The De Coverley Papers, From 'The Spectator'Steele, Richard, Sir
General
The De Coverley Papers, From 'The Spectator'
Steele, Richard, Sir
English essays
[163] _Waited on._ Accompanied.
[164] _Boys._ Waiters.
NO. 329. TUESDAY, MARCH 18
_Ire tamen restat, Numa quo devenit, et Ancus._
HOR. _Ep._ vi. l. i. ver. 27.
With Ancus, and with Numa, kings of Rome,
We must descend into the silent tomb.
My friend Sir Roger de Coverley told me the other night, that he had been
reading my paper upon Westminster Abbey, "in which," says he, "there are
a great many ingenious fancies." He told me at the same time, that he
observed I had promised another paper upon the Tombs, and that he should
be glad to go and see them with me, not having visited them since he had
read history. I could not at first imagine how this came into the
Knight's head, till I recollected that he had been very busy all last
summer upon Baker's _Chronicle_, which he has quoted several times in his
disputes with Sir Andrew Freeport since his last coming to town.
Accordingly I promised to call upon him the next morning, that we might
go together to the Abbey.
I found the Knight under his butler's hands, who always shaves him. He
was no sooner dressed than he called for a glass of the widow Trueby's
water, which they told me he always drank before he went abroad. He
recommended to me a dram of it at the same time, with so much heartiness,
that I could not forbear drinking it. As soon as I had got it down, I
found it very unpalatable, upon which the Knight observing that I had
made several wry faces, told me that he knew I should not like it at
first, but that it was the best thing in the world against the stone or
gravel.
I could have wished indeed that he had acquainted me with the virtues of
it sooner; but it was too late to complain, and I knew what he had done
was out of goodwill. Sir Roger told me further, that he looked upon it to
be very good for a man whilst he stayed in town, to keep off infection,
and that he got together a quantity of it upon the first news of the
sickness being at Dantzick: when of a sudden, turning short to one of his
servants who stood behind him, he bid him call a hackney-coach, and take
care it was an elderly man that drove it.
He then resumed his discourse upon Mrs. Trueby's water, telling me that
the widow Trueby was one who did more good than all the doctors or
apothecaries in the country: that she distilled every poppy that grew
within five miles of her; that she distributed her water gratis among all
sorts of people; to which the Knight added, that she had a very great
jointure[165], and that the whole country would fain have it a match
between him and her; "and truly," says Sir Roger, "if I had not been
engaged[166], perhaps I could not have done better."
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