However, if he was outwardly a pretty fellow, his morals remained entirely uncorrupted… either in or out of livery

Answer: This is an extract from the fourth chapter of Joseph Andrews, a prose satire by Henry Fielding. Here, as a man of devout Christian belief, the writer teaches us the lesson of morality and purity through the presentation of Joseph, an ideal moral character.

The fourth chapter opens with the journey of Joseph to London. Through this journey, the action of the novel starts for the first time. It also makes a distinction between country life and urban life. Through this mission from country to town, the writer has also made an experiment on the simple Joseph. Just after his arrival in London, Joseph has his hair cut in the latest fashion, visits the Hide-Park, attends the theatres, and participates in the parliamentary debates regularly which were alarming for the author. However, he did not practice the evils prevailing in London. He was able to keep himself free from corruption and pollution. Though he became smarter day by day, he remained unchanged regarding his virtue and morality. The urban culture and fashionable life could not tempt him towards evil. He successfully managed to keep him out and out honest. In this case, he is entirely different from ordinary people who are easily vulnerable to corruption and evil.

In these lines, we get an impression of the morality and personality of Joseph, the hero of Joseph Andrews, who has been exploited as the spokesman of the novelist with a view to giving us the lesson of personality and morality.