Give in brief, a pen-portrait of Sir Roger de Coverley.

Ans.

Introduction: The character of Sir Roger de Coverley, the presiding genius of the Spectator Club, and the central figure in The Coverley Papers, was originally conceived of by Steele. But Steele furnished only the brief outline of his character, which was taken up and filled by Addison, who must, therefore, be regarded as his real creator. Sir Roger is not a mere figment of the imagination of Steele and Addison. Rather he is intended to be a type of a country gentleman, old-fashioned and eccentric, but good natured.

His Social Status and Personality: Sir Roger is a wealthy landlord. He is a gentleman and baron of Worcestershire. In city, he has a house in Soho Square. He is a unique and very well known person. He has certain singularities of behaviour because of his own view of the world. He is good natured, helpful and free from malice. He is a bachelor of fifty six years. He had an unrequited love-affair with a beautiful widow of the neighbouring country. Before this affair. Sir Roger was a distinguished social figure associating with Lord Rochester and Sir George Etherege. After the unsuccessful love affair, he has lost all desire for dress or social association. He has got over his moroseness and is quite cheerful at fifty six. He is cheerful, gay and hearty. He retains his love for mankind and treats his tenants and servants decently and is more loved than honoured in return by women who profess to love him and men who enjoy his company.

A Dedicated Churchman: Sir Roger takes great interest in the village church and also sees to it that his tenants attend church regularly. He has beautified the inside of his church with several texts of his own choice. He has presented the church with a new pulpit cloth. He has also got the communion table enclosed to a railing. He has gifted parishioners with a common prayer book and a hassock to kneel on in church to encourage them to attend church regularly. Further he has got a travelling musician to come and instruct the parishioners to sing the psalms in the right tune, as a result which, they pride themselves upon the fact that they sang much better than the congregation of any other village church. He keeps the gathering in a good order. In order to encourage the young men in church-service, he has added five pounds a year to the clerk’s place.

His Great Enthusiasm for Religion: Sir Roger has a remarkable enthusiasm for the religion and spiritual feelings. He is sincerely devoted to religion. He remains extremely eager to make spiritual welfare of his tenants. His behaviour, at church, may be humorous but it shows his sincere zeal for religion. When he is greatly moved by the sentiment of psalm, he deliberately lengthens the verse half a minute after the rest of people have finished it singing. Sometimes when he is pleased with his devotion, he utters the word “amen’ three or four times while others utter it only once. Sometimes he stands up in the midst of prayer when everyone is kneeling to see if all his tenants are present in the prayer or not. All these activities of Sir Roger are motivated by his sincerity for religion.

A Well Disciplined Country Gentleman: Sir Roger is a well disciplined country gentleman. He expects a perfect discipline during church service. He does not want that someone should create obstacle during church service. He does not consent anyone drowsing or sleeping during the service of the church. If he finds someone nodding, he. either wakes him himself or sends his servant to him. A man named John Matthews does not take interest in prayer and disturbs others. Sir Roger warns him not to do so, this authority of Sir Roger has a good effect on uncivilized villagers.

His Sweet Relationship with the Chaplain : Sir Roger and his chaplain have a perfect understanding between each other. He is in perfect harmony with his chaplain. He never shows dishonour for the decisions and opinions of his chaplain. He does every work with the consent of chaplain. He settles all the problems of the parish with his help. Hence, his parish and church are free from any kind of quarrel. In the next village the parson and the squire are all the time indulging in some dispute. The parson seems to preach at the squire who stays away from the church but a fair understanding is found between Sir Roger and chaplain.

His Singularities or Eccentricities: Sir Roger is a gentleman who is very singular in his behaviour. His singularities proceed from his good sense, and are in contradiction to the manners of the world. His good nature and eccentric behaviour are the redeeming traits in his character, and this is how he becomes more attractive and admirable. He does nothing with sourness or obstinacy; and his being unconfined to modes and forms, makes him more capable to please and oblige all who know him. No doubt, he was disappointed in his love for a beautiful, but perverse widow, yet this disappointment did not have any misanthropic or embittering influence on his character. He is now in his fifty-sixth year, cheerful, gay and hearty. There is such a mirthful cast in his behaviour that he is rather beloved than esteemed.

Practical Wisdom and Common Sense: Sir Roger prefers common-sense to scholarship. His advice to his chaplain to memorize the great sermons of the theologians of old and to recite them to his congregation, may seem ludicrous at first sight but on giving a second thought, it is evident that he meant to make it an instrument of popular education. Sir Roger’s eccentricities in the church also bear out his good sense. He looks upon Christmas less as a religious festival than as an occasion for relieving the poor. However, whimsical and capricious he may look from the surface of things, there can be no denying the essential soundness of what he does. He lengthens out a singing psalm, pronounces ‘Amen’ three times to the same prayer, finds out who is absent, sends his servant or goes himself to awake the dozing person, though he may himself sleep during the church service, all this may sound quite eccentric but it cannot be denied that he is sincerely concerned with spiritual welfare of the tenants of his parish.

His Generous Nature: Sir Roger is shown as unusually generous and affectionate in his relations to his servants. They do not merely look satisfied, but are devoted to their master and feel anxious in regard to his health. If he coughs, or betrays any infirmity of old age, it is easy for a stander-by to observe a secret concern in the looks of all his servants. Sir Roger is made to be loved rather than to be admired. He expresses his indifference to the practice of giving worn out and left-off clothes to the servants, for it creates in them a silly sense of equality with their masters. Thus in spite of being earnest and reasonable in his arguments, his notions are eccentric.

His Deep Anguish and Disappointment in Love: Sir Roger falls in love with a widow at the very first sight and becomes almost slave to her. Inspite of his best efforts, he fails to drive her out of his heart. He always thinks of her. Even when he is crossed in love, he walks in his favourite walk, languishing in her sweet memory and carving her name on the barks of many a tree. His fox hunting becomes too frequent in moments of acute disappointment in love. The sad music of nightingale reminds him of his love. Even in his old age, whenever he is reminded of the widow, he suffers from deep anguish.

Thus Sir Roger is a lovable character inspite of many eccentricities. He is loved for his vanities as much as for his virtues. His simplicity and generosity make him lovable and dear to all.