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Coverley Papers
Characters
Sir Roger de Coverley
Sir
Roger de Coverley, a fifty-six-year-old bachelor, the benevolent autocrat of a
large Worcestershire estate. The knight’s humaneness, according to his own
opinion, is the result of his love for a beautiful widow whom he has wooed for
thirty years. His kindness is equaled by his rigid control of his servants,
whose morals, finances, and behavior are the assumed responsibility of Sir
Roger. In London, he presides over “The Club,” an informal but close-knit group
of men of divergent interests and personalities. Sir Roger’s every thought
seems marked by affability, his every act by broad knowledge and understanding.
Mr. Spectator
Mr.
Spectator, the anonymous first-person narrator of the articles describing
customs and personalities of eighteenth century London. The writer sets the
tone of the journal with the editorial pronouncement that any faulty character
described in the journal fits a thousand people and that every paper is
presented in the spirit of benevolence and with love of humankind.
Sir Andrew Freeport
Sir
Andrew Freeport, a club member whose eminence as a merchant and personal
frugality speak for the differences between Sir Andrew’s and Sir Roger’s
political and economic philosophies. Those differences provide the basis for
many hours of debate between the two devoted friends. Among Sir Roger’s last
acts is making the gift of a book to Sir Andrew, a collection of acts of
Parliament.
Will Honeycomb
Will
Honeycomb, a beau and fop in the decline of life. Despite his age, he remains
youthful, he says, because of his many attempts to marry. His contributions to
club discussions stem from various aspects of the female world. His ultimate
marriage at an advanced age bears out his claim to gallantry.
Captain Sentry
Captain
Sentry, Sir Roger’s nephew, who leaves a successful naval career to assume his
position as heir to Sir Roger in the Club, as well as in his uncle’s financial
holdings. The captain’s great courage, keen understanding, and gallantry in
naval sieges are quietly balanced by an invincible modesty, qualities that make
him a liked and admired individual.
William Wimble
William
Wimble, a bachelor neighbor of Sir Roger de Coverley. The youngest son of an
ancient family, born to no estate and bred to no business, Will lives with an
older brother and acts as gamekeeper on the family estate. Resigned to his lot
in life, amiable Will is the darling of the countryside.
Irus
Irus,
men of the countryside. Their economic practices, both based on poverty, are
opposites. Because he is ashamed to appear poor, Laertes spends unthriftily,
moving always closer to poverty. Irus’ fear of poverty causes him to save,
moving him from it.
Tom Touchy
Tom
Touchy, the selfish neighbor of Sir Roger. At every meeting of the court, he
sues someone for poaching on his land. Touchy, generally disliked for his
littleness, incurs the wrath of the countryside when he sues Will Wimble for
taking hazel sticks from his hedge. Good-natured Will has taken the sticks to
make tobacco-stoppers for his friends.
Moll White
Moll
White, a slatternly recluse who lives near Sir Roger’s estate. Known as a witch
by her neighbors, she is blamed for any untoward event or incident. Her death
is said to have caused winds violent enough to blow off the end of one of Sir
Roger’s barns. Sir Roger tells Mr. Spectator of the coincidence of the two
events but professes no belief in any relationship between them.
Kate Willow
Kate
Willow, a witty, mischievous wench in Sir Roger’s neighborhood. Kate’s value of
her beauty over love has kept her unmarried. To the consternation of many, she
tries to influence young girls in love to be as indiscreet as she has been.
A minister
A
minister, a club member whose visits add to every man new enjoyment of himself.
The Templar
The
Templar, another member. His interest turns from poetry to law, and he leaves
the Club.
Edward Biscuit
Edward
Biscuit, Sir Roger’s butler. From Biscuit’s correspondence, Mr. Spectator
learns the details of the baronet’s death and burial.
Character
of Sir Roger
Sir
Roger de Coverley is a 56 year gentleman of Worcestershire and the first member
of The Spectator Club. Though he is
an aged man, he is very cheerful, gay and hearty and has a good house both in
town and in country. He is a baronet. He is also a country magistrate and one
of the most important people of the country Church. His grandfather was the
inventor of the country dance which is called after him.
Sir
Roger is a lover of mankind and very singular in his behavior. He thinks that
the world is in the wrong. His singularities do not create any enemy in his
life. His humor draws love of the young man and woman. He is a good master of
his servants and calls them by their name. When he came to town for the first
time, he fought and kicked Bully Dawson in a public coffeehouse for calling him
youngster.
He was a very fashionable man and fell in love
with a beautiful widow. "Being ill-used by this beautiful widow, he became
very serious for a year and a half and grew careless of himself and never
dressed after wards. Now he keeps himself bachelor and wears only a coat and
doublet that has been in and out of fashion twelve times since he first wore
it.
We
get the true picture of Sir Roger’s character at Sunday in the Church. He is a
landlord and Churchman. He has taken great responsibilities to beautify the
Church with the texts of his own choosing. He has also given pulpit cloth, and
railed in the communion table at his own expense. He has given a hassock and a
common prayer book to the country people to know how to pray. He has also employed
an itinerant singing master so that they can be instructed rightly.
He
keeps the countrymen in a very good order but not without showing his eccentricities.
He does not let anybody sleep in the church besides himself. He also does not
let anybody do any wrong. If he finds any wrong during prayer, he wakes him
either himself or by sending his servant to make him attentive. Sometimes he
lengthens out a verse in the singing psalms half a minute after the rest of the
congregation have done with it. When he is pleased with the matter of his
devotion, he pronounces ‘amen’ & three or four times to same prayers. When
everyone is upon their knees, he stands up to count them. As soon as the sermon
is finished, everybody stands between two rows and Sir Roger takes the
information of their family members who have not come to Church.
Sir
Roger is a man of good manner and does whatever is suitable for the people. He
gives extra five pound to singing master for teaching the children. And he
orders a Bible to a boy that answers well upon a catechizing day. Sometimes the
bible is accompanied with a flitch of bacon for his mother.
To
conclude, we can say that Sir Roger is out and out an uncommon character having
a lot of eccentricities. It is the eccentricities of Sir Roger that has made
him unite immortal a character in the history of English literature.
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