Tom Brown at Rugby

A Boy's Life at an English Public School

Thomas Hughes

• Publisher: Aeneas Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9785501050785
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

A small boy is sent to Rugby under Dr Arnold, is roasted before a fire by a bully, learns cricket and Latin and what a school is for. Thomas Hughes had been there himself and wrote it for his own son; it invented the English school story and, with it, a good deal of the Victorian idea of manliness. The fight chapter comes with a long defence of fighting, which is the most honest thing in the book. Forty years of schoolroom and family life, from Wilkie to Frith, give the plates a Victorian childhood to match Hughes's own.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Tom Brown at Rugby
• Introduction.
• Chapter I. The Brown Family
• The Brown Character
• Tom Brown’s Birthplace
• The Old Boy Mourneth Over Young England
• Vales in General
• The Old Roman Camp
• Battle of Ashdown
• The “Seven Barrows” Farm
• The Blowing Stone
• Farringdon and Pusey
• Squire Brown and His Household
• The Old Boy Abuseth Moving on
• The Old Boy Approveth Moving on
• Chapter II. The “Veast.”
• Tom Brown’s Nurse
• Tom Brown’s First Rebellion
• Tom Brown’s Abettors—Noah
• Tom Brown’s Abettors—Benjy
• Our Veast
• Approach of Veast-Day
• Morning of the Veast
• The Jingling Match
• The Back-Swording
• Joe and the Gipsy
• A New “Old Gamester.”
• Joe Out of Luck
• The Revels Are Over
• The Old Boy Moralizeth on Veasts
• Advice to Young Swells
• Chapter III. Sundry Wars and Alliances
• Benjy Resorts to a “Wise Man.”
• The “Wise Man’s” Surroundings
• Benjy’s Rheumatism
• Toryism of Squire Brown
• Tom’s Watch-Tower by the School
• Defeat, Capture, Peace
• Play and Work
• Riding and Wrestling
• Earliest Playmates
• First School
• Of Private Schools
• Tom’s First Letter Home
• The Amusements
• The Reprobate
• Chapter IV. The Stage Coach
• Tom Arrives in Town
• Squire Brown’s Parting Words
• The Squire’s Meditations
• The Tally-Ho
• A November Ride in Old Times
• “Pulling Up.”
• Morning Sights and Doings
• Breakfast
• Guard Discourses on Rugby
• Pea-Shooters
• An Old Yeoman
• Blow-Hard and His Yarns
• The Runners
• Chapter V. Rugby and Foot-Ball
• Arrival at Rugby
• Tom Finds a Patron
• Introduction to the Matron
• East’s Study
• “Our Own” and the Use Thereof
• Tom’s First Rugby Dinner
• White Trousers in November
• East Discourseth on Foot-Ball
• Calling-Over
• “They Trust to Our Honor.”
• Old Brooke’s Generalship
• A Scrummage
• How to Go in
• Young Brooke’s Rush
• A Goal
• “Are You Ready?”
• East’s Charge
• Tom’s First Exploit
• Chapter VI. After the Match
• Celebrating the Victory
• Harrowell’s
• Tea and Its Luxuries
• Supper
• Brooke’s Honors
• Brooke Discourseth on Union
• Standeth Up for “The Doctor.”
• School Idolatries
• “The Doctor” and His Works
• Last Loyal Strains
• Prayers
• Tossing
• East and Tom Devote Themselves
• A Bully’s Refinements
• Chapter VII. Settling to the Collar
• Waking Up; Movements of Bogle
• Getting Up
• The “Close” Before Chapel
• Morning and Afternoon Chapel
• The Sermon
• The Doctor’s First Hold
• House-Fagging
• Hare and Hounds
• The Meet and the First Burst
• The First Check
• No Go
• Consequences
• Their Reception
• Their Explanation
• Last Days
• Off
• Dulce Domum
• Chapter VIII. The War of Independence
• The Lower Fourth
• Monthly Examinations
• Triste Lupus
• Misrule and Its Causes
• The Old Boy Moralizeth Thereon
• The Shoe Begins to Pinch
• The Explosion
• The Siege
• The Rebels in Council
• A Counsellor of the Rebels
• “The Mucker.”
• The War Rages
• The Weak to the Wall
• Diggs’s Bankruptcy
• The Derby Lottery
• Tom Draws the Favorite
• Roasting a Fag
• Last Days of the War
• Chapter IX. A Chapter of Accidents
• Tom Discloses Nothing
• Rule Breaking
• The Bruised Worm Will Turn
• Accounts Squared with Flashman
• Penalties of War
• Fate of Liberators
• The Ishmaelites
• Misfortune Thickens
• The Avon
• Disputed Rights of Fishing
• Chaffing a Keeper
• The Return Match with Velveteens
• Velveteens’ Revenge
• More Scrapes
• The Doctor Reigning
• Tom Brown’s School Days
• Chapter I. How the Tide Turned
• Who’s Come Back?
• The Saddle Is Put on Tom
• Tea with the Doctor
• Arthur’s Debut
• Lesson No. 1
• Tom Learns His Lesson
• Chapter II. The New Boy
• Tom’s Responsibilities
• East’s Advice
• An Episode
• Lesson No. 2
• Arthur’s Home
• Results of Lesson No. 2
• Tom Is Stiff-Necked
• The Brown Compromise
• Chapter III. Arthur Makes a Friend
• Troubles of a Boy-Philosopher
• The Philosopher’s Den
• The Invitation
• Tom’s Work
• The Supper
• Vulguses
• The Science of Verse-Making
• Martin’s Den
• Chapter IV. The Bird-Fanciers
• Tom Put Out
• Birds’-Nesting
• Pecking
• What Is Larceny?
• The Troublesome Duck
• Running for a Convoy
• A Debate
• Lecture on School Larceny
• Arthur Seals His Friendship
• Chapter V. The Fight
• Fighting in General
• How the Fight Arose
• The Challenge
• Early Rounds
• Head Fighting
• Steady All
• The Ring Broken
• The Last Round
• The Doctor Arrives
• Evening After the Fight
• The Shake-Hands
• The Old Boy’s Rules
• Chapter VI. Fever in the School
• Death in the School
• The Doctor’s Sermon
• Arthur’s Illness
• Convalescence
• Memories
• More Lessons
• Tom’s Confessions
• Tom Out-Generalled
• Arthur’s Fever
• Arthur’s Vision
• Arthur’s Mother
• Tom’s Rewards
• Chapter VII. Harry East’s Dilemmas and Deliverances
• Tom Springs His Mine
• Results of the Explosion
• The Enemy’s Defence
• The Truce
• Arthur Goes Home
• The Siege Reopens
• Friendship
• Friendship Tested
• East’s Confessions
• Tom’s Prescription
• The Effect Thereof
• Chapter VIII. Tom Brown’s Last Match
• School Memories
• The End of the Half-Year
• Cricket-Matches
• The Marylebone Match
• Some Old Friends
• Their Talk
• Jack Raggles’s Innings
• The Finish
• Shut Out
• Harry East
• Work in the World
• The Doctor’s Work
• A New Light
• Hero-Worship
• Chapter IX
• Index to Notes. [D.H.M.]
• About the Author