N° 106. so it makesa filly Man ten thousand times more insufferable, by supplying variety of Matter to his Impertinence, and giving him an Opportunity of abounding in Absurdities. SHALLOW Pedants cry up one another inuch more than Men of solid and useful Learning. To read the Titles they give an Editor, or Collator of a Manuscript, you would take him for the Glory of the Common-wealth of Letters, and the Wonder of his Age, when perhaps upon Examination you find that he has only Rectify'd a Greek Particle, or laid out a whole Sentence in proper Commas. THEY are obliged indeed to be thus lavish of their Praises, that they may keep one another in Countenance; and it is no wonder if a great deal of Knowledge, which is not capable of making a Man wife, has a natural Tendency to make him Vain and Arrogant. L N° 106. Monday, July 2. if they w old Knig of the Fa Hinc tibi Copia fairs with This Hu Hor. him, fo Fami H AVING often received an Invitation from my Friend Sir ROGER DE COVERLEY to pass away a Month with him in the Country, I last Week accompanied him thither, and am fettled with him for fome Time at his Country-house, where I intend to form several of my ensuing Speculations. Sir ROGER, who is very well acquainted with my Humour, lets me rise and go to Bed when I please, dine at his own Table or in my Chamber as I think fit, fit still and say nothing without bidding me be merry. When the Gentlemen of the Country come to see him, he only shews me at a Distance. As I have been walking in his Fields I have observed them stealing a Sight of me over an Hedge, and have heard the Knight defiring them not to let me fee them, for that I hated to be stared at. 7 I the Perf trary, if It is eafy the Loo MY Care of me more at Eafe in Sir ROGER's Family, because s of fober and staid Persons: for as the Knight is Master in the World, he seldom changes his Sernd as he is beloved by all about him, his Servants -e for leaving him: By this Means his Domesticks Years, and grown old with their Master. You ke his Valet de Chambre for his Brother, his But-. ey-headed, his Groom is one of the graveft Men ve ever seen, and his Coachman has the Looks of Counsellor. You see the Goodness of the Master the old House-dog, and in a grey Pad that is kept table with great Care and Tenderness out of Remis past Services, tho' he has been useless for leve s. Id not but observe with a great deal of Pleasure that appeared in the Countenances of these antimesticks upon my Friend's Arrival at his CountrySome of them could not refrain from Tears at the f their old Master; every one of them press'd fordo something for him, and seemed difcouraged were not employed. At the same time the good Light, with a Mixture of the Father and the Master Family, tempered the Enquiries after his own Afith feveral kind Questions relating to themselves. Humanity and Good-nature engages every Body to o that when he is pleasant upon any of them, all mily are in Good Humour, and none so much as rfon whom he diverts himself with: On the conif he coughs, or betraysany Infirmity of old Age, fy for a Stander-by to observe a fecret Concern in Doks of all his Servants. worthy Friend has put me under the particular of his Butler, who is a very prudent Man, and, as as the rest of his Fellow-Servants, wonderfully defiof pleasing me, because they have often heard their er talk of me as of his particular Friend, Y chief Companion, when Sir ROGER is diverting elf in the Woods or the Fields, is a very venerable who is ever with Sir ROGER, and has lived at his Le in the Nature of a Chaplain above thirty Years. Gentleman is a Person of good Senfe and some Learnof a very regular Life and obliging Conversations He He heartily loves Sir ROGER, and knows that he is very much in the old Knight's Esteem, so that he lives in the Family rather as a Relation than a Dependant. digefter the therura Dinity. AS Sir teman we Knight's a Was Satur the Morni then thewe where I fay flon, Bif with courses of ble Man Friend's ject and Gracefu the Difo ay Tin after thi I have observed in several of my Papers, that my Friend Sir Roger, amidst all his good Qualities, is something of an Humourist; and that his Virtues, as well as Imperfections, are as it were tinged by a certain Extravagance, which makes them particularly his, and diftinguishes them from those of other Men. This Cast of Mind, as it is generally very innocent in it self, so it renders his Conversation highly agreeable, and more delightful than the same Degree of Sense and Virtue would appear in their common and ordinary Colours. As I was walking with him last Night, he asked me how I liked the good Man whom I have just now mentioned? and without staying for my Answer told me, That he was afraid of being infulted with Latin and Greek at his own Table; for which Reafon he defired a particular Friend of his at the University to find him out a Clergyman rather of plain Sense than much Learning, of a good Aspect, a clear Voice, a fociable Temper, and, if possible, a Man that understood a little of Back-Gammon. My Friend, says Sir ROGER, found