Sir Roger at church

Joseph Addison

 Joseph Addison, (born May 1, 1672, Milston, Wiltshire, England—

died June 17, 1719, London), English essayist, poet, and dramatist,
who, with Richard Steele, was a leading contributor to and guiding
spirit of the periodicals The Tatler and The Spectator. His writing
skill led to his holding important posts in government while
the Whigs were in power.

Sir Roger de Coverley

 Sir Roger de Coverley, fictional character, devised by Joseph

Addison, who portrayed him as the ostensible author of papers and
letters that were published in Addison and Richard Steele’s influential
periodical The Spectator.
 As imagined by Addison, Sir Roger was a baronet of Worcestershire
and was meant to represent a typical landed country gentleman.
 He was also a member of the fictitious Spectator Club, and the de
Coverley writings included entertaining vignettes of early 18th-
century English life that were often considered The Spectator’s best
feature.

Sir Roger at church written by Joseph Addison

Sir Roger st church

 Joseph Addison and Richard Steele characterized sir Roger in 
the coverlay Essays. Sir Roger is presented as kind, generous, lovable and
sometimes as a peculiar person. Sir Roger's character is conveyed ironically.  

Essay with Explanation 

I AM always very well pleased with a country Sunday; and think, if keeping
holy the seventh day were only a human institution, it would be the best
method that could have been thought of for the polishing and civilizing of
mankind. 

I am always very happy on Sunday in my village. And I think the holy Sunday is
only human institution. That can make people civilize. 

It is certain the country-people would soon degenerate into a kind of savages

and barbarians, were there not such frequent returns of a stated time, in
which the whole village meet together with their best faces, and in their
cleanliest habits, to converse with one another upon indifferent subjects, hear
their duties explained to them, and join together in adoration of the Supreme
Being. 

Writer thinks that if there were no Sunday villagers would degenerate into
savages. The return of Sunday saves them from being barbarians. On this day,
the whole village assembles looking fresh and cheerful in their best dresses.
Everyone discuss about their everyday day life’s problems with one another.
Priest in church explain to them their duties social and spiritual. They pray
together to supreme being. This way they get morality that makes them civilize
and more humble 

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week, not only as it refreshes in their
minds the notions of religion, but as it puts both the sexes upon appearing in
their most agreeable forms, and exerting all such qualities as are apt to give
them a figure in the eye of the village. A country-fellow distinguishes himself
as much in the churchyard as a citizen does upon the Change, the whole parish
politics being generally discussed in that place either after sermon or before
the bell rings. 

The author says that Sunday clear away the rust of six days of a week. It is both
physically and spiritual. The refresh their nation of religion on this day and
thanks to god for his mercy. At this time men and women appear in their best
dresses and everyone tries to impress their opposite sex by their best behavior.
They try to show their best quality before the whole village so that they are
admired by all. In city area people can be seen in market while people can be
seen like this on Sunday in village. This occasion is utilized by the people to
discuss the village politics, the discuss before sermon or after it. Then they
return to their house as new and better human being. 

My friend Sir Roger, being a good church-man, has beautified the inside of his
church with several texts of his own choosing: he has likewise given a
handsome pulpit-cloth, and railed in the communion-table at his own expense.
He has often told me, that at his coming to his estate he found his parishioners
very irregular; and that in order to make them kneel and join in the responses,
he gave every one of them a hassoc and a Common Prayer Book; and at the
same time employed an itinerant singing-master, who goes about the country
for that purpose, to instruct them rightly in the tunes of the psalms; upon
which they now very much value themselves, and indeed out-do most of the
country churches that I have ever heard. 

Being a good church man, my friend sir Roger had made church attractive and
beautiful from insight through several quotation from the holy Bible at his own
choosing. Like this he gives a beautiful clothe of his own expense, and railed in
the communion tables. He told me many time that when he came here he fond
people of this village very irregular to church, in order to teach and make them
kneel before God, he gave every one of them a hassock, and prayer book; and
haired a singing master in order to teach right tune and rhythm of  prayer to
the villagers. On this they proud now that now they can sing their prayer in
more better way.  Indeed,  it is the best church of all that I ever seen before in my
life. 

As Sir Roger is landlord to the whole congregation, he keeps them in very

good order, and will suffer nobody to sleep in it besides himself; for if by
chance he has been surprised into a short nap at sermon, upon recovering out
of it he stands up and looks about him, and if he sees anybody else nodding,
either wakes them himself, or sends his servant to them. Several other of the
old knight's particularities break out upon these occasions: 

Sir roger is landlord of whole congregation, all the responsibility of church and
prayer he has, so he is very strict for this rules and regulation and he keep them in
very good manner in every way possible. And sir roger never let anyone sleep
while praying it is other thing that sometimes he sleeps for a short time. If by
chance after a short nap at sermon, he stands up suddenly and looks around, if he
sees anyone sleeping either he goes himself to wake him up or send his servant to
do this. He is like an old knight, who is little whimsical by nature and this type of
particularities are seen on these occasions. Sometimes when all people have sung
their psalms he is keep singing verse for a minute, sometimes when he became
happy with his own devotion he says amen three or four time in same prayer. And
sometime when all people kneel before God but he stands up to count and to see
if anyone is missing. 

