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Unit 3: Joseph Andrews-II: Detailed Study of the Text

prospective buyer of hogs, and Adams’s “natural Complacence” forces him to go through the Notes
motions of inspecting the livestock before purchasing. One unruly hog throws him in the mire,
however, whereupon Mr. Adams declares in Latin that he has no interest in pigs. Parson
Trulliber blames his wife for the confusion and disparages her as a fool. While Mr. Adams is
washing up, Trulliber insults his wife again and invites Adams into the kitchen for refreshment,
telling Mrs. Trulliber under his breath to bring “a little of the worst Ale.” The two clergymen
sit down to eat breakfast, with Mrs. Trulliber serving and Parson Trulliber criticizing her
cookery. After breakfast, Adams gets down to business, explaining his need for a loan of seven
shillings for the current bill plus seven shillings more for the road. Trulliber recoils from this
request, pretending to take offense at the suggestion that he has amassed any worldly wealth,
as if a Christian’s treasure were of this world. Mr. Adams is delighted with Trulliber’s otherworldly
virtue but persists in his request for the sake of his friends. Parson Trulliber then accuses him
of impersonating a clergyman in order to beg for money. Mr. Adams suggests, “Suppose I am
not a Clergyman, I am nevertheless thy Brother, and thou, as a Christian, much more as a
Clergyman, art obliged to relieve my Distress.” He warns that faith is nothing without good
works and declares, “Whoever therefore is void of Charity, I make no scruple of pronouncing
that he is no Christian.” Parson Trulliber threatens him with his fist, but Mr. Adams departs
with a smile.

Chapter XV

Mr. Adams returns to Joseph and Fanny, where Joseph suggests as a last resort that they ask
the Hostess, a sour-faced old woman, to trust them to pay their bill later. The Hostess surprises
them by complying. Fielding attributes this kindness to the Hostess’s confusion over the
relation between Adams and Parson Trulliber: as she believes them to be not “brothers” in the
cloth but biological brothers, she does not wish to affront the fearsome Parson by insisting on
an upfront payment of the bill. When a servant of hers goes to fetch the greatcoat and hat
Adams has left at the Trulliber’s’, however, the illusion is shattered and the Hostess retracts
her offer of credit. Mr. Adams thus has to canvass the parish for charity, but in vain; he
returns disillusioned with the lack of Christian charity in the country.

A poor Pedlar, meanwhile, has been listening to the Hostess’s remarks on her unfortunate
guests, and he loans Mr. Adams enough money to cover what he cannot pay. The three
companions thank him profusely, tell him where he can call for repayment, and depart: “And
thus these poor People, who could not engage the Compassion of Riches and Piety, were at
length delivered out of their Distress by the Charity of a poor Pedlar.”

Chapter XVI
After walking for about two miles, the companions reach another inn, where a courteous and
gregarious Squire sits smoking by the door. This Squire, who says that he owns the large
house nearby, invites the travelers into the inn for refreshment. During the meal, he applauds
Mr. Adams’s affection for his two parishioners, contrasting him favorably with his own parson,
who tends to view the less wealthy among his parishioners as members of another species. He
then claims to have the living “in [his] Gift” (that is, to have the prerogative of conferring it),
and as the incumbent is old and ailing, the gentleman promises to award the living to Adams.
When Adams expresses amazement at this generosity, the Squire replies, “I esteem Riches
only as they give me an opportunity of doing good.” He then invites the travelers to stay the
night in his mansion, adding that he will be able to furnish them with a coach and six. Mr.
Adams accepts these offers ecstatically, but while they are all preparing to leave the inn, the
talkative Squire recalls that his housekeeper is abroad, so that all the rooms are locked up; he

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