the jurisdiction of the person whom he both detested and despised.
With this view he went to work, and composed the following billet,
addressed to the commodore, which was the first specimen of his
composition in the epistolary way:--

"Honoured and Loving Uncle,--Hoping you are in good health,
this serves to inform you, that Mr. Jennings is gone, and
Mr. Keypstick will never meet with his fellow. The school
is already almost broke up, and the rest daily going away;
and I beg of you of all love to have me fetched away also,
for I cannot bear to be any longer under one who is a perfect
ignoramus, who scarce knows the declination of musa, and is
more fit to be a scarecrow than a schoolmaster; hoping you
will send for me soon, with my love to my aunt, and my duty
to my honoured parents, craving their blessing and yours. And
this is all at present from, honoured uncle, your well-beloved
and dutiful nephew and godson, and humble servant to command
till death,
"Peregrine Pickle."


Trunnion was overjoyed at the receipt of this letter, which he
looked upon as one of the greatest efforts of human genius, and as
such communicated the contents to his lady, whom he had disturbed
for the purpose in the middle of her devotion, by sending a message
to her closet, whither it was her custom very frequently to retire.
She was out of humour at being interrupted, and therefore did not
peruse this specimen of her nephew's understanding with all the
relish that the commodore himself had enjoyed; on the contrary, after
sundry paralytical endeavours to speak (for her tongue sometimes