THE CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
CHAPTER I.
An account of Mr. Gamaliel Pickle. The disposition of his sister described. He yields to her sollicitations, and retires to the country.
CHAPTER II.
He is made acquainted with the characters of Commodore Trunnion and his adherents; meets with them by accident, and contracts an intimacy with that commander.
CHAPTER III.
Mrs. Grizzle exerts herself in finding a proper match for her brother; who is accordingly introduced to the young lady whom he marries in due season.
CHAPTER IV.
The behaviour of Mrs. Grizzle at the wedding, with an account of the guests.
CHAPTER V.
Mrs. Pickle assumes the reins of government in her own family; her sister-in-law undertakes an enterprize of great moment; but is for some time diverted from her purpose, by a very interesting consideration.
CHAPTER VI.
Mrs. Grizzle is indefatigable in gratifying her sister’s longings. Peregrine is born, and managed contrary to the directions and remonstrances of his aunt, who is disgusted upon that account; and resumes the plan which she had before rejected.
CHAPTER VII.
Divers stratagems are invented and put in practice, in order to overcome the obstinacy of Trunnion, who at length is teized and tortured into the noose of wedlock.
CHAPTER VIII.
Preparations are made for the commodore’s wedding, which is delayed by an accident that hurried him the Lord knows whither.
CHAPTER IX.
He is found by the lieutenant; reconducted to his own house; married to Mrs. Grizzle, who meets with a small misfortune in the night, and asserts her prerogative next morning; in consequence of which her husband’s eye is endangered.
CHAPTER X.
The commodore being in some cases restif, his lady has recourse to artifice in the establishment of her throne; she exhibits symptoms of pregnancy, to the unspeakable joy of Trunnion, who nevertheless is baulked in his expectation.
CHAPTER XI.
Mrs. Trunnion erects a tyranny in the garrison, while her husband conceives an affection for his nephew Perry, who manifests a peculiarity of disposition even in his tender years.
CHAPTER XII.
Peregrine is sent to a boarding-school, and becomes remarkable for his genius and ambition.
CHAPTER XIII.
He exercises his talents at the expence of the school-master, whose character and business declining, he desires to be recalled.
CHAPTER XIV.
The commodore takes Peregrine under his own care. The boy arrives at the garrison;—is strangely received by his own mother;—enters into a confederacy with Hatchway and Pipes, and executes a couple of waggish enterprizes upon his aunt.
CHAPTER XV.
The triumvirate turn the stream of their wit upon the commodore, who by their means is embroiled with an attorney, and terrified with an apparition.
CHAPTER XVI.
He is also by their device engaged in an adventure with the exciseman, who does not find his account in his own drollery.
CHAPTER XVII.
The commodore detects the machinations of the conspirators, and hires a tutor for Peregrine, whom he settles at Winchester school.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Peregrine distinguishes himself among his school-fellows, exposes his tutor, and attracts the particular notice of the master.
CHAPTER XIX.
He is concerned in a dangerous adventure with a certain gardener; heads an insurrection in the school; takes the field with his adherents, marches up into the country, and fixes his head quarters at an inn.
CHAPTER XX.
The governors tamper with their pupils. Peregrine is deserted, prevailed upon to return, and submit to correction; sublimes his ideas, commences gallant, and becomes acquainted with Miss Emily Gauntlet.
CHAPTER XXI.
He inquires into the situation of this young lady with whom he is enamoured; elopes from school; is found by the lieutenant, conveyed to Winchester, and sends a letter with a copy of verses to his mistress.
CHAPTER XXII.
His messenger meets with a misfortune, to which he applies a very extraordinary expedient that is attended with strange consequences.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Peregrine is summoned to attend his uncle, is more and more hated by his own mother; appeals to his father, whose condescension is defeated by the dominion of his wife.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Trunnion is enraged at the conduct of Pickle. Peregrine resents the injustice of his mother, to whom he explains his sentiments in a letter. Is entered at the University of Oxford, where he signalizes himself as a youth of an enterprising genius.
CHAPTER XXV.
He is insulted by his tutor, whom he lampoons; makes considerable progress in polite literature; and in an excursion to Windsor meets with Emilia by accident, and is very coldly received.
CHAPTER XXVI.
After sundry unsuccessful efforts, he finds means to come to an explanation with his mistress; and a reconciliation ensues.
CHAPTER XXVII.
He atchieves an adventure at the assembly, and quarrels with his governor.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
He receives a letter from his aunt, breaks with the commodore, and disobliges the lieutenant, who, nevertheless, undertakes his cause.
CHAPTER XXIX.
He becomes melancholy and despondent; is favoured with a condescending letter from his uncle, reconciles himself to his governor, and sets out with Emilia and her friend for Mrs. Gauntlet’s house.
CHAPTER XXX.
They meet with a dreadful alarm on the road, arrive at their journey’s end. Peregrine is introduced to Emily’s brother; these two young gentlemen misunderstand each other. Pickle departs for the garison.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Peregrine is overtaken by Mr. Gauntlet, with whom he fights a duel, and contracts an intimate friendship. He arrives at the garison, and finds his mother as implacable as ever. He is insulted by his brother Gam, whose preceptor he disciplines with a horse-whip.
CHAPTER XXXII.
He projects a plan of revenge, which is executed against the curate.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Mr. Sackbut and his pupil conspire against Peregrine, who being apprized of their design by his sister, takes measures for counterworking their scheme, which is executed by mistake upon Mr. Gauntlet. This young soldier meets with a cordial reception from the commodore, who generously decoys him into his own interest.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The two young gentlemen display their talents for gallantry, in the course of which they are involved in a ludicrous circumstance of distress, and afterwards take vengeance on the author of their mishap.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Peregrine has an interview with his sister Julia. Is interrupted and attacked by his mother, and relieved by his friend Gauntlet. Julia is settled in the garison, and Trunnion affronted by his old friend Gamaliel Pickle.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
The commodore sends a challenge to Gamaliel, and is imposed upon by a waggish invention of the lieutenant, Peregrine and Gauntlet.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Peregrine takes leave of his aunt and sister, sets out from the garison, parts with his uncle and Hatchway on the road, and with his governor arrives in safety at Dover.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
He adjusts the method of his correspondence with Gauntlet; meets by accident with an Italian Charlatan, and a certain apothecary, who proves to be a noted character.