gun to trickle
down the wrinkles, or rather furrows, of his cheeks; when one of
the servants snatching a mop out of a pail of water, which had
already done its duty in washing the house, pushed it in the
parson's face; yet could he not bear him down; for the parson
wresting the mop from the fellow with one hand, with the other
brought his enemy as low as the earth."[173]

To obtain any adequate idea of the range of Fielding's pictures of
human nature, the reader must consult the novels themselves. Propriety
forbids the insertion here of quotations which could convey an
impression of the happy dissoluteness of Tom Jones, the brutal
coarseness of Squire Western, or the scenes of unblushing license which
pervade the novels of Henry Fielding. But a sample of the witty, jovial
tone which has made these novels so popular may be of interest to
readers who are not inclined to open "Tom Jones" itself. The following
scene was occasioned by the appearance of Molly Seagrim in church, in
unaccustomed and ostentatious finery, and is described in the Homeric
style, which Fielding sometimes adopted with such humorous effect.

As a vast herd of cows in a rich farmer's yard, if, while they are
milked, they hear their calves at a distance, lamenting the robbery
which is then committing, roar and bellow: so roared forth the
Somersetshire mob an halloloo, made up of almost as many squalls,
screams, and other different sounds, as there were persons, or
indeed passions, among them. Some were inspired by rage, others
alarmed by fear, and others had nothing in theirs heads but the
love of fun; but chiefly Envy, the sister of Satan and his constant
companion, rushed among the crowd and blew up the fury of the
women; who no sooner came up to Molly than they pelted her with
dirt and rubbish.

Molly, having endeavored in vain to make a handsome retreat, faced
about; and laying hold of ragged Bess, who advanced in the front
of the enemy, she at one blow felled her to the ground. The whole
army of the enemy (though near a hundred in number), seeing the
fate of their general, gave back many paces, and retired beyond a
new dug grave; for the church-yard was the field of battle, where
there was to be a funeral that very evening. Molly pursued her
victory, and catching up a skull which lay on the side of the
grave, discharged it with such fury, that