Days with Sir Roger de Coverley | Page 5

whom you
see there: observe the small buttons, the little boots, the laces, the
slashes about his clothes, and above all the posture he is drawn in
(which to be sure was his own choosing); you see he sits with one hand
on a desk writing and looking as it were another way, like an easy
writer, or a sonneteer. He was one of those that had too much wit to
know how to live in the world; he was a man of no justice, but great
good manners; he ruined every body that had any thing to do with him,
but never said a rude thing in his life; the most indolent person in the
world, he would sign a deed that passed away half his estate with his
gloves on, but would not put on his hat before a lady if it were to save
his country. He is said to be the first that made love by squeezing the
hand. He left the estate with ten thousand pounds debt upon it; but,
however, by all hands I have been informed that he was every way the
finest gentleman in the world. That debt lay heavy on our house for one
generation, but it was retrieved by a gift from that honest man you see
there, a citizen of our name, but nothing at all akin to us. I know Sir
Andrew Freeport had said behind my back, that this man was
descended from one of the ten children of the maid of honour I shewed
you above; but it was never made out. We winked at the thing indeed,
because money was wanting at that time."
Here I saw my friend a little embarrassed, and turned my face to the
next portraiture.
Sir Roger went on with his account of the gallery in the following
manner. "This man (pointing to him I looked at) I take to be the honour
of our house. Sir Humphrey de Coverley; he was in his dealings as

punctual as a tradesman and as generous as a gentleman. He would
have thought himself as much undone by breaking his word, as if it
were to be followed by bankruptcy. He served his country as knight of
this shire to his dying day. He found it no easy matter to maintain an
integrity in his words and actions, even in things that regarded the
offices which were incumbent upon him, in the care of his own affairs
and relations of life, and therefore dreaded (though he had great talents)
to go into employments of state, where he must be exposed to the
snares of ambition. Innocence of life and great ability were the
distinguishing parts of his character; the latter, he had often observed,
had led to the destruction of the former, and used frequently to lament
that great and good had not the same signification. He was an excellent
husbandman, but had resolved not to exceed such a degree of wealth;
all above it he bestowed in secret bounties many years after the sum he
aimed at for his own use was attained. Yet he did not slacken his
industry, but to a decent old age spent the life and fortune which was
superfluous to himself, in the service of his friends and neighbours."
Here we were called to dinner, and Sir Roger ended the discourse of
this gentleman, by telling me, as we followed the servant, that this his
ancestor was a brave man, and narrowly escaped being killed in the
civil wars; "For," said he, "he was sent out of the field upon a private
message, the day before the battle of Worcester." The whim of
narrowly escaping by having been within a day of danger, with other
matters above mentioned, mixed with good sense, left me at a loss
whether I was more delighted with my friend's wisdom or simplicity.

A COUNTRY SUNDAY.
I am always very well pleased with a country Sunday, and think, if
keeping holy the seventh day were only a human institution, it would
be the best method that could have been thought of for the polishing
and civilizing of mankind. It is certain the country people would soon
degenerate into a kind of savages and barbarians, were there not such
frequent returns of a stated time, in which the whole village meet
together with their best faces, and in their cleanliest habits, to converse

with one another upon indifferent subjects, hear their duties explained
to them, and join together in adoration of the Supreme Being. Sunday
clears away the rust of the whole week, not only as it refreshes in their
minds the notions of religion, but as it puts both the sexes upon
appearing in their most agreeable forms, and exerting all such qualities