[683]The Hon. Mrs. Boscawen had expressed her regret that Cowper should employ his time and talents in translation, instead of original composition; accompanied by a wish that he would produce another 'Task,' adverting to what Pope had made his friend exclaim,"Do write next winter more 'Essays on Man.'"
[683]The Hon. Mrs. Boscawen had expressed her regret that Cowper should employ his time and talents in translation, instead of original composition; accompanied by a wish that he would produce another 'Task,' adverting to what Pope had made his friend exclaim,
"Do write next winter more 'Essays on Man.'"
[684]Mr. Rose.
[684]Mr. Rose.
[685]Mrs. Haden, formerly governess to the daughters of Lord Eardley.
[685]Mrs. Haden, formerly governess to the daughters of Lord Eardley.
[686]The fifth edition of Cowper's Poems.
[686]The fifth edition of Cowper's Poems.
[687]Dr. Austen, who is here alluded to, was not less distinguished for his humane and benevolent qualities, than for his professional skill and eminence.
[687]Dr. Austen, who is here alluded to, was not less distinguished for his humane and benevolent qualities, than for his professional skill and eminence.
[688]Private correspondence.
[688]Private correspondence.
[689]A name given to Ulysses.
[689]A name given to Ulysses.
[690]Maty.
[690]Maty.
[691]Whether this is a poetical or real dream of Cowper's, we presume not to decide. It bears so strong a resemblance to Milton's vision of the Bishop of Winchester, (the celebrated Dr. Andrews,) as to suggest the probability of having been borrowed from that source. The passage is to be found in Milton's beautiful Latin elegy on the death of that prelate, and is thus translated by Cowper:"While I that splendour, and the mingled shadeOf fruitful vines with wonder fixt survey'd,At once, with looks, that beam'd celestial grace,The seer of Winton stood before my face.His snowy vesture's hem descending lowHis golden sandals swept, and pure as snowNew-fallen shone the mitre on his brow.Where'er he trod a tremulous sweet soundOf gladness shook the flow'ry scene around:Attendant angels clap their starry wings,The trumpet shakes the sky, all æther rings,Each chaunts his welcome, ...Then night retired, and, chas'd by dawning day,The visionary bliss pass'd all away:I mourn'd my banish'd sleep with fond concern,Frequent to me may dreams like this return."
[691]Whether this is a poetical or real dream of Cowper's, we presume not to decide. It bears so strong a resemblance to Milton's vision of the Bishop of Winchester, (the celebrated Dr. Andrews,) as to suggest the probability of having been borrowed from that source. The passage is to be found in Milton's beautiful Latin elegy on the death of that prelate, and is thus translated by Cowper:
"While I that splendour, and the mingled shadeOf fruitful vines with wonder fixt survey'd,At once, with looks, that beam'd celestial grace,The seer of Winton stood before my face.His snowy vesture's hem descending lowHis golden sandals swept, and pure as snowNew-fallen shone the mitre on his brow.Where'er he trod a tremulous sweet soundOf gladness shook the flow'ry scene around:Attendant angels clap their starry wings,The trumpet shakes the sky, all æther rings,Each chaunts his welcome, ...Then night retired, and, chas'd by dawning day,The visionary bliss pass'd all away:I mourn'd my banish'd sleep with fond concern,Frequent to me may dreams like this return."
"While I that splendour, and the mingled shadeOf fruitful vines with wonder fixt survey'd,At once, with looks, that beam'd celestial grace,The seer of Winton stood before my face.His snowy vesture's hem descending lowHis golden sandals swept, and pure as snowNew-fallen shone the mitre on his brow.Where'er he trod a tremulous sweet soundOf gladness shook the flow'ry scene around:Attendant angels clap their starry wings,The trumpet shakes the sky, all æther rings,Each chaunts his welcome, ...Then night retired, and, chas'd by dawning day,The visionary bliss pass'd all away:I mourn'd my banish'd sleep with fond concern,Frequent to me may dreams like this return."
[692]Louis XVI. the unhappy King of France, had recently perished on the scaffold, Jan. 21, 1793.
[692]Louis XVI. the unhappy King of France, had recently perished on the scaffold, Jan. 21, 1793.
[693]Isaiah xxiv. 20.
[693]Isaiah xxiv. 20.
