Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

and from the upper classes if he is chosen to guide and
tutor Mr. Evelyn.
Wealthy families also hired tutors to teach their
sons the duties and responsibilities a son owed his
family, his estate, and his society. The tutor often came
from the clergy. Mr. Villars relates that he had "the
honour to accompany Mr. Evelyn . . . when upon his
travels, in the capacity of tutor," so that we could
assume from his own words that he was not the family
tutor (14). The Evelyn family may have hired Mr. Villars
specifically to accompany Mr. Evelyn. His knowledge of
the continent and the manners of European culture would
have provided valuable lessons for Mr. Evelyn.
Possibly, however, he could actually have been the
live-in tutor of Mr. Evelyn. Villars finally tells us
that the education of the "father, daughter, and
granddaughter" all devolved to him, and the first two
caused him great misery (16). Was Villars originally
hired to be John Evelyn's traveling companion and then
made his tutor, was he already the tutor accompanying his
pupil on the Grand Tour? This may seem to be begging the
question; however, had Villars been hired as a traveling
companion, he was sorely inadequate in his duties as he
let his charge go astray. His knowledge of Europe and of