The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon

While the author was hoisted on board the Queen of Portugal bound for Lisbon in June 1754, he had a small desire to survive the milder Portuguese winter.Fielding was dying from different kinds of disorders, and the weight of his sickness sets up the adventurous humour and tragedy of the journal. In this essay, Fielding examines his body's decay and the corruption of English society, destroying with irony his own high claims for former conduct as a London magistrate. He has described the daily events of the difficult journey, the abuses faced by the sailors, the dedication of his wife and daughter, the terror of cyclones, the sunset and the moonrise at sea, and the description of his food and drink.Tom Keymer gives an enlightening introduction to this volume, which finally gets popular and is available in a scholarly edition of the journal.