Character of Sir Roger in “The Coverley Paper”

        Question: Sketch the character of Sir Roger in the light of “The Coverley Paper”.

Answer: Joseph Addison and Richard Steele were the two distinguished essayists of the 18^th century England who flourished and flowered English prose to its highest peak. However, in the essay collection entitled “The Coverley Paper” Sir Roger de Coverley is the best creation by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. His character is a well mixture of hospitality, humanity, love, helpfulness, disappointment, superstition, singularities, kindness, honesty and goodness. However, through the character of Sir Roger the above mentioned satirists tried their utmost to show the oddities and vices of the 18^th century English society in a very mild manner. Although sometimes his behaviour seems to be very odd but they proceed from his good sense. He is beloved rather than esteemed by all who know him.

After getting invitation from Sir Roger, the author went to Sir Roger's country house. Here his hospitality takes the attention of the readers. Here we see that he is very hospitable and did everything possible to make his friend happy. Even the people around his house were requested not to get closer to Addison because Addison would be disturbed. In his house Addison was requested to feel free for any kind of job.

In the essay “Sir Roger at Home” Sir Roger’s treatment to his servants was adequately well. He loved each and every servant at his home and they returned his love with both service and love because he maintained a friendly relationship with them and inquired after their health and family. And they were also satisfied with him. Addison says in "Sir Roger at Home"

“I am the more at ease in Sir Roger's family, because it consists of sober and staid persons;

for as the knight is the best master in the world,

he seldom changes his servants; and as he is beloved by all about him.”

 His nice behaviour towards them helped them develop such love for him that if they were not employed, they seemed discouraged. It indicates that they were largely willing to be engaged in his service. Even his pet dog was not left unloved. So when Sir Roger arrived at home upon completion his outside activities, their hearts leapt with a great deal of pleasure. The love between the master and the servants developed in such a degree that if he simply coughed or showed any infirmity of old age, there appeared tension in the looks of his servants.

His broadness of heart has been revealed in “The Coverley Household”. The servants in the household of Sir Roger considered themselves quite fortunate to have a master like him. They seemed to enjoy doing whatever he demanded them to do. Unlike many other masters, he did not like rewarding his servants with the cast off clothes as, he thought, it would be the sign of narrow-mindedness. He believed in the equality of master and servants.  So he provided them with the vacant tenements and the money collected from the tenants so that the servants would live comfortably. Not only that but also he allowed them to make business of their own to make good. It bears the testimony that his treatment to his servants was ideal.   

In the essay “His Account of His Disappointment in Love” the knight is found to be disappointed. In his youth he fell in love a beautiful widow in his next county but she did not respond to him in the same manner he expected. She was such a woman that liked to be courted by all other men but had not liked to marry anyone. Sir Roger was very frustrated at her behaviour. He tired many times to overcome the passion but it printed deeply in his heart. The following line reveals his disappointed heart.  

“Oh the excellent creature!

She is as inimitable to all women, as she is inaccessible to all men.”

We find Sir Roger superstitious in “Sir Roger and the Gipsies”. As the Spectator was riding with Sir Roger along the fields, he noticed a group of gypsies. He began to tell the Spectator about all the mischiefs done by the gypsies. He described to him that they used to steal pieces of linen, hogs, geese and anything they could manage hold of and take pieces of sliver from dairy-maids and, in return, promise them handsome sweethearts. But soon after that he revealed his wish to the Spectator to visit them to know about his fortunes. Here his singularities are traceable. At the beginning of the essay, he was despising the gypsies but now he is willing to hear his fortunes from them. He showed his hand to an old gypsy. Examining his hand the gypsy foretold that he had a widow in his line of life and further told him that his love was constant and the she would dream of him that night. At that news he was very delighted.

Although it is strange to believe in the existence of witches, the belief in witchcraft is a common matter in the country in the time of Addison and Steele. In “On Witch Craft – Story of Moll White” we see that Sir Roger like many other people in the country tended to consider an old woman to be a witch as people attributed all disasters of their life to her. They hardly believed that it had been a rumour that an old woman could be a witch.

To some extent Sir Roger can be considered to be eccentric. In almost all the essays regarding him, we find its full expression. In the essay "Sir Roger at Church" his eccentricity is seen in which he exercised his authority. He wanted that his tenants should behave well in the church. They must not sleep or make any noise during the church service but he himself did so. Sometimes when everybody was on their knees, he stood up. And his kindness of heart is revealed in the essay “Sir Roger in Town”. Once Sir Roger was seen conversing with a beggar who asked for some alms from him. At first he chided the beggar for not finding out some work but later on he put his hand in his pocket and gave him away six pence.

In summing up, it can be said that despite being a man of great honour, Sir Roger is regarded as a humorist and sometimes eccentric because of possessing some oddities or peculiarities in him. However, the ultimate aim of Addison was not to show his humorous expressions to make up laugh only, rather to make up correct for our follies and absurdities. But the main intention of Mr. Spectator was to correct the society, to reform every corner of life by presenting the character Sir Roger.

Md. Saiful Alam

B. A. Honours and M. A. in English

Lecturer of English

Queen’s College, Dhaka

E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com

My affectionate Readers,

Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English. I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.