me out this Gentleman, who, besides the Endowments required of him, is, they tell me, a good Scholar, though he does not shew it. I have given him the Parsonage of the Parish; and because I know his Value have fettled upon him a good Annuity for Life. If he out-lives me, he shall find that he was higher in my Esteem than perhaps he thinks he is. He has now been with me thirty Years; and tho' he does not know I have taken Notice of it, has never in all that Time asked any thing of me for himself, tho' he is every Day folliciting me for something in Behalf of one or other of my Tenants his Parishioners. There has not been a Law-Suit in the Parish since he has lived among them: If any Dispute arises they apply themselves to him for the Decision; if they do not acquiefce in his Judgment, which I think never happened above once or twice at most, they appeal to me. At his first settling with me, I made him a Present of all the good Sermons which have been printed in English, and only begged of him that every Sunday he would propounce one of them in the Pulpit. Accordingly, he has digested Mouth of 1 coul would fo Spirits in teavour Talents by great 10 them f alway Vo hem into such a Series, that they follow one anorally, and make a continued System of practical ROGER was going on in his Story, the Gene were talking of came up to us, and upon the asking him who preached to-morrow (for it Erday Night) told us the Bishop of St. Afaph in ning, and Dr. South in the Afternoon. He ved us his List of Preachers for the whole Year, aw with a great deal of Pleasure Archbishop Tilshop Saunderson, Doctor Barrow, Doctor Calah several living Authors who have published Difof Practical Divinity. I no sooner faw this Venean in the Pulpit, but I very much approved of my infsisting upon the Qualifications of a good Afa clear Voice; for I was so charmed with the Iness of his Figure and Delivery, as well as with courses he pronounced, that I think I never passed ne more to my Satisfaction. A Sermon repeated Is Manner, is like the Composition of a Poet in the of a graceful Actor. ald heartily wish that more of our Country-Clergy follow this Example, and instead of wafting their In laborious Compositions of their own, would enr after a handfsome Elocution, and all those other s that are proper to enforce what has been penned ater Masters. This would not only be more easie aselves, but more edifying to the People. L Phæd. HE Reception, manner of Attendance, undisturbed Freedom and Quiet, which I meet with here in the Country, has confirmed me in the Opinion I s had, that the general Corruption of Manners in OL. II. E Servants : -- or Hay, h Servants is owing to the Conduct of Masters. The Afpect of every one in the Family carries so much Satisfaction, that it appears he knows the happy Lot which has befal. len him in being a Member of it. There is one ParticuJar which I have seldom seen but at Sir ROGER'S; it is usual in all other Places, that Servants fly from the Parts of the House through which their Master is passing; on the contrary, here they industriously place themselves in his way; and it is on both Sides, as it were, understood asa Visit, when the Servants appear without calling. This proceeds from the Humane and equal Temper of the Man of the House, who also perfectly well knows how to enjoy a great Estate, with such Oeconomy as ever to be much before-hand. This makes his own Mind untroubled, and confequently unapt to vent peevish Expressions, give paffionate or inconfiftent Orders to those about him. Thus Refpect and Love go together; and a certain Chearfulness in Performance of their Duty is the particular Diftinction of the lower part of this Family. When a Servant is called before his Master, he does not come with an Expectation to hear himself rated for some trivial Fault, threatned to be stripped, or ufed with any other unbecoming Language, which mean Masters often give to worthy Servants; but it is often to know, what Road he took that he came so readily back according to Order; whether he paffed by fuch a Ground, if the old Man who rents it is in good Health; or whether he gave Sir ROGER'S Love to him, or the like. rant W Strang forrab AM be mifer ther, th that Rea into ind ROGE A Man who preferves a Respect, founded on his Benevolence to his Dependents, lives rather like a Prince than a Master in his Family; his Orders are received as Favours, rather than Duties; and the Distinction of approaching him is part of the Reward for executing what is commanded by him. himself THERE is another Circumstance in which my Friend exells in his Management, which is the Manner of rewarding his Servants: He has ever been of Opinion, that giving his caft Cloaths to be worn by Valets has a very ill Effect upon little Minds, and creates a filly Sense of Equality between the Parties, in Persons affected only with outward things. I have heard him often pleasant on this Occafion, and defcribe a young Gentleman abusing his Man fant to o in his Arri I could came to that the better TH Livelih Servan be as d is fon Minds thofe |