap has found paid employment: on the recommendation of his schoolmaster friend, a local periwig-maker has hired Strap, paying him five shillings a week plus room and board.

Dismissed to Mr. Staytape

Over the next fortnight, the narrator continues attending Cringer’s morning levees every other day, without making progress on his warrant request. One morning, Cringer greets a visiting gentleman with extreme deference, bowing low, calling him a good friend, and asking after his wife and daughters. After a whispered conversation, Cringer introduces the stranger to the narrator as Mr. Staytape, a person who can assist with his request, gives the narrator Staytape’s contact details, and tells him he no longer needs to call at Cringer’s house, as Staytape will handle his business.

Acquaintance with a Fellow Dependent

As the narrator leaves Cringer’s house, a fellow Scottish surgeon who also relies on Cringer’s patronage approaches him in the street, having overheard their exchange. The man is dressed in very fine, fashionable clothing, and after learning the narrator’s situation, offers to give him advice, as he has personal experience navigating the process of securing a Navy surgeon’s warrant.

The Method at the Navy Office and Surgeons’ Hall

The fellow dependent takes the narrator to a nearby alehouse, where he explains the official process required to obtain a surgeon’s mate warrant: first, the applicant must write to the Navy Board requesting a letter directing them to Surgeons’ Hall for an examination of their surgical skills. After passing the exam, the surgeons will issue a sealed qualification letter addressed to the Board’s commissioners, which the applicant must deliver to the Board’s secretary to be opened and read in their presence. The applicant must then use their connections to secure a post as quickly as possible.