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N° 86.

Thursday, October 27, 1709.

From my own Apartment, O&tober 25.

When I came Home laft Night, my Servant delivered me the following Letter:

SIR,

I

October 24.

HAVE Orders from Sir Harry Quickfet of Staffordshire, Bart. to acquaint you, That his Honour Sir Harry himself, Sir Giles Wheelbarrow, Kt. Thomas Rentfree, Efq; Juftice of the Quorum, Andrew Wind• mill, Efq; and Mr. Nicholas Doubt of the Inner Temple, Sir Harry's Grandson, will wait upon you at the Hour of Nine to Morrow Morning, being Tuesday the 25th of October, upon Bufinefs which Sir Harry will impart to you by Word of Mouth. I thought it proper to acquaint you before hand fo many Perfons of Quality came, that you might not be furprized therewith. • Which concludes, though by many Years Absence fince I faw you at Stafford, unknown,'

SIR,

Your most humble Servant,

John Thrifty.

I received this Meffage with lefs Surprize than I be. lieve Mr. Thrifty imagined; for I knew the good Company too well to feel any Palpitations at their Approach: But I was in a very great Concern how I fhould adjust the Ceremonial, and demean myself to all these great Men, who perhaps had not feen any Thing above themselves for these twenty Years laft paft. I am fure that's the Cafe of Sir Harry. Befides which, I was fenfible that there was a great Point in adjusting my Behaviour to the

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fimple 'Squire, fo as to give him Satisfaction, and not difoblige the Justice of the Quorum.

THE Hour of Nine was come this Morning, and I had no fooner fet Chairs, (by the Steward's Letter) and fixed my Tea-Equipage, but I heard a Knock at my Door, which was opened, but no one enter'd; after which followed a long Silence, which was broke at laft by, Sir, I beg your Pardon; I think I know better: And another Voice, Nay, good Sir Giles

I looked out from my Window, and faw the good Company all with their Hats off, and Arms fpread, offering the Door to each other. After many Offers, they enter'd with much Solemnity, in the Order Mr. Thrifty was fo kind as to name 'em to me. But they are now got to my Chamber-Door, and I faw my old Friend Sir Harry enter. I met him with all the Respect due to fo reverend a Vegetable; for you are to know, that is my Senfe of a Person who remains idle in the fame Place for Half a Century. I got him with great Succefs into his Chair by the Fire, without throwing down any of my Cups. The Knight-Batchelor told me, he had a great Refpect for my whole Family, and would, with my Leave, place himself next to Sir Harry, at whofe Right Hand he had fat at every Quarter Seffions this thirty Years, unless he was fick. The Steward in the Rear whispered the young Templer, That's true to my Knowledge. I had the Misfortune, as they ftcod Cheek by Jole, to defire the 'Squire to fit down before the Juftice of the Quorum, to the no fmall Satisfaction of the former, and Resentment of the latter: But I faw my Error too late, and got them as foon as I could into their Seats. Well, faid I, Gentlemen, after I have told you how glad I am of this great Honour, I am to defire you to drink a Difh of Tea. They answered one and all, That they never drank Tea in a Morning. Not in a Morning! faid I, ftaring round me. Upon which the pert Jackanapes, Nic. Doubt, tipp'd me the Wink, and put out his Tongue at his Grandfather. Here followed a profound Silence, when the Steward in his Boots and Whip propofed, That we should adjourn to fome Publick Houfe, where every Body might call for what they pleased, and enter upon the Bufinefs. We all ftood up in

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an Instant, and Sir Harry filed off from the Left, very difcreetly, countermarching behind the Chairs towards the Door: After him, Sir Giles in the fame Manner. The fimple 'Squire made a fudden Start to follow; but the Justice of the Quorum whipped between upon the Stand of the Stairs. A Maid going up with Coals, made us halt, and put us into fuch Confufion that we ftood all in a Heap, without any vifible Poffibility of recovering our Order: For the young Jackanapes feemed to make à Jeft of this Matter, and had fo con. triv'd, by preffing amongst us, under Pretence of making Way, that his Grandfather was got into the Middle, and he knew no Body was of Quality to ftir a Step, till Sir Harry mov'd first. We were fix'd in this Perplexity for fome Time, till we heard a very loud Noife in the Street; and Sir Harry afking what it was, I, to make them move, faid, it was Fire. Upon this, all ran down as fast as they could, without Order or Ceremony, till we got into the Street, where we drew up in very good Order, and fil'd off down SheerLane, the impertinent Templer driving us before him, as in a String, and pointing to his Acquaintance who pafs'd by.

