f 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.

My friend Sir Roger, being a good churchman, 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 hassock 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.

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 servants to
them. Several other of 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
devotion, 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.

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. 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 makes his friends observe these
little singularities as foils that rather