Sir Roger de Coverley Author:Joseph Addison Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY, CHAPTER I. S'; BIR ROGER AND THE CLTIB. Ast alii sex, Et plures, uno conclamant ore . Jut. Six besides— And more—join the con... more »senting voice. The first of our society is a gentleman of Worcestershire, of ancient descent, a baronet, his name Sir Eoger de Coverley. His great-grandfather was inventor of that famous country-dance which is called after him. All who know that shire are very well acquainted with the parts and merits of Sir Eoger. He is a gentleman that is very singular in his behaviour, but his singularities proceed from his good sense, and are contradictions to the manners of the world only as he thinks the world is injjhe wrong. However, this humour creates him no enemies, for he does nothing with sourness or obstinacy ; and his being unconfmed to modes and forms makes him but the readier and more capable to please and oblige all who know him. When he is in town, he lives in Soho Square. It is said he keeps himself a bachelor by reason he was crossed in love by a perverse beautiful widow of the next county to him. Before this disappointment, Sir Eoger was what you call a fine gentleman, had often supped with my Lord Eochester and Sir George Etherege, fought a duel upon his first coming to town, and kicked Bully Dawson in a public coffee-house for calling him " youngster." But heing ill used by the above mentioned widow, he was very serious for a year and a half; and though, his temper being naturally jovial, he at last got over it, he grew careless of himself, and never dressed afterwards. He continues to wear a coat and doublet of the same cut that were in fashion at the time of his repulse, which, in his merry humours, he tells us, has been in and out twelve times since he first wore it. He is now in his fifty-sixth year, chee...« less