The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., a Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne
Thackeray set this memoir-style novel in the reign of Queen Anne and wrote it in a careful pastiche of early eighteenth-century prose. Henry Esmond, an orphan taken in by the Castlewood family, grows up loyal to them even after he learns that he, not his patrons, is the family’s rightful heir. He keeps the secret, serves under Marlborough in the wars against France, and edges into the Jacobite plots to restore the Stuarts. Running through it all is his long, painful devotion to the beautiful and heartless Beatrix, and his quieter bond with her mother, Rachel. Thackeray thought it his most finished book, and readers have long admired its restraint and its melancholy sense of how love and history disappoint us. Free to read here as a PDF and EPUB edition.
About the Author
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) was an English novelist celebrated for his satirical portraits of society. Vanity Fair, his masterpiece, is one of the great novels of the nineteenth century.
See all books by William Makepeace Thackeray →
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The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., a Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne (1852) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preface & Introduction | 13:57 | |
| 2 | Bk I intro & Bk I, ch 01: An Account of the Family of Esmond of Castlewood Hall | 19:33 | |
| 3 | Bk I, ch 02: Relates how Francis, Fourth Viscount, arrives at Castlewood | 22:14 | |
| 4 | Bk I, ch 03: Whither, in the time of Thomas, Third Viscount, I had preceded him as Page to Isabella | 30:32 | |
| 5 | Bk I, ch 04: I am placed under a Popish Priest and bred to that Religion . . .Vicountess Castlewood | 15:48 | |
| 6 | Bk I, ch 05: My Superiors are engaged in Plots for the Restoration of King James II | 25:31 | |
| 7 | Bk I, ch 06: The Issue of the Plots.--The Death of Thomas, Third Viscount of Castlewood; and the Imprisonment of his Viscountess | 32:34 | |
| 8 | Bk I, ch 07: I am left at Castlewood an Orphan, and find most kind Protectors there | 20:59 | |
| 9 | Bk I, ch 08: After Good Fortune comes Evil | 21:49 | |
| 10 | Bk I, ch 09: I have the Small-pox, and prepare to leave Castlewood | 58:11 | |
| 11 | Bk I, ch 10: I go to Cambridge, and do but little Good there | 18:07 | |
| 12 | Bk I, ch 11: I come home for a Holiday to Castlewood, and find a Skeleton in the House | 31:47 | |
| 13 | Bk I, ch 12: My Lord Mohun comes among us for no Good | 23:49 | |
| 14 | Bk I, ch 13: My Lord leaves us and his Evil behind him | 31:08 | |
| 15 | Bk I, ch 14: We ride after him to London | 36:27 | |
| 16 | Bk II, ch 01: I am in Prison, and Visited, but not Consoled there | 24:16 | |
| 17 | Bk II, ch 02: I come to the End of my Captivity, but not of my Trouble | 22:58 | |
| 18 | Bk II, ch 03: I take the Queen's Pay in Quin's Regiment | 24:01 | |
| 19 | Bk II, ch 04: Recapitulations | 15:36 | |
| 20 | Bk II, ch 05: I go on the Vigo Bay Expedition, taste Salt Water and smell Powder | 27:36 | |
| 21 | Bk II, ch 06: The 29th December | 17:04 | |
| 22 | Bk II, ch 07: I am made Welcome at Walcote | 24:13 | |
| 23 | Bk II, ch 08: Family Talk | 16:33 | |
| 24 | Bk II, ch 09: I make the Campaign of 1704 | 25:36 | |
| 25 | Bk II, ch 10: An Old Story about a Fool and a Woman | 22:58 | |
| 26 | Bk II, ch 11: The famous Mr. Joseph Addison | 25:09 | |
| 27 | Bk II, ch 12: I get a Company in the Campaign of 1706 | 12:10 | |
| 28 | Bk II, ch 13: I meet an Old Acquaintance in Flanders, and find my Mother's Grave, and my own Cradle there | 29:22 | |
| 29 | Bk II, ch 14: The Campaign of 1707, 1708 | 19:01 | |
| 30 | Bk II, ch 15: General Webb wins the Battle of Wynendael | 1:02:05 | |
| 31 | Bk III, ch 01: I come to an End of my Battles and Bruises | 35:05 | |
| 32 | Bk III, ch 02: I go Home, and harp on the Old String | 36:50 | |
| 33 | Bk III, ch 03: A Paper out of the "Spectator" | 52:48 | |
| 34 | Bk III, ch 04: Beatrix's New Suitor | 26:51 | |
| 35 | Bk III, ch 05: Mohun appears for the Last Time in this History | 40:36 | |
| 36 | Bk III, ch 06: Poor Beatrix | 12:15 | |
| 37 | Bk III, ch 07: I visit Castlewood once more | 24:30 | |
| 38 | Bk III, ch 08: I travel to France and bring Home a Portrait of Rigaud | 25:14 | |
| 39 | Bk III, ch 09: The Original of the Portrait comes to England | 34:44 | |
| 40 | Bk III, ch 10: We entertain a very Distinguished Guest at Kensington | 32:42 | |
| 41 | Bk III, ch 11: Our Guest quits us as not being Hospitable enough | 22:14 | |
| 42 | Bk III, ch 12: A great Scheme, and who Balked it | 12:54 | |
| 43 | August 1, 1714 | 33:30 |
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