[694]We have not been able to discover this epitaph, nor does it appear that it was ever translated by Cowper.Cardinal Mazarin was minister of state to Louis XIII. and during the minority of Louis XIV. The last moments of this great statesman are too edifying not to be recorded. To the ecclesiastic (Joly) who attended him, he said, "I am not satisfied with my state; I wish to feel a more profound sorrow for my sins. I am a great sinner. I have no hope but in the mercy of God." (Je suis un grand criminel, je n'ai d'esperance qu'en la misericorde divine.) At another time he besought his confessor to treat him like the lowest subject in the realm, being convinced, he said, that there was but one gospel for the great, as well as for the little. (Qu'il n'y avait qu'un Evangile pour les grands, et pour les petits.) His sufferings were very acute. "You see," he observed to those around him, "what infirmities and wretchedness the fortunes and dignities of this world come to." He repeated many times the Miserere, (Ps. li.) stretching forth his hands, then clasping them, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, with all the marks of the most sincere devotion.At midnight he exclaimed, "I am dying—my mind grows indistinct. I trust in Jesus Christ." (Je vais bientôt mourir, mon jugement se trouble, j'espère en Jésus Christ.) Afterwards, frequently repeating the sacred name of Jesus, he expired. (Se mettant en devoir de répéter aussi fréquemment le très-saint nom de Jésus, il expira.)Histoire du Card. Mazarin, par M. Aubery.
[694]We have not been able to discover this epitaph, nor does it appear that it was ever translated by Cowper.
Cardinal Mazarin was minister of state to Louis XIII. and during the minority of Louis XIV. The last moments of this great statesman are too edifying not to be recorded. To the ecclesiastic (Joly) who attended him, he said, "I am not satisfied with my state; I wish to feel a more profound sorrow for my sins. I am a great sinner. I have no hope but in the mercy of God." (Je suis un grand criminel, je n'ai d'esperance qu'en la misericorde divine.) At another time he besought his confessor to treat him like the lowest subject in the realm, being convinced, he said, that there was but one gospel for the great, as well as for the little. (Qu'il n'y avait qu'un Evangile pour les grands, et pour les petits.) His sufferings were very acute. "You see," he observed to those around him, "what infirmities and wretchedness the fortunes and dignities of this world come to." He repeated many times the Miserere, (Ps. li.) stretching forth his hands, then clasping them, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, with all the marks of the most sincere devotion.
At midnight he exclaimed, "I am dying—my mind grows indistinct. I trust in Jesus Christ." (Je vais bientôt mourir, mon jugement se trouble, j'espère en Jésus Christ.) Afterwards, frequently repeating the sacred name of Jesus, he expired. (Se mettant en devoir de répéter aussi fréquemment le très-saint nom de Jésus, il expira.)
Histoire du Card. Mazarin, par M. Aubery.
[695]Private correspondence.
[695]Private correspondence.
[696]Cowper, according to his kinsman, was descended, by the maternal line, through the families of Hippesley of Throughley, in Sussex, and Pellet, of Bolney, in the same county, from the several noble houses of West, Knollys, Carey, Bullen, Howard, and Mowbray; and so by four different lines from Henry the Third, king of England. He justly adds, "Distinction of this nature can shed no additional lustre on the memory of Cowper; but genius, however exalted, disdains not, while it boasts not, the splendour of ancestry; and royalty itself may be flattered, and perhaps benefited, by discovering its kindred to such piety, such purity, such talents as his."—See Sketch of the Life of Cowper, by Dr. Johnson.
[696]Cowper, according to his kinsman, was descended, by the maternal line, through the families of Hippesley of Throughley, in Sussex, and Pellet, of Bolney, in the same county, from the several noble houses of West, Knollys, Carey, Bullen, Howard, and Mowbray; and so by four different lines from Henry the Third, king of England. He justly adds, "Distinction of this nature can shed no additional lustre on the memory of Cowper; but genius, however exalted, disdains not, while it boasts not, the splendour of ancestry; and royalty itself may be flattered, and perhaps benefited, by discovering its kindred to such piety, such purity, such talents as his."—See Sketch of the Life of Cowper, by Dr. Johnson.
[697]Dr. Donne, formerly Dean of St. Paul's.
[697]Dr. Donne, formerly Dean of St. Paul's.
[698]"Be wiser thou—like our forefather Donne,Seek heavenly wealth, and work for God alone."
[698]
"Be wiser thou—like our forefather Donne,Seek heavenly wealth, and work for God alone."
"Be wiser thou—like our forefather Donne,Seek heavenly wealth, and work for God alone."
[699]Private correspondence.
[699]Private correspondence.
[700]Chapman claims the honour of being the first translator of the whole of the works of Homer. He was born in 1557, and was the contemporary of Shakspeare, Spenser, Jonson, &c. His version of the Iliad was dedicated to Henry, Prince of Wales. He also translated Musæus and Hesiod, and was the author of many other works. He died in 1634, aged seventy-seven. His version of Homer is now obsolete, and rendered tedious by the protracted measure of fourteen syllables; though occasionally it exhibits much spirit. Waller, according to Dryden, could never read his version without emotion, and Pope found it worthy of his particular attention.
