value, have settled upon him a good annuity* for life. If he outlives me, he shall find that he was higher in my esteem than 75 perhaps he thinks he is. He has now been with me thirty years, and, though he does not know I have taken notice of it, has never in all that time asked anything of me for himself, though he is every day soliciting me for something in behalf of one or other of my tenants, his parishioners. There has not been a law- 80 suit in the parish since he has lived among them. If any dispute arises, they apply themselves to him for the decision; if they do not acquiesce in his judgment, which I think never happened above once or twice at most, they appeal to me. At his first settling with me, I made him a present of all the good sermons 85 which have been printed in English, and only begged of him that every Sunday he would pronounce one of them in the pulpit. Accordingly, he has digested* them into such a series that they follow one another naturally, and make a continued system of practical divinity." 7. As Sir Roger was going on with his story, the gentleman we were talking of came up to us, and upon the knight's asking him who preached to-morrow (for it was Saturday night), told us the Bishop of St. Asaph in the morning, and Dr. South in the after 74. annuity, yearly money allowance. 58. digested, arranged methodically. 90. divinity, theology. 94-97. Bishop of St. Asaph . . . Calamy. The names mentioned are those of eminent English divines, though, curiously enough, the two greatest preachers of the 17th century-Jeremy Taylor and Hooker-are not in the list. Dr. Barrow's sermons were of enormous length. One, preached before the lord mayor and aldermen of London, is said to have taken up three hours and a half in the delivery. LITERARY ANALYSIS.-Give the etymology of "annuity” (74).—Is “digested" (88) used in its modern or in its literal sense? What is its usual modern meaning?-What word of Greek origin is synonymous with “divinity" (90)? (See "theology" in Glossary.) 76-84. He has now... to me. What traits did Sir Roger's chaplain possess in common with the "village preacher" in Goldsmith's Deserted Village? (See page 219 of this book.) 92. upon the knight's asking him. Explain the form "asking." (See Swinton's New English Grammar, § 100, iv.) 93. who preached to-morrow. Would this now be considered good English? 94. Bishop of St. Asaph... Dr. South. Supply the ellipsis. 99 IOC noon. He then showed us his list of preachers for the whole 93 year, where I saw with a great deal of pleasure Archbishop Tillotson, Bishop Saunderson, Dr. Barrow, Dr. Calamy, with several living authors who have published discourses of practical divinity. I no sooner saw this venerable man in the pulpit but I very much approved of my friend's insisting upon the qualifications of a good aspect and a clear voice; for I was so charmed with the gracefulness of his figure and delivery, as well as with the discourses he pronounced, that I think I never passed any time more to my satisfaction. A sermon repeated after this manner is like the composition of a poet in the mouth of a graceful actor. 105 8. I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example, and, instead of wasting their spirits in laborious compositions of their own, would endeavor after a handsome elocution and all those other talents that are proper to enforce what has been formed by greater masters. This would not 110 only be more easy to themselves, but more edifying to the people. II-THE COVERLEY SABBATH (SPECTATOR No. 112). 1. 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. 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 NOTES. * 2. only a human a merely 7. village meet. "Village" is a col- LITERARY ANALYSIS.-96, 97. Archbishop Tillotson... Calamy. What figure of speech is here used? (See Def. 29.) IOI. a good aspect. . . a clear voice. sentence correspond with these? What words in the latter part of the 105. like the composition, etc. Show that this is not a simile. 106-111. Show the touch of humor in the concluding paragraph. Is it quiet or broad humor? 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. Sunday clears 10 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 church 15 yard as a citizen does upon the 'Change, the whole parish poli tics* being generally discussed in that place either after sermon or before the bell rings. 2. My friend Sir Roger, being a good churchman, has beautified the inside of his church with several texts of his own choos 20 ing. 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 hassock* and a 25 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, outdo most of the country churches that I have ever heard. 30 3. 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 35 them himself or sends his servant to them. Several other of 8. habits, attire, clothes. 12. puts... upon, induces. = 16. 'Change Exchange. 16, 17. politics. The word is treated it seems to signify a devoted member of the church. 25. hassock, a thick mat on which to as singular, and hence may take | 34. out of it = from it. 19 churchman: that is, Episcopalian as 36. them. The antecedent of "them " being "anybody" (sing.), him should be used according to strict grammar. the old knight's particularities break out upon these occasions : sometimes he will be lengthening out a verse in the singing psalms half a minute after the rest of the congregation have done with it; sometimes, when he is pleased with the matter of his de- 44 votion, he pronounces amen* three or four times to the same prayer; and sometimes stands up when everybody else is upon their knees to count the congregation, or see if any of his tenants are missing. 4. I was yesterday very much surprised to hear my old friend, 45 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. This authority of the knight, though exerted in that odd manner 50 which accompanies him in all circumstances of life, has a very good effect upon the parishioners, who are not polite* enough to see anything ridiculous in his behavior; besides that, the general good sense and worthiness of his character make his friends observe these little singularities as foils that rather set ≤5 off than blemish his good qualities. 5. 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 60 inquires how such a 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. 6. The chaplain has often told me that upon a catechising day, when Sir Roger has been pleased with a boy that answers well, 65 he has ordered a Bible to be given him next day for his encour agement, 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 prom- 7o ised, upon the death of the present incumbent, who is very old, to bestow it according to merit. 7. 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 75 and contentions that rise between the parson and the squire, who live in a perpetual state of war. The parson is always preaching 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 80 every Sunday in the dignity of his order, and insinuates to them in almost 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 man- 85 ners, to pray for him in the face of the whole congregation. 8. 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 90 very hardly brought to regard any truth, how important soever 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. 67. flitch, the side of a hog salted and 80. tithes, the allotment of money to cured. 69. clerk, a parish officer, being a lay man who leads in reading the Church service. the clergy for their support: and stealers are those who keep these back. responses of the Episcopal 91. very hardly: that is, with great dif culty. |