At his first settling with me, I made him a present of all the good
sermons which have been printed in English, and only begged of him that
every Sunday he would pronounce one of them in the pulpit. Accordingly
he has digested them into such a series, that they follow one another
naturally, and make a continued system of practical divinity.
As Sir Roger was going on in his story, the gentleman we were talking of
came up to us, and upon the Knight's asking him who preached to-morrow,
for it was Saturday night, told us, the bishop of St. Asaph in the
morning, and Dr. South in the afternoon. He then showed us his list of
preachers for the whole year, where I saw with a great deal of pleasure,
Archbishop Tillotson, Bishop Saunderson, Dr. Barrow, Dr. Calamy, with
several living authors who have published discourses of practical
divinity.
ADDISON.
THE SWAN INN
LAST night I lay at the Swan Inn in Lathbury town. A sad night I had of
it! My chamber was warmed fair enough by a fire of sea coal. There was a
sweet smell of lavender in the sheets which a hot warming pan had also
made comfortable. All this promised well, but Polly had forgot to put my
silk night cap into my saddlebags! That vexed me sore! All night I felt
I was taking a rheum. Some clodhoppers roystering in the tap room
forbade sleep at first and as I am not wont to hear the quarters
stricken the Abbey bells roused me at frequent intervals and made me
swear roundly. About midnight the Royal Mail rolled over the bridge with
a noise fit to wake the Seven Sleepers! The hoof beats of its cattle
echoed on the stone walls of the houses like a salute by His Majesty's
Footguards! How I ached for my quiet chambers in the Temple. At length I
fell to sleep and so sound that when I waked the sun had long been
shining through my lattice. I was late in meeting the Squire and the
Vicar, and that too after making express this arduous ride. Indeed I was
vexed--and I showed it.
SWAIN'S _Old Salop._
THE Swan is a venerable and rambling building, stretching itself lazily
with outspread arms; one of those inns (long may they be preserved from
the rebuilders!) on which one stumbles up or down into every room, and
where eggs and bacon have an appropriateness that make them a more
desirable food than ambrosia. The little parlor is wainscotted with the
votive paintings--a village Diploma Gallery--of artists who have made
the Swan their home.
E. V. LUCAS.
[Illustration: III
UPTHORPE-CUM-REGIS
_The Village_]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account