The Adventures of Roderick Random

The Narrator’s Biased Religious Interrogation

With Morgan removed, the clerk proceeds to examine the narrator. He asks about the place of the narrator’s nativity, and when told it is the north of Scotland, Oakum declares it more likely the north of Ireland. The examination then focuses on religion. When the narrator declares himself a Protestant, Oakum immediately labels him an arrant Roman Catholic. The clerk attempts to make him swear on the sign of the cross, which Oakum forbids as profanation. Questions follow about sacraments; the narrator’s correct answer of two (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) is met with accusations that he would reject confirmation and marriage. The examination exposes Oakum’s own Roman Catholic background while demonstrating the court’s religious prejudice and ignorance.

False Conspiracy Charges and Thompson’s Suicide Letter

The examination turns to accusations of espionage and conspiracy against the captain’s life. The court claims the narrator entered into a conspiracy with Thompson and others, using sinister means like poison and pistol to destroy Oakum. A ship’s boy testifies to overhearing whispered words including “Oakum, rascal, poison, pistol.” The court claims Thompson’s death proves the conspiracy, suggesting he either felt remorse or feared discovery. The narrator produces Thompson’s suicide letter, brought by Jack Rattlin, which explains Thompson’s death quite differently. The letter reveals that Thompson was driven to suicide by the fatigue and barbarous usage of Doctor Mackshane, who was bent on destroying both Thompson and the narrator. Upon reading the letter aloud, Mackshane immediately snatches it, tears it into pieces, and declares it a villainous forgery. The captain and clerk support this accusation, though the narrator insists the remains should be compared with Thompson’s other writings.