Letters both from the Chaplain and Captain Sentry which No. 517. mention Nothing of it, but are filled with many Particulars Thursday October to the Honour of the good old Man. I have likewise a 23, 1712, Letter from the Butler, who took so much Care of me last Summer when I was at the Knight's House. As my Friend the Butler mentions, in the Simplicity of his Heart, several Circumstances the others have passed over in Silence, I shall give my Reader a Copy of his Letter, with out any Alteration or Diminution,

'Honoured Sir,

Knowing that you was my old Master's good Friend, I could not forbear sending 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 Sessions, 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 Master was always the poor Man's Friend. Upon his coming home, the first Complaint he made was, that he had lost his Roast 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 worse and worse, but still kept a good Heart to the last. Indeed we were once in great Hope of his Recovery, upon a kind Message that was sent 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 Necklace, and a Couple of Silver Bracelets set with Jewels, which belonged to my good old Lady his Mother: He has bequeathed the fine white Gelding, 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 being a very cold Day when he made his Will, he left for Mourning, to every Man in the Parish, a great Frize

Coat

No. 517.

October

23, 1712.

Coat, and to every Woman a black Riding-hood. It was Thursday, a most moving Sight to see him take Leave of his poor Servants, commending 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 Pensions and Legacies, which we may live very comfortably upon, the remaining Part of our Days, He has bequeathed a great Deal more in Charity, which is not yet come to my Knowledge, and it is peremptorily said 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 Coverly Church should 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 Coverlys, on the left Hand of his Father Sir Arthur. The Coffin was carried by Six of his Tenants, and the Pall held up by Six 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-hoods. Captain Sentry, my Master's Nephew, has taken Possession of the Hall-House, and the whole Estate. When my old Master saw him a little before his Death, he shook him by the Hand, and wished him Joy of the Estate which was falling to him, desiring him only to make a good Use of it, and to pay the several Legacies, and the Gifts of Charity which he told him he had left as Quit-rents upon the Estate, The Captain truly seems a courteous Man, though he says but little. He makes much of those whom my Master loved, and shews great Kind ness to the old House-dog, that you know my poor Master was so fond of. It wou'd have gone to your Heart to have heard the Moans the dumb Creature made on the Day of my Master's Death. He has ne'er joyed himself since; no more has any of us. 'Twas the melancholiest Day for the poor People that ever happened in Worcester shire. This being all from,

Honoured Sir,

Your most sorrowful Servant,

Edward Biscuit.

P. S.

P. S. My Master desired, some Weeks before he died, No. 517. that a Book which comes up to you by the Carrier should Thursday, be given to Sir Andrew Freeport, in his Name.'

This Letter, notwithstanding the poor Butler's Manner of Writing it, gave us such an Idea of our good old Friend, that upon the Reading of it there was not a dry Eye in the Club, Sir Andrew opening the Book found it to be a Collection of Acts of Parliament. There was in Particular the Act of Uniformity, with some Passages in it marked by Sir Roger's own Hand. Sir Andrew found that they related to two or three Points, which he had disputed with Sir Roger the last Time he appeared at the Club, Sir Andrew, who would have been merry at such an Incident on another Occasion, at the Sight of the old Man's Hand writing burst into Tears, and put the Book into his Pocket. Captain Sentry informs me, that the Knight has left Rings and Mourning for every one in the Club.

No. 518,
[STEELE.]

Friday, October 24.

-Miserum est aliorum incumbere famae,
Ne collapsa ruant subductis tecta columnis.-Juv.

HIS being a Day of Business with me, I must make the present Entertainment like a Treat at an House Warming, out of such Presents as have been sent me by my Guests. The first Dish which I serve up is a Letter come fresh to my Hand.

