The Adventures of Roderick Random

Confrontation with the Young Squire

The uncle addressed the young squire, explaining that the dogs had boarded him without provocation and what he did was in self-defense. He advised the squire to be civil and let them pass. Whether the young squire misinterpreted the uncle’s desire of peace or was enraged at the fate of his hounds beyond his usual pitch of resolution is unclear, but he snatched a flail from one of his followers and threatened to assault the lieutenant, who responded with a nautical declaration of his own. The young gentleman’s choler was checked when he perceived that his attendants had slunk into the house, shut the gate, and left him to decide the contention by himself.

Admission to the Grandfather

A parley ensued during which the young squire demanded to know who the uncle was and what he wanted. After a few minutes’ pause, they were admitted and conducted to the grandfather’s chamber through a lane of relations who honored the narrator with very significant looks as he passed along. The grandfather, laid up with the gout, received this relation after his long absence with coldness of civility.

Dialogue with the Judge

The uncle, after two or three sea-bows, addressed the grandfather as “father” and explained that the boy with him was Roderick Random, his own nephew and the grandfather’s flesh and blood. He demanded that the grandfather do something for the poor boy who had been used at a very unchristian rate. He contrasted this neglect with the favor shown to the young squire, pointing out that the narrator was equally near akin to the grandfather. He rebuked the grandfather for his wrongs to the narrator’s father and urged him to make satisfaction before it be too late.