The History of Henry Esmond · Chapter
X: I Go to Cambridge, and Do but Little Good There explained
Henry Esmond, accompanied by Lord Castlewood, travels to Cambridge to begin his studies at Trinity College.
What happens
Henry Esmond, accompanied by Lord Castlewood, travels to Cambridge to begin his studies at Trinity College. He visits the Dowager Lady Castlewood in Chelsey, who gives him a purse of guineas. At Cambridge, Esmond struggles with loneliness and pride, finding himself older and more solitary than his fellow students. He clashes with his tutor Mr. Bridge, gains some reputation through his writings, and becomes known as a Jacobite, engaging in political antics. Meanwhile, Tom Tusher, a Whig and a friend to authority, contrasts with Esmond's rebellious nature. Esmond spends his time reading widely in literature and theology, fluctuating between Catholicism, Protestantism, and skepticism.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Identity
Henry's sense of shame about his birth and his pride lead to social isolation at Cambridge, highlighting the importance of class in shaping identity.
Politics and Loyalty
Henry's Jacobite activities and Tom Tusher's Whig allegiance illustrate the political loyalties that divided the university and society.
Religion and Morality
Henry's theological reading leads him through Catholicism, Protestantism, and skepticism, while Tom Tusher adheres strictly to the Thirty-nine Articles, showing contrasting approaches to faith.
Characters to notice
- Henry Esmond
Enters Trinity College, Cambridge; struggles with pride and loneliness; becomes known as a Jacobite and a dangerous character.
- Frank Castlewood
Accompanies Henry to Cambridge, introduces him to the Dowager Lady Castlewood, and leaves him at the university with kind words.
- Dowager Lady Castlewood
Receives Henry and Lord Castlewood at her house in Chelsey; gives Henry a purse of twenty guineas and a doll for Beatrix.
- Tom Tusher
A junior soph at Emanuel College; acts as Henry's protector; a Whig and friend to authority, contrasts with Henry's Jacobite leanings.
- Beatrix Esmond
Mentioned as the recipient of a doll from the Dowager Lady Castlewood; is growing beyond the age of dolls.
- Lady Castlewood
Mentioned as having had smallpox; provides Henry with regular allowances during his time at Cambridge.
Key passages
“The world deals good-naturedly with good-natured people, and I never knew a sulky misanthropist who quarrelled with it, but it was he, and not it, that was in the wrong.”
The world treats kind people kindly, and anyone who is grumpy and hates the world is usually the one at fault, not the world itself.
Henry reflects on his own pride and vanity as the cause of his unhappiness at Cambridge.
“Tom Tusher gave Harry plenty of good advice on this subject, for Tom had both good sense and good humor; but Mr. Harry chose to treat his senior with a great deal of superfluous disdain and absurd scorn, and would by no means part from his darling injuries, in which, very likely, no man believed but himself.”
Tom Tusher offered sensible and cheerful advice, but Harry responded with unnecessary contempt and clung to his imagined grievances, which probably no one else believed in.
Harry's stubborn pride prevents him from accepting Tom Tusher's well-meaning counsel.
“Don Dismallo was a staunch young Jacobite, like the rest of his family; gave himself many absurd airs of loyalty; used to invite young friends to Burgundy, and give the King's health on King James's birthday; wore black on the day of his abdication; fasted on the anniversary of King William's coronation; and performed a thousand absurd antics, of which he smiles now to think.”
Harry, nicknamed Don Dismallo, was a devoted Jacobite who acted out his loyalty in silly ways, like toasting King James on his birthday and mourning William's coronation, which he later finds amusing.
Harry's youthful Jacobite fervor is described with a mix of self-mockery and nostalgia.
