_Joseph Andrews_ is a "very humorous and striking portrait." It is
certainly more humorous than complimentary.

From Mr. Oliver's fostering care--and the result shows that, whatever
may have been the pig-dealing propensities of Parson Trulliber, it was
not entirely profitless--Fielding was transferred to Eton. When this
took place is not known; but at that time boys entered the school much
earlier than they do now, and it was probably not long after his
mother's death. The Eton boys were then, as at present, divided into
collegers and oppidans. There are no registers of oppidans before the
end of the last century; but the Provost of Eton has been good enough to
search the college lists from 1715 to 1735, and there is no record of
any Henry Fielding, nor indeed of any Fielding at all. It may therefore
be concluded that he was an oppidan. No particulars of his stay at Eton
have come down to us; but it is to be presumed Murphy's statement that,
"when he left the place, he was said to be uncommonly versed in the
Greek authors, and an early master of the Latin classics," is not made
without foundation. [Footnote: Fielding's own words in the verses to
Walpole some years later scarcely go so far:--

"_Tuscan_ and _French_ are in my Head; _Latin_ I write, and _Greek_ I--
read."] We have also his own authority (in _Tom_ _Jones_) for supposing
that he occasionally, if not frequently, sacrificed "with true Spartan
devotion" at the "birchen Altar," of which a representation is to be
found in Mr. Maxwell Lyte's history of the College. And it may fairly be
inferred that he took part in the different sports and pastimes of the
day, such as Conquering Lobs, Steal baggage, Chuck, Starecaps, and so
forth. Nor does it need any strong effort of imagination to conclude
that he bathed in "Sandy hole" or "Cuckow ware," attended the cock-
fights in Bedford's Yard and the bull-baiting in Bachelor's Acre, drank