The Fight

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Anda

A first-person literary description of an anticipated prizefight, framed through witty, ironic reflections and elaborate period language. The narrator recounts how he learns of the bout in Chancery-lane, encounters the Randalls’ circle, and convinces friends to accompany him. Travel plans shift amid missed and relocated coach departures, while the narration continually turns from logistics to commentary on courage, modesty, and “FANCY,” culminating in the urgency of reaching the next fight.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time26 min

AccessFree to download

The Fight

Waiting for the fight’s news

Conversations at the Hole in the Wall

Jo. Toms and travel plans

Catching a stage to Brentford

# THE FIGHT ——The figbt,the fgbt's the thing,Wherein Ill catch the conscience of the king. Wbere tbere's a zwill,there's a way.—I said so to myself,as I walked down Chancery-lane,about half-past six o'clockon Monday the Ioth of December,to inquire at Jack Randall'swhere the fight the next day was to be;I found 'the proverb'nothing 'musty'in the present instance.I was determinedto see this fight,come what would,and see it I did,in greatstyle.It was my first fght,yet it more than answered myexpectations.Ladies!it is to you I dedicate this description;nor let it seem out of character for the fair to notice the exploitsof the braveCourage and modesty are the old English virtues;and may they never look cold and askance on one another!Think,ye fairest of the fair,loveliest of the lovely kind,yepractisers of soft enchantment,how many more ye kill withpoisoned baits than ever fell in the ring;and listen withsubdued air and without shuddering,to a tale tragic only inappearance,and sacred to the FANcY! I was going down Chancery-lane,thinking to ask at JackRandall's where the fight was to be,when looking through theglass-door of the Hole in the Wall,I heard a gentleman askingthe same question at Mrs Randall,as the author of Waverleywould express it.Now Mrs Randall stood answering thegentleman's question,with the authenticity of the lady ofthe Champion of the Light Weights.Thinks I,I'll wait tillthis person comes out,and learn from him how it is.For tosay a truth,I was not fond of going into this house of call forheroes and philosophers,ever since the owner of it (for Jackis no gentleman)threatened once upon a time to kick me outof doors for wanting a mutton-chop at his hospitable board,when the conqueror in thirteen battles was more full of blueruin than of gond manners.I was the more mortified at this repulse,inasmuch as I had heard Mr James Simpkins,hosierin the Strand,one day when the character of the Hole in theWall was brought in question,observe—'The house is a verygood house,and the company quite genteel:I have been theremyself!’Remembering this unkind treatment of mine host,to which mine hostess was also a party,and not wishing toput her in unquiet thoughts at a time jubilant like the present,I waited at the door,when,who should issue forth but myfriend Jo.Toms,and turning suddenly up Chancery-lane withthat quick jerk and impatient stride which distinguishes alover of the FANCY,I said,‘I'll be hanged if that fellow isnot going to the fight,and is on his way to get me to go withhim.So it proved in effect,and we agreed to adjourn to mylodgings to discuss measures with that cordiality which makesold friends like new,and new friends like old,on great occasions.We are cold to others only when we are dull in ourselves,and have neither thoughts nor feelings to impart to them.Give a man a topic in his head,a throb of pleasure in hisheart,and he will be glad to share it with the first person hemeets.Toms and I,though we seldom meet,were an alteridem on this memorable occasion,and had not an idea thatwe did not candidly impart;and ‘so carelessly did we fleetthe time,'that I wish no better,when there is another fight,than to have him for a companion on my journey down,andto return with my friend Jack Pigott,talking of what was tohappen or of what did happen,with a noble subject alwaysat hand,and liberty to digress to others whenever theyoffered.Indeed,on my repeating the lines from Spenser inan involuntary fit of enthusiasm, What more felicity can fall to creature,Than to enjoy delight with liberty? my last-named ingenious friend stopped me by saying thatthis,translated into the vulgate,meant‘Going to see a figbt.' Jo.Toms and I could not settle about the method of goingdown.He said there was a caravan,he understood,to startfrom Tom Belcher's at two,which would go there rigbt outand back again the next day.Now I never travel all night,and said I should get a cast to Newbury by one of the mails.Jo.swore the thing was impossible,

FAQs

What motivates the narrator to attend the fight?

He is determined to see the fight, treating it as a chance to observe character and conscience through the event. He dedicates the account to the “fair” while framing the fight as something both vivid and significant.

What does the narrator think about courage and “FANCY”?

He links courage and modesty to old English virtues and contrasts the dramatic, almost tragic appearance of the story with what he calls “sacred to the FANcY.” The event becomes a vehicle for reflecting on wit, fascination, and social observation.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Anda