'Mr. SPECTATOR,

It is with inexpressible Sorrow that I hear of the Death of good Sir Roger, and do heartily condole with you upon so melancholy an Occasion, I think you ought to have blacken'd the Edges of a Paper which brought us so ill News, and to have had it stamped likewise in Black. It is expected of you that you should write his Epitaph, and, if possible, fill his Place in the Club with as worthy and diverting a Member, I question not but you will receive many Recommendations from the Publick of such as will appear Candidates for that Post. Since I am talking of Death, and have mentioned an

Epitaph

October 23, 1712.

No. 518.
Friday,
October
24, 1712,

Epitaph, I must tell you, Sir, that I have made Discovery
of a Church Yard in which I believe you might spend an
Afternoon, with great Pleasure to your self and to the
Publick It belongs to the Church of Stebon-Heath, com
monly called Stepney. Whether or no it be that the
People of that Parish have a particular Genius for an
Epitaph, or that there be some Poet among them who
undertakes that Work by the Great, I can't tell, but there
are more remarkable Inscriptions in that Place than in
any other I have met with, and I may say without
Vanity that there is not a Gentleman in England better
read in Tomb-stones than my self, my Studies having
laid very much in Church-yards. I shall beg leave
to send you a Couple of Epitaphs, for a Sample of
those I have just now mentioned. They are written
in a different manner; the first being in the diffused
and luxuriant, the second in the close contracted Stile,
The first has much of the Simple and Pathetick; the
second is something Light, but Nervous. The first is
thus:

Here Thomas Sapper lyes interr'd, Ah why!
Born in New England, did in London dye,
Was the third Son of Eight, begot upon
His Mother Martha by his Father John.
Much favour'd by his Prince he 'gan to be,
But nipt by Death at th' Age of Twenty Three.
Fatal to him was that we Small-pox name,
By which his Mother and two Brethren came
Also to breath their last nine Years before,
And now have left their Father to deplore
The Loss of all his Children with his Wife,
Who was the Joy and Comfort of his Life,

The Second is as follows,

Here lies the Body of Daniel Saul,
Spittle-fields Weaver, and that's all.

I will not dismiss you, whilst I am upon this Subject
without sending a short Epitaph which I once met with,
tho' I cannot possibly recollect the Place. The Thought
of it is serious, and, in my Opinion, the finest that ever
I met with upon this Occasion. You know, Sir, it is
usual, after having told us the Name of the Person who

lies interr'd, to launch out into his Praises. This Epitaph No. 518, takes a quite contrary Turn, having been made by the Friday, Person himself some time before his Death,

Hic jacet R. C. in expectatione diei supremí. Qualis erat dies iste indicabit.

Here lieth R. C in expectation of the last Day. What sort of a Man he was that Day will discover,

I am, Sir, &c.'

The following Letter is dated from Cambridge.

⚫ Sir, Having lately read, among your Speculations, an Essay upon Phisiognomy, I cannot but think that if you made a Visit to this Antient University, you might receive very considerable Lights upon that Subject, there being scarce a young Fellow in it who does not give certain Indications of his particular Humour and Disposition, conformable to the Rules of that Art. In Courts and Cities every Body lays a Constraint upon his Counten ance, and endeavours to look like the rest of the World; but the Youth of this Place, having not yet formed them selves by Conversation, and the Knowledge of the World, give their Limbs and Features their full Play,

As you have considered Human Nature in all its Lights, you must be extremely well apprised, that there is a very close Correspondence between the Outward and the Inward Man; that scarce the least Dawning, the least Parturiency towards a Thought can be stirring in the Mind of Man, without producing a suitable Revolution in his Exteriors, which will easily discover it self to an Adept in the Theory of the Phiz Hence it is, that the intrinsic Worth and Merit of a Son of Alma Mater is ordinarily calculated from the Cast of his Visage, the Contour of his Person, the Mechanism of his Dress, the Disposition of his Limbs, the Manner of his Gate and Air, with a number of Circumstances of equal Conse quence and Information. The Practitioners in this Art often make use of a Gentleman's Eyes to give 'em Light into the Posture of his Brains; take a handle from his Nose

October 24, 1712.