mour, lets me rife and go to bed when I please, dine at his own table or in my chamber as I think fit, fit ftill and say nothing without bidding me be merry. When the gentlemen of the country come to fee him, he only thews me at a distance: As I have been walking in his fields, I have obferved them ftealing a fight 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.

I am the more at ease in Sir ROGER's family, because it confifts of fober and ftaid perfons; for, as the Knight is the best master in the world, he feldom changes his fervants; and as he is beloved by all about him, his fervants never care for leaving him; by this means his domefticks are all in years, and grown old with their mafter. You would take his valet de chambre for his brother, his butler is gray-headed, his groom is one of the gravest men that I have ever feen, and his coachman has the looks of a privy-counfellor. You fee the goodness of the malter even in the old houfe-dog, and in a gray pad that is kept in the ftable with great care and tenderness, out of regard to his past services, though he has been ufelefs for feveral years.

I could not but obferve, with a great deal of pleafure, the joy that appeared in the countenance of thefe ancient domefticks upon my friend's arrival at his country-feat. Some of them could not refrain from tears at the fight of their old mafter; every one of them preffed forward to do foinething for him, and feemed difcouraged if they were not employed. At the fame time the good old Knight, with a mixture of the father and the mafter of the family, tempered the inquiries after his own affairs with feveral kind questions relating to themselves. This humanity and good-nature engages every body to him, fo that when he is pleasant upon any of them, all his family are in good humour, and none fo much as the perfon whom he diverts himfelf

with: On the contrary, if he coughs, or betrays any infirmity of old age, it is easy for a stander-by to obferve a fecret concern in the looks of all his fervants.

My worthy friend has put me under the particular care of his butler, who is a very prudent man, and, as well as the reft of his fellow-fervants, wonderfully defirous of pleafing me, because they have often heard their mafter talk of me as of his particular friend.

My chief companion, when Sir ROGER is diverting himself in the woods or the fields, is a very venerable man who is ever with Sir ROGER, and has lived at his house in the nature of a chaplain above thirty years. This gentleman is a perfon of good fenfe and fome learning, of a very regular life, and obliging converfation: He heartily loves Sir ROGER, and knows that he is very much in the old Knight's esteem, fo that he lives in the family rather as a relation than a dependant.

I have obferved in feveral of my papers, that my friend Sir ROGER, amidst all his good qualities, is fomething of an humorist; and that his virtues, as well as imperfections, are, as it were, tinged by a certain extravagance, which makes them particular. ly his, and diftinguishes them from thofe of other men. This caft of mind, as it is generally very innocent in itself, fo it renders his converfation highly agreeable, and more delightful than the fame de. gree of fenfe and virtue would appear in their com mon and ordinary colours. As I was walking with him last night, he asked me how I liked the good man whom I have juft now mentioned? and with. out staying for my anfwer, 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 fenfe than much learning, of a good affect, a clear voice, a fociable

temper,

temper, and, if poffible, a man that understood a little of back-gammon. My friend, fays Sir RoGER, found me out this gentleman, who, befides the endowments required of him, is, they tell me, a good fcholar, though he does not fhow it: Í have given him the parfonage of the parish; and becaufe I know his value, have fettled upon him a good annuity for life. If he outlives me, he fhall find that he was higher in my esteem than perhaps he thinks he is. He has now been with me thirty years; and though he does not know I have taken notice of it, has never in all that time asked any thing of me for himself, though he is every day foliciting me for fomething in behalf of one or other of my tenants, his parishioners. There has not been a law-fuit in the parish fince he has lived among them: If any difpute arises they apply them. felves to him for the decifion; if they do not acquiesce in his judgment, which I think never happened above once or twice at moft, they appeal to me. At his firft fettling with me, I made him a present of all the good fermons which have been printed in English, and only begged of him that every Sunday he would pronounce one of them in the pulpit. Accordingly, he has digested them into fuch a feries, that they follow one another naturally, and make a continued fyftem of practical divinity.

As Sir ROGER was going on in his story, the gentleman we were talking of came up to us; and upon the Knight's afking him who preached tomorrow (for it was Saturday night) told us, the Bishop of St Afaph in the morning, and Dr South in the afternoon. He then thewed us his lift of preachers for the whole year, where I faw with a great deal of pleasure Archbishop Tillotson, Bifhop Saunderfon, Dr Barrow, Dr Calamy, with feveral living authors who have published discourses of practical divinity. I no fooner faw this venerable man in the pulpit, but I very much approved

of

of my friend's infifting upon the qualifications of a good afpect and a clear voice; for I was fo charmed with the gracefulness of his figure and delivery, as well as with the difcourfes he pronounced, that I think I never passed any time more to my fatisfaction. A fermon repeated after this manner, is like the compofition of a poet in the mouth of a graceful actor.

I could heartily wish that more of our countryclergy would follow this example; and, inftead of wafting their fpirits in laborious compofitions of their own, would endeavour after a handfome elo, cution, and all those other talents that are proper to enforce what has been penned by greater mafters. This would not only be more eafy to them. felves, but more edifying to the people.

L

No 107.

TUESDAY, JULY 3.

Efopo ingentem ftatuam pofuere Attici,
Servumque collocarunt aterna in bafi,
Patere honoris fcirent ut cunctis viam.

PHED. Epilog. 1. 2.

The Athenians erected a large ftatue to fop, and placed him, though a slave, on a lasting pedestal; to show, that the way to honour lies open indifferently to all.

THE

HE reception, manner of attendance, undifturbed freedom and quiet, which I meet with here in the country, has confirmed me in the opinion I always had, that the general corruption of manners in fervants is owing to the conduct of mafters. The aspect of every one in the family carries fo much fatisfacton, that it appears he knows the happy lot which has befallen him in being a member of it. There is one particular which I 'VOL. II. K

have

have feldom feen but at Sir ROGER's; it is ufual in all other places, that fervants flie from the parts of the houfe through which their master is paffing; on the contrary, here they industriously place themfelves in his way; and it is on both fides, as it were, understood as a vifit, when the fervants appear without calling. This proceeds from the humane and equal temper of the man of the houfe, who also perfectly well knows how to enjoy a great estate, with fuch economy as ever to be much beforehand. This makes his own mind untroubled, and confequently unapt to vent peevish expreffions, or give paffionate or inconfiftent orders to thofe about him. Thus, respect and love go together; and a certain cheerfulness in performance of their duty is the particular diftinction of the lower part of this family. When a fervant is called before his master, he does not come with an expectation to hear himfelf rated for fome trivial fault, threatned to be ftripped or used with any other unbecoming language, which mean masters often give to worthy fervants; but it is often to know what road he took, that he came fo 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 gave Sir ROGER's love to him, or the like.

he gave

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 diftinction of approaching him is part of the reward for executing what is commanded by him.

There is another circumftance in which my friend excels in his management, which is the manner of rewarding his fervants: He has ever been of opinion, that giving his caft clothes to be worn by valets has a very ill effect upon little minds, and creates a filly fenfe of equality between the parties, in perfons affected only with outward things. I