SIR ROGER'S FAMILY

by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele
(Originally published in THE SPECTATOR)

Having often received an invitation from my friend Sir Roger deCoverley to pass away a month with him in the country, I lastweek accompanied him thither, and am settled with him for sometime at his country-house, where I intend to form several of myensuing Speculations. Sir Roger, who is very well acquaintedwith my humour, lets me rise and go to bed when I please, dine athis own table or in my chamber as I think fit, sit still and saynothing without bidding me be merry. When the gentlemen of thecountry come to see him, he only shews me at a distance. As Ihave been walking in his fields I have observed them stealing asight of me over an hedge, and have heard the Knight desiringthem not to let me see them, for that I hated to be stared at.I am the more at ease in Sir Roger's family, because it consistsof sober and staid persons; for as the Knight is the best masterin the world, he seldom changes his servants; and as he isbeloved by all about him, his servants never care for leavinghim; by this means his domesticks are all in years, and grown oldwith their master. You would take his valet de chambre for hisbrother, his butler is gray-headed, his groom is one of thegravest men that I have ever seen, and his coachman has the looksof a privy-counsellor. You see the goodness of the master evenin the old house-dog, and in a gray pad that is kept in thestable with great care and tenderness out of regard to his pastservices, tho' he has been useless for several years.

I could not but observe with a great deal of pleasure the joythat appeared in the countenance of these ancient domesticks uponmy friend's arrival at his country-seat. Some of them could notrefrain from tears at the sight of their old master; every one ofthem press'd forward to do something for him, and seemeddiscouraged if they were not employed. At the same time the goodold Knight, with the mixture of the father and the master of thefamily, tempered the enquiries after his own affairs with severalkind questions relating to themselves. This humanity and good-nature engages every body to him, so that when he is pleasantupon any of them, all his family are in good humour, and none somuch as the person whom he diverts himself with. On thecontrary, if he coughs, or betrays any infirmity of old age, itis easy for a stander-by to observe a secret concern in the looksof all his servants.

My worthy friend has put me under the particular care of hisbutler, who is a very prudent man, and, as well as the rest ofhis fellow-servants, wonderfully desirous of pleasing me, becausethey have often heard their master talk of me as of hisparticular friend.

My chief companion, when Sir Roger is diverting himself in thewoods or the fields, is a very venerable man who is ever with SirRoger, and has lived at his house in the nature of a chaplainabove thirty years. This gentleman is a person of good sense andsome learning, of a very regular life and obliging conversation.He heartily loves Sir Roger, and knows that he is very much inthe old Knight's esteem, so that he lives in the family rather asa relation than a dependent.

I have observed in several of my papers, that my friend SirRoger, amidst all his good qualities, is something of anhumorist; and that his virtues, as well as imperfections, are asit were tinged by a certain extravagance, which makes themparticularly HIS, and distinguishes them from those of other men.This cast of mind, as it is generally very innocent in itself, soit renders his conversation highly agreeable, and more delightfulthan the same degree of sense and virtue would appear in theircommon and ordinary colours. As I was walking with him lastnight, he asked me how I liked the good man whom I have just nowmentioned? and without staying for my answer told me, That hewas afraid of being insulted with Latin and Greek at his owntable; for which reason he desired a particular friend of his atthe University to find him out a clergyman rather of plain sensethan much learning, of a good aspect, a clear voice, a sociabletemper, and, if possible, a man that understood a little ofbackgammon. My friend, says Sir Roger, found me out thisgentleman, who, besides the endowments required of him, is, theytell me, a good scholar, tho' he does not shew it. I have givenhim the parsonage of the parish; and because I know his value,have settled upon him a good annuity for life. If he outlivesme, he shall find that he was higher in my esteem than perhaps hethinks he is. He has now been with me thirty years; and tho' hedoes not know I have taken notice of it, has never in all thattime asked anything of me for himself, tho' he is every daysoliciting me for some thing in behalf of one or other of mytenants his parishioners. There has not been a law-suit in theparish since he has liv'd among them. If any dispute arises theyapply themselves to him for the decision; if they do notacquiesce in his judgment, which I think never happened aboveonce or twice at most, they appeal to me. At his first settlingwith me, I made him a present of all the good sermons which havebeen printed in English, and only begg'd of him that every Sundayhe would pronounce one of them in the pulpit. Accordingly, hehas digested them into such a series, that they follow oneanother naturally, and make a continued system of practical divinity.

As Sir Roger was going on in his story, the gentleman we weretalking of came up to us; and upon the Knight's asking him whopreached to tomorrow (for it was Saturday night) told us, theBishop of St. Asaph in the morning, and Dr. South in theafternoon. He then shewed us his list of preachers for the wholeyear, where I saw with a great deal of pleasure ArchbishopTillotson, Bishop Saunderson, Dr. Barrow, Dr. Calamy, withseveral living authors who have published discourses of practicaldivinity. I no sooner saw this venerable man in the pulpit, butI very much approved of my friend's insisting upon thequalifications of a good aspect and a clear voice; for I was socharmed with the gracefulness of his figure and delivery, as wellas with the discourses he pronounced, that I think I never passedany time more to my satisfaction. A sermon repeated after thismanner, is like the composition of a poet in the mouth of agraceful actor.

I could heartily wish that more of our country-clergy wouldfollow this example; and instead of wasting their spirits inlaborious compositions of their own, would endeavour after ahandsome elocution, and all those other talents that are properto enforce what has been penned by greater masters. This wouldnot only be more easy to themselves, but more edifying to thepeople.