MR. WILL WIMBLE

by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele

I was yesterday morning walking with Sir Roger before his house,a country-fellow brought him a huge fish, which, he told him, Mr.William Wimble had caught that very morning; and that hepresented it, with his service to him, and intended to come anddine with him. At the same time he delivered a letter which myfriend read to me as soon as the messenger left him.

"Sir Roger,
"I desire you to accept of a jack, which is the best I havecaught this season. I intend to come and stay with you a week,and see how the perch bite in the Black River. I observed withsome concern, the last time I saw you upon the bowling-green,that your whip wanted a lash to it; I will bring half a dozenwith me that I twisted last week, which I hope will serve you allthe time you are in the country. I have not been out of thesaddle for six days last past, having been at Eaton with SirJohn's eldest son. He takes to his learning hugely.
"I am, Sir, your humble servant,
"Will Wimble."

This extraordinary letter, and message that accompanied it, mademe very curious to know the character and quality of thegentleman who sent them; which I found to be as follows. WillWimble is younger brother to a baronet, and descended of theancient family of the Wimbles. He is now between forty andfifty; but being bred to no business and born to no estate, hegenerally lives with his elder brother as superintendent of hisgame. He hunts a pack of dogs better than any man in thecountry, and is very famous for finding out a hare. He isextremely well versed in all the little handicrafts of an idleman: he makes a Mayfly to a miracle; and furnishes the wholecountry with angle-rods. As he is a good-natur'd officiousfellow, and very much esteem'd upon account of his family, he isa welcome guest at every house, and keeps up a goodcorrespondence among all the gentlemen about him. He carries atulip-root in his pocket from one to another, or exchanges apuppy between a couple of friends that live perhaps in theopposite sides of the county. Will is a particular favourite ofall the young heirs, whom he frequently obliges with a net thathe has weaved, or a setting-dog that he has made himself. He nowand then presents a pair of garters of his own knitting to theirmothers or sisters; and raises a great deal of mirth among them,by enquiring as often as he meets them how they wear! Thesegentlemen-like manufactures and obliging little humours make Willthe darling of the country.

Sir Roger was proceeding in the character of him, when we saw himmake up to us with two or three hazel-twigs in his hand that hehad cut in Sir Roger's woods, as he came through them, in his wayto the house. I was very much pleased to observe on one side thehearty and sincere welcome with which Sir Roger received him, andon the other, the secret joy which his guest discover'd at sightof the good old Knight. After the first salutes were over, Willdesired Sir Roger to lend him one of his servants to carry a setof shuttle-cocks he had with him in a little box to a lady thatlived about a mile off, to whom it seems he had promised such apresent for above this half year. Sir Roger's back was no soonerturned but honest Will began to tell me of a large cock-pheasantthat he had sprung in one of the neighbouring woods, with two orthree other adventures of the same nature. Odd and uncommoncharacters are the game I looked for, and most delight in; forwhich reason I was as much pleased with the novelty of the personthat talked to me, as he could be for his life with the springingof a pheasant, and therefore listen'd to him with more thanordinary attention.

In the midst of his discourse the bell rung to dinner, where thegentleman I have been speaking of had the pleasure of seeing thehuge jack, he had caught, served up for the first dish in a mostsumptuous manner. Upon our sitting down to it he gave us a longaccount how he had hooked it, played with it, foiled it, and atlength drew it out upon the bank, with several other particularsthat lasted all the first course. A dish of wild fowl that cameafterwards furnished conversation for the rest of the dinner,which concluded with a late invention of Will's for improving thequail-pipe.

Upon withdrawing into my room after dinner, I was secretlytouched with compassion towards the honest gentleman that haddined with us; and could not but consider, with a great deal ofconcern, how so good an heart and such busy hands were whollyemployed in trifles; that so much humanity should be so littlebeneficial to others, and so much industry so little advantageousto himself. The same temper of mind and application to affairsmight have recommended him to the publick esteem, and have raisedhis fortune in another station of life. What good to his countryor himself might not a trader or merchant have done with suchuseful tho' ordinary qualifications?

Will Wimble's is the case of many a younger brother of a greatfamily, who had rather see their children starve like gentlemen,than thrive in a trade or profession that is beneath theirquality. This humour fills several parts of Europe with prideand beggary. It is the happiness of a trading nation, like ours,that the younger sons, tho' uncapable of any liberal art orprofession, may be placed in such a way of life as may perhapsenable them to vie with the best of their family. Accordingly,we find several citizens that were launched into the world withnarrow fortunes, rising by an honest industry to greater estatesthan those of their elder brothers. It is not improbable butWill was formerly tried at divinity, law, or physick; and thatfinding his genius did not lie that way, his parents gave him upat length to his own inventions. But certainly, however improperhe might have been for studies of a higher nature, he wasperfectly well turned for the occupations of trade and commerce.As I think this is a point which cannot be too much inculcated, Ishall desire my reader to compare what I have here written withwhat I have said in my twenty-first speculation.