The Sir Roger de Coverley PapersSteele, Richard, Sir
General
The Sir Roger de Coverley Papers
Steele, Richard, Sir
English essays
The knight then asked me if I had seen Prince Eugenio,
and made me promise to get him a stand in some convenient
place, where he might have a full sight of that (189: 5)
extraordinary man, whose presence does so much honour
to the British nation. He dwelt very long on the praises
of this great general, and I found that, since I was with
him in the country, he had drawn many observations
together out of his reading in Baker's _Chronicle_, and (10)
other authors who always lie in his hall window, which
very much redound to the honour of this prince.
Having passed away the greatest part of the morning
in hearing the knight's reflections,[141] which were partly
private and partly political, he asked me if I would smoke (15)
a pipe with him over a dish of coffee at Squire's. As I
love the old man, I take delight in complying with everything
that is agreeable to him, and accordingly waited on
him to the coffee-house, where his venerable figure drew
upon us the eyes of the whole room. He had no sooner (20)
seated himself at the upper end of the high table, but he
called for a clean pipe, a paper of tobacco, a dish of
coffee, a wax candle, and the _Supplement_, with such an
air of cheerfulness and good humour that all the boys in
the coffee-room--who seemed to take pleasure in serving (25)
him--were at once employed on his several errands;
insomuch that nobody else could come at a dish of tea
till the knight had got all his conveniences about him.
[141] Correct the careless grammar. L.
XXVIII. SIR ROGER IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY
[No. 329. Tuesday, March 18, 1712. ADDISON.]
Ire tamen restat Numa quo devenit et Ancus.
HOR.
My friend Sir Roger de Coverley told me t'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 (190: 5)
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 (10)
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.
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