I MUST confefs, I love to ufe People according to their own Senfe of good Breeding, and therefore whipp'd in between the Juftice and the 'Squire. He could not properly take this ill; but I overheard him whifper the Steward, That he thought it hard, that a common Conjurer fhould take Place of him, tho' an elder 'Squire. In this Order we marched down SheerLane, at the upper End of which I lodge. When we came to Temple- Bar, Sir Harry and Sir Giles got over; but a Run of the Coaches kept the rest of us on this Side of the Street: However, we all at laft landed, and drew up in very good Order before Ben. Tooke's Shop, who favoured our Rallying with great Humanity. From whence we proceeded again, till we came to Dick's Coffee houfe, where I defigned to carry them. Here we were at our old Difficulty, and took up the Street upon the fame Ceremony. We proceeded through the Entry, and were fo neceffarily kept in Order by the Situation, that we were now got K 4

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into the Coffee-house itself, where, as foon as we arrived, we repeated our Civilities to each other; after which, we marched up to the high Table, which has an Afcent to it inclofed in the Middle of the Room. The whole Houfe was alarmed at this Entry, made up of Perfons of fo much State and Rufticity. Sir Harry called for a Mug of Ale, and Dyer's Letter. The Boy brought the Ale in an Inftant; but faid, They did not take in the Letter. No (fays Sir Harry!) Then take back your Mug; we are like indeed to have good Liquor at this Houfe. Here the Templer tipp'd me a fecond Wink, and if I had not looked very grave upon him, I found he was difpofed to be very familiar with me. In fhort, I obferved after a long Paufe, that the Gentlemen did not care to enter upon Business till after their Morning Draught, for which Reafon I called for a Bottle of Mum; and finding that had no Effect upon them, I ordered a fecond, and a third: After which Sir Harry reached over to me, and told me in a low Voice, that the Place was too publick for Bufinefs; but he would call upon me again To morrow Morning at my own Lodgings, and bring fome more Friends with

him.

Will's Coffee-boufe, October 26.

THOUGH this Place is frequented by a more mixed Company than it used to be formerly; yet you meet very often fome whom one cannot leave without being the better for their Converfation. A Gentleman this Evening, in a dictating Manner, talked I thought very pleasingly in Praife of Modefty, in the midft of ten or twelve Libertines, upon whom it seemed to have had a good Effect: He reprefented it as the certain Indication of a great and noble Spirit. Modefty, faid he, is the Virtue which makes Men prefer the Publick to their private Intereft, the Guide of every honeft Undertaking, and the great Guardian of Innocence. It makes Men amiable to their Friends, and respected by their very Enemies. In all Places, and on all Occafions, it attracts Benevolence, and demands Approbation.

ONE

ONE might give Inftances out of Antiquity, of the irrefiftible Force of this Quality in great Minds; Cicereius, and Cneius Scipio, the Son of the great Africanus, were Competitors for the Office of Prætor. The Croud followed Cicereius, and left Scipio unattended. Cicereius

faw this with much Concern, and defiring an Audience of the People, he defcended from the Place where the Candidates were to fit, in the Eye of the Multitude, pleaded for his Adversary, and with an ingenuous Modefty (which it is impoffible to feign) reprefented to them, how much it was to their Dishonour, that a virtuous Son of Africanus fhould not be preferred to him, or any other Man whatsoever. This immediately gain'd the Election for Scipio; but all the Compliments and Congratulations upon it were made to Cicereius. It is eafier in this Cafe to fay, Who had the Office, than the Honour. There is no Occurrence in Life, where this Quality is not more ornamental than any other. After the Battle of Pharsalia, Pompey marching towards Lariffus, the whole People of that Place came out in Proceffion to do him Honour. He thanked the Magiftrates for their Refpect to him; but desired them to perform these Ceremonies to the ConqueThis gallant Submiffion to his Fortune, and Disdain of making any Appearance but like Pompey, was owing to his Modefty, which would not permit him to be fo difingenuous, as to give himself the Air of Profperity, when he was in the contrary Condition.

ror.

THIS I fay of Modefty, as it is the Virtue which preferves a Decorum in the general Course of our Life; but confidering it also as it regards our meer Bodies, it is the certain Character of a great Mind. It is memorable of the mighty Cæfar, that when he was murdered in the Capitol, at the very Moment in which he expired, he gathered his Robe about him, that he might fall in a decent Posture. In this Manner (fays my Author) he went off, not like a Man that departed out of Life, but a Deity that returned to his Abode.

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