ORDERS
at a certain hour. Very well,—tell him “to stay at Home, and be ready to attend to your Business,” adding, however, (if you expect him to do so) that “whenever you wish for a Half, or a whole Holiday for your own Business,”—for every one has Business and Desires, such as they are,—“ask me for it, and I will not Dissappoint you, even though your Absence may be Inconvenient—Mark!—Mind my Business, and I promise you, that I will never prevent your having every reasonable opportunity of minding Your own:”—make an agreement with him, that he shall have certain Hours in certain Days for such business as the Horses, Carriage, &c. require.
“Leave is Light;”
and warn him that if you find him out without leave, at any other time—you will immediately give him leave of Absence from your service for ever after, and that it will become your Duty, to state the reason why you do so, to any person who may apply for his Character.
Desire him, Five minutes before he brings the Carriage round, to open the Windows and ventilate it: even in Winter, Cold Air is not so offensive as Confined Air—desire him to bring the Carriage with the Glasses and Blinds, &c. in the position in which you generally use them; and when you tell him at what Time to come, tell him which Way to bring his Horses’ heads to the Door, i.e. East or West, so that he may start at once, without the disagreeable trouble of turning about—give him similar directions when you stop any where, and apprise him, that when you get in again, if you don’t immediately direct him otherwise, he is always to take you towards Home.
Finally, let his General Business be given to him in Writing; i. e. at what Hours you most usually want the Carriage—how Long at a time you are generally out—what Pace you wish to go—and what Roads to particular places, &c.
Give him a Map of London, on which, mark with Red Ink the way you wish to be taken to those places to which you are most frequently going—and tell him, if you order him to take you to any place, the way to which he is not well acquainted with, always to say so plainly, and you will direct him.
Some Good Masters never (unless in a case of necessity) take their Carriage out on a Sunday.
In well-governed Families, every Servant has the liberty every Sunday of going once to Church; which if they neglect, and fail in their duty to their Maker, they may well be suspected of failing in their duty to their master:—A Person who goes regularly to Church, will be Well spoken of, though he may have no other merit to recommend him: He who neglects that Duty is Ill spoken of, if he has no other Fault, and has every other Virtue.
Whenever you find it necessary to give any Directions, or to reprove him for Neglect, &c., never send any Message to him by another Servant,—mention it yourself; You may do this with much more effect than you can by any deputy, who, through Mistake or Ill-nature, may likely enough either say more or less than you told him.