Heu Pietas! heu prifca Fides! VIRG.

E laft Night received a Piece of ill News at our Club, which very fenfibly afflicted every one of us. I question not but my Readers themselves will be troubled at the hearing of it. To keep them no longer in fufpence, Sir ROGER DE COVERLEY is dead. He de

parted this Life at his House in the Country, after a few Weeks Sickness, Sir ANDREW FREEPORT has a Letter from one of his Correspondents in those Parts, that informs him the old Man caught a Cold at the County-Seffions, as he was very warmly promoting an Address of his own penning, in which he fucceeded according to his Wishes. But this Particular comes from a Whig Juftice of Peace, who was always Sir ROGER'S Enemy and Antagonift. I have Letters both from the Chaplain and Captain SENTREY which mention nothing of it, but are filled with many Particulars to the honour of the good old Man. I have likewise a Letter from the Butler, who took fo much care of me laft Summer when I was at the Knight's House. As my Friend the Butler mentions, in the Simplicity of his Heart, feveral Circumstances the others have paffed over in Silence, I fhall give my Reader a Copy of his Letter, without any Alteration or Di

minution.

Honoured Sir,

NOWING that you was my old Master's good Friend, I could not forbear fending you the melancholy News of his Death, which

' has afflicted the whole Country, as well as his

poor

Servants, who loved him, I may say, better than

'we did our Lives. I am afraid he caught his 'Death the last County-Seffions, where he would < go to see Justice done to a poor Widow Woman, ' and her Fatherless Children, that had been wronged 'by a neighbouring Gentleman; for you know, 'Sir, my good Mafter was always the poor Man's 'Friend. Upon his coming home, the first Com'plaint he made was, that he had loft his Roft-Beef 'Stomach, not being able to touch a Sirloin, which 'was served up according to custom; and you 'know he used to take great delight in it. From that time forward he grew worfe and worse, but 'ftill kept a good Heart to the laft. Indeed we

were once in great hope of his Recovery, upon a 'kind Meffage that was fent him from the Widow Lady whom he had made love to the forty last Years of his Life; but this only proved a Light'ning before Death. He has bequeathed to this 'Lady, as a token of his Love a great Pearl Neck'lace, and a Couple of Silver Bracelets fet with 'Jewels, which belonged to my good old Lady his 'Mother: He has bequeathed the fine white Geld'ing, that he used to ride a hunting upon, to his 'Chaplain, because he thought he would be kind 'to him, and has left you all his Books. He has, moreover, bequeathed to the Chaplain a very 'pretty Tenement with good Lands about it. It

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'being a very cold Day when he made his Will, 'he left for Mourning, to every Man in the Pa'rish, a great Frize Coat, and to every Woman, a 'black Riding-hood. It was a moft moving fight 'to see him take leave of his poor Servants, com'mending us all for our Fidelity, whilst we were 'not able to speak a word for weeping. As we 'most of us are grown gray-headed in our dear 'Master's Service, he has left us Penfions and Legacies, which we may live very comfortly upon, 'the remaining part of our Days. He has be'queathed a great deal more in Charity, which is 'not yet come to my Knowledge, and it is peremptorily faid in the Parish, that he has left 'Money to build a Steeple to the Church; for he 'was heard to say some time ago, that if he lived 'two Years longer, Coverley Church fhould have 'a Steeple to it. The Chaplain tells every Body ' that he made a very good End, and never speaks ' of him without Tears. He was buried according 'to his own Directions, among the Family of the COVERLIES, on the Left Hand of his Father Sir 'Arthur. The Coffin was carried by fix of his 'Tenants, and the Pall held up by fix of the Quorum: The whole Parish followed the Corps ' with heavy Hearts, and in their Mourning Suits, 'the Men in Frize, and the Women in Riding