The Trumpet Club by Richard Steele

 

The Trumpet Club      - Richard Steele

Richard Steele’s ‘The Trumpet Club’ originally consisted of fifteen members. Then, they had been reduced to five in number. The members are, Jeoffery Notch, Major Matchlock, Honest Old Nick Reptile, Bencher and Roger, the narrator. Usually these members meet at six o’ clock in the evenings. This meeting will go upto10 O’ clock. The Trumpet Club was in Shire Lane, London. Apart from reading, the Spectator used to listen to the conversation of his companions at the club.  Their conversation would be a kind of preparative for sleep. It would take the mind from its abstractions. It would lead him into the familiar traces of thought. It would lull him into tranquility.

The first member of the club was Sir Jeoffery Notch. He was the oldest of the club. He was the present Foreman of the club. He used to stir the fire with his poker and make it burn brightly. It was the privilege of the oldest member. He was a gentleman of an ancient family. He got the possession of ancestral property in a young age. He spent his wealth in fashionable pursuits like, horse-racing and cock-fighting.

The second member of the club was Major Matchbox. He was the next senior man in the club. He served in the last civil wars. He had all the battles by heart. He always talked about the fight of Marston Moor, the place in which the Royalists were defeated. He would also talk about the insurrection that took place in 1647 when the apprentices, to get their grievances redressed, rushed into the House of Parliament.

The third member of the club was Nick ‘Reptile. He was good natured indolent man. He spoke little to himself. He used to laugh at others’ jokes. He used to bring his young nephew along with him, who was eighteen years old.

The fourth member of the club was a Bencher, who was the greatest wit of the Trumpet Club. He used to visit the ordinaries about Charing-cross. He pretended to be intimate with Jack Ogle, a gamester. He used to quote ‘Hudibras’ as he memorized the couplets. He used to shake his head at the dullness of the present age.

The fifth member of the club was the Spectator. He was respected among the members of the club. He was considered a man of great deal of learning. The major used to call him a philosopher.