_From a country squire, in the 18th century, to a gentleman in London,
who had written to him concerning the character of a Servant._
"Sir--Yours I receiv'd the 24th of this present instant, June, and, at
your request, will give you an impartial account of my man, John Gray's
character. He is a shoemaker, or cordwainer, which you please to call
it, by trade, and now in our town; he is following the carding business
for every one that wants him; he served his time at a town called
Binstock, in Northamptonshire; and from thence the Great Addington
journeyman, to this occupation, as before mentioned, and used to come to
my house, and found, by riding my horses to water, that he rode a horse
pretty well; which was not at all mistaken, for he rides a horse well:
and he looks after a kennel of hounds very well, and finds a hare very
well: he hath no judgement in hunting a pack of hounds now, though he
rides well, he don't with discretion, for he don't know how to make the
most of a horse; but a very harey-starey fellow: will ride over a church
if in his way, though he may prevent a leap by having a gap within ten
yards of him; and if you are not in the field with himself, when you are
hunting to tutor him about riding, he will kill all the horses you have
in the stable in one month, for he hath killed downright, and lamed so
that they will never be fit for use, no more than five horses since he
has hunted my hounds, which is two years and upwards; he can talk no dog
language to a hound; he hath no voice; speaks to a hound such as if his
head were in a churn; nor neither does he know how to draw a hound when
they are at a loss, no more than a child of seven years old. As to his
honesty, I always found him honest till about a week ago. I sent my
servant that I have now to fetch some sheep's feet from Mr. Stranjan,
of Higham Ferrers, where Gray used to go for feet, and I always send
my money by the man that brings the feet; and Stranjan told my man that
I have now that I owed him money for feet; and when the man came home
he told me, and I went to Stranjan, and then I found the truth of the
matter. Gray had kept the money in his hands, and had never paid
Stranjan: he had along with me once for a letter, in order for his
character, to give him one, but I told him I could not give him a good
one, so I would not write at all. Gray is a very great drunkard, can't
keep a penny in his pocket: a sad notorious lyar. If you send him upon
a mile or two from Uphingham, he will get drunk, stay all day, and never
come home while the middle of the night, or such time as he knows his
master is in bed. He can nor will not keep any secret; neither has he
so much wit as other people, for the fellow is half a fool, for if you
would have business done with expedition, if he once gets out of the
town, or sight of you, shall see him no more, while the next morning he
serves me so and so: you must expect the same if you hire him. I use you
just as I would be used myself; it I desired a character of you of a
servant, that I had design'd to hire of yours, as to let you know the
truth of every thing about him.
"I am, sir, your most humble servant to command.
"_Great Addington, June_ 28, 1734.
"P.S. He takes good care of his horses, with good looking after as
to the dressing of them; but if you don't take care, he will fill the
manger full of corn, so that he will clog the horses, and ruin the whole
stable of horses."
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