I

CREECH.

HAVE frequently read your discourse upon fervants, and, as I am one myself, have been much offended, that, in that variety of forms wherein · you confidered the bad, you found no place to ' mention the good. There is however one obfervation of yours I approve, which is, That there are men of wit and good fenfe among all orders ' of men, and that fervants report most of the good or ill which is fpoken of their masters. That there are men of fense who live in fervitude, I have the vanity to fay I have felt to my ⚫ woful experience. You attribute very justly the fource of our general iniquity to board-wages, and the manner of living out of a domeftick way: But I cannot give you my thoughts on this fubject any way fo well, as by a fhort account of my own life to this the forty-fifth year of my age; that is to fay, from my being firft a footboy at fourteen, to my prefent ftation of a nobleman's porter in the year of my age above-mentioned.

Know then, that my father was a poor tenant to the family of Sir Stephen Rackrent. Sir Ste< phen put me to school, or rather made me fol. low his fon Harry to school, from my ninth year; and there, though Sir Stephen paid fome. thing for my learning, I was used like a fervant, and was forced to get what fcraps of learning I

'could

'could by my own industry, for the fchoolmafter • took very little notice of me. My young mafter was a lad of very fprightly parts; and my being 6 conftantly about him, and loving him, was no fmall advantage to me. My mafter loved me 'extremely, and has often been whipped for not keeping me at a distance. He used always to say, That when he came to his eftate I fhould have a lease of my father's tenement for nothing. came up to town with him to Westminster fchool; at which time he taught me at night all he learn 'ed; and put me to find out words in the diction" ary when he was about his exercife. It was the

I

He

will of Providence that Mafter Harry was taken " very ill of a fever, of which he died within ten 'days after his first falling fick. Here was the ' first sorrow I ever knew; and I affure you, Mr SPECTATOR, I remember the beautiful action of 'the sweet youth in his fever, as fresh as it were ' yesterday. If he wanted any thing, it must be given him by Tom When I let any thing fall, through the grief I was under, he would cry, Do not beat the poor boy : Give him fome more julip for me, no body elfe fhall give it me. would ftrive to hide his being fo bad, when he faw I could not bear his being in fo much danger, and comforted me, faying, Tom, Tom, have a good heart. When I was holding a cup at his mouth, he fell into convulfions; and at this very ◄ time I heard my dear master's last groan. I was quickly turned out of the room, and left to fob and beat my head against the wall at my leifure. The grief I was in was inexpreffible; and every body thought it would have coft me my life. In a few days my old lady, who was one of the housewifes of the world, thought of turning me out of doors, because I put her in mind of her fon. Sir Stephen propofed putting me to prentice; but my lady being an excellent manager, would

' would not let her husband throw away his money in acts of charity. I had fenfe enough to be under the utmost indignation, to fee her difcard, 'with fo little concern, one her fon had loved fo much; and went out of the houfe to ramble ' wherever my feet would carry me.

The third day after I left Sir Stephen's family, I was strolling up and down the walks in the Temple. A young gentleman of the house, who (as I heard him fay afterwards) feeing me half-ftarved and well-dreffed, thought me an equipage ready " to his hand, after very little inquiry more than • Did I want a mafter? bid me follow him: I did fo, and in a very little while thought myself the ' happiest creature in this world. My time was 'taken up in carrying letters to wenches, or meffages to young ladies of my master's acquaintance. We rambled from tavern to tavern, to the play'houfe, the mulberry-garden, and all places of refort; where my mafter engaged every night in fome new amour, in which and drinking he fpent all his time when he had money. During these extravagancies I had the pleasure of lying on the ftairs of a tavern half a night, playing at dice ⚫ with other fervants, and the like idleneffes. When my master was moneylefs, I was generally em'ployed in tranfcribing amorous pieces of poetry, 'old fongs, and new lampoons. This life held till my mafter married, and he then had the prudence to turn me off, because I was in the fecret of his <intrigues.

• I was utterly at a loss what course to take next; when at last I applied myself to a fellow-fufferer, one of his mistreffes, a woman of the town. She ⚫ happening at that time to be pretty full of money, clothed me from head to foot; and knowing me to be a fharp fellow, employed me accordingly. Sometimes I was to go abroad with her, and when he had pitched upon a young fellow,

fhe

'fhe thought for her turn, I was to be dropped as one he could not truft. She would often cheapen goods at the New-Exchange; and wher 'fhe had a mind to be attacked, the would fend

me away on an errand. When an humble fer'vant and she were beginning a parly, I came immediately, and told her Sir John was come home; then the would order another coach to prevent being dogged. The lover makes figns to me as I get behind the coach, I fhake my head it was impoffible: I leave my lady at the next turning, and follow the cully to know how to fall in his way on another occafion. Befides good offices of this nature, I writ all my mistress's love-letters; fome from a lady that faw fuch a gentleman at • fuch a place in fuch a coloured coat, fome fhewing the terror fhe was in of a jealous old husband, • others explaining that the feverity of her parents was fuch (though her fortune was fettled) thať fhe was willingly to run away with fuch a one, though the knew he was but a younger brother. In a word, my half education and love of idle books, made me outwrite all that made love to her by way of epiftle: and as fhe was extremely cunning, the did well enough in company by a <fkilful affectation of the greatest modefty. In the midst of all this I was furprised with a let. ter from her and a ten pound note.

"Honeft Tом,

"You will never fee me more. I am married a very cunning country gentleman, who "might poffibly guefs fomething if I kept you still; "therefore farewell."

When this place was loft alfo in marriage, I · was refolved to go among quite another people for the future; and got in butler to one of those 'families where there is a coach kept, three or four fervants, a clean houfe, and a good general

outfide

' outside upon a small eftate. Here I lived very 'comfortably for fome time, till I unfortunately found my mafter, the very graveft man alive, in "the garret with the chambermaid. I knew the 'world too well to think of staying there; and the next day pretended to have received a letter out of the country that my father was dying, and got my discharge with a bounty for my difcretion.

The next I lived with was a peevish fingle man, whom I stayed with for a year and a half. Moft part of the time I paffed very easily; for when I began to know him, I minded no more than he " meant what he faid; fo that one day in good 'humour he said, I was the best man he ever had, by my want of refpect to him.

Thefe, Sir, are the chief occurrences of my life, and I will not dwell upon very many other 'places I have been in, where I have been the 'ftrangeft fellow in the world, where no body in 'the world had fuch fervants as they, where fure " they were the unluckieft people in the world in 'fervants, and fo forth. All I mean by this representation, is, to fhew you that we poor fervants are not (what you called us too generally) all " rogues; but that we are what we are, according 'to the example of our fuperiors. In the family I am now in, I am guilty of no one fin but lying; which I do with a grave face in my gown and ' staff every day I live, and almost all day long, in ' denying my lord to impertinent fuitors, and my lady to unwelcome vifitants. But, Sir, I am to let you know that I am, when I can get abroad, a leader of the fervants: I am he that keeps time with beating my cudgel against the boards in the gallery at an opera; I am he that am touched fo properly at a tragedy, when the people of quality are ftaring at one another during the moit important incidents: When you hear in a crowd a cry in the right place, an hum where the point