I was yesterday very much surprised to hear my old friend, in the midst of the
service, calling out to one John Matthews to mind what he was about, and not
disturb the congregation. This John Matthews, it seems, is remarkable for
being an idle fellow, and at that time was kicking his heels for his diversion. 

Yesterday I was very surprise to hear my friend sir Roger in midst of the
prayer, he was reminding a man name Johan Matthews not to disturb the
people in church while praying. This Johan Matthews was famous for being
idle person and this time he was kicking his heels on floor to play, 

This authority of the knight, though exerted in that odd manner which
accompanies him in all circumstances of life, has a very good effect upon the
parish, who are not polite enough to see anything ridiculous in his behaviour;
besides that the general good sense and worthiness of his character, make his
friends observe these little singularities as foils that rather set off than
blemish his good qualities. 

Sir Roger’s behavior appears very odd. He seems to excreting his authority as

a knight in church but he is not peculiar to his behavior that always with him
in all circumstance of life, that inspire people to be a good man. There is no
anything bad in his character to see. It is more so because they know that sir
Roger is essentially a man of good thinking. He is really a well-wisher by heart,
therefore, they see the singularities in his behavior in an opposite way. These
do not hide his good quality rather it highlights and has a deep effect upon the
people. 
As soon as the sermon is finished, nobody presumes to stir till Sir Roger is
gone out of the church. The knight walks down from his seat in the chancel
between a double row of his tenants, that stand bowing to him on each side;
and every now and then he inquires how such an one's wife, or mother, or
son, or father do, whom he does not see at church; which is understood as a
secret reprimand to the person that is absent. 

As soon as the prayer finished, nobody dares to go out until sir Roger is gone
out  from  the church. Sir Roger come down from his seat near to sitting people,
and asks about their mother, family member or their relatives, whose he don’t
see in church. That is considered a hide insult.   

The chaplain has often told me, that upon a catechising-day, when Sir Roger
has been pleased with a boy that answers well, he has ordered a Bible to be
given him next day for his encouragement; and sometimes accompanies it
with a flitch of bacon to his mother. Sir Roger has likewise added five pounds a
year to the clerk's place; and that he may encourage the young fellows to
make themselves perfect in the church-service, has promised, upon the death
of the present incumbent, who is very old, to bestow it according to merit. 

Once priest told me that on the day of religious practice, when sir Roger become
happy with a boy, who answers to sir Roger correctly. He gives him Bible to
encourage and sometimes he gives piece of meat for his mother. Sir Roger
increase five pounds every year to clerk’s post. In this way he tries to encourage
the youngers to became active in church services. He promised to give good
vague to new clerk according his merit  when present clerk would be retired.   

The fair understanding between Sir Roger and his chaplain, and their mutual
concurrence in doing good, is the more remarkable, because the very next
village is famous for the differences and contentions that rise between the
parson and the 'squire, who live in a perpetual state of war.
Relation between sir Roger and with his chapman is very good, the important of
this relation is realized when they are compared with the relation between the
squire and chapman in a nearby villages. These villages are famous for their
quarrels between both. The result is that people are losing interest in church.
Everyone tries to prove himself best upon other. Squires does not go into church
and chapman criticizes  him openly. This is very harmful. 

The parson is always at the 'squire, and the 'squire, to be revenged on the
parson, never comes to church. The 'squire has made all his tenants atheists
and tithe-stealers; while the parson instructs them every Sunday in the
dignity of his order, and insinuates to them, almost in every sermon, that he is
a better man than his patron. In short, matters are come to such an extremity,
that the 'squire has not said his prayers either in public or private this half
year; and that the parson threatens him, if he does not mend his manners, to
pray for him in the face of the whole congregation.  

Priest always teaches peoples against landlord, and landlord takes revenge from
him. Sometimes he does not come to church. Landlord makes his villagers
atheist and he advise them not to give funds to church. While priest teaches
them every Sunday and tells them that in every prayer that he is a better person
than landlord. After all this result has gone so far, that landlord didn’t prayer
either in private or in public this half year. Priest threats him that if he does not
mind his behavior he would pray for him before whole congregation. 

Feuds of this nature, though too frequent in the country, are very fatal to the
ordinary people; who are so used to be dazzled with riches, that they pay as
much deference to the understanding of a man of an estate, as of a man of
learning; and are very hardly brought to regard any truth, how important so
ever it may be, that is preached to them, when they know there are several
men of five hundred a year who do not believe it. 

The quarrels between the landlord and priest are common in the village, they
are very harmful for ordinary people. It is common thing that ordinary people
are deeply charmed by the wealthy. His wealth effect on them and they respect
more to wealthy person and a scholar in same manner, they are influenced by
the wealthy much as by scholar of the church. Even sometimes, it became very
difficult to convince by church preaching when they come to know that
many  persons  those earns five hundred  pounds  do not believe in church or God.
These things impact upon all  people; therefore, it is essential that rich and
learned maintain good relationship between, only then preaching of church can
be effective upon common people.