[700]Chapman claims the honour of being the first translator of the whole of the works of Homer. He was born in 1557, and was the contemporary of Shakspeare, Spenser, Jonson, &c. His version of the Iliad was dedicated to Henry, Prince of Wales. He also translated Musæus and Hesiod, and was the author of many other works. He died in 1634, aged seventy-seven. His version of Homer is now obsolete, and rendered tedious by the protracted measure of fourteen syllables; though occasionally it exhibits much spirit. Waller, according to Dryden, could never read his version without emotion, and Pope found it worthy of his particular attention.
[701]The real author was Robert Bage.
[701]The real author was Robert Bage.
[702]The Poet's kinsman.
[702]The Poet's kinsman.
[703]Private correspondence.
[703]Private correspondence.
[704]Paradise Lost, Book iii.
[704]Paradise Lost, Book iii.
[705]He alludes to his notes on Homer.
[705]He alludes to his notes on Homer.
[706]What the proposed literary partnership was, which Hayley suggested, we know not; it is evident that it was not the poem of "The Four Ages," which forms the subject of the following letter, and in which Cowper acquiesced.
[706]What the proposed literary partnership was, which Hayley suggested, we know not; it is evident that it was not the poem of "The Four Ages," which forms the subject of the following letter, and in which Cowper acquiesced.
[707]Hayley made a second proposition to unite with Cowper in the projected poem of "The Four Ages," and to engage the aid of two distinguished artists, who were to embellish the work with appropriate designs. We believe that Lawrence and Flaxman were the persons to whom Hayley refers. We cannot sufficiently regret the failure of this plan, which would have enriched literature and art with so happy a specimen of poetical and professional talent. But the period was unhappily approaching which was to suspend the fine powers of Cowper's mind, and to shroud them in the veil of darkness.
[707]Hayley made a second proposition to unite with Cowper in the projected poem of "The Four Ages," and to engage the aid of two distinguished artists, who were to embellish the work with appropriate designs. We believe that Lawrence and Flaxman were the persons to whom Hayley refers. We cannot sufficiently regret the failure of this plan, which would have enriched literature and art with so happy a specimen of poetical and professional talent. But the period was unhappily approaching which was to suspend the fine powers of Cowper's mind, and to shroud them in the veil of darkness.
[708]Chapman's version is thus described by Warton: he "frequently retrenches or impoverishes what he could not feel and express," and yet is "not always without strength and spirit." By Anton, in his Philosophical Satires, published in 1616, he is characterised as"Greeke-thund'ring Chapman, beaten to the age,With a deepe furie and a sudden rage."The testimony of Bishop Percy is flattering. "Had Chapman," he observes, "translated the Iliad in blank verse, it had been one of our chief classic performances."
[708]Chapman's version is thus described by Warton: he "frequently retrenches or impoverishes what he could not feel and express," and yet is "not always without strength and spirit." By Anton, in his Philosophical Satires, published in 1616, he is characterised as
"Greeke-thund'ring Chapman, beaten to the age,With a deepe furie and a sudden rage."
"Greeke-thund'ring Chapman, beaten to the age,With a deepe furie and a sudden rage."
The testimony of Bishop Percy is flattering. "Had Chapman," he observes, "translated the Iliad in blank verse, it had been one of our chief classic performances."
[709]Cowper is mistaken in this supposition. Wood, in his Athenæ, records an edition of the Iliad in 1675; and of the Odyssey in 1667, and there was a re-impression of both in 1686.
[709]Cowper is mistaken in this supposition. Wood, in his Athenæ, records an edition of the Iliad in 1675; and of the Odyssey in 1667, and there was a re-impression of both in 1686.
[710]The Four Ages.
[710]The Four Ages.
[711]The poem of the Emigrants, which was dedicated to Cowper.
[711]The poem of the Emigrants, which was dedicated to Cowper.
[712]Mrs. Charlotte Smith is well known as an authoress, and particularly for her beautiful sonnets. She was formerly a great eulogist of the French Revolution, but the horrors which distinguished that political era led to a change in her sentiments, which she publicly avowed in her "Banished Man." There is a great plaintiveness of feeling in all her writings, arising from the unfortunate incidents of her chequered life. We remember this lady, with her family, formerly resident at Oxford, where she excited much interest by her talents and misfortunes.
[712]Mrs. Charlotte Smith is well known as an authoress, and particularly for her beautiful sonnets. She was formerly a great eulogist of the French Revolution, but the horrors which distinguished that political era led to a change in her sentiments, which she publicly avowed in her "Banished Man." There is a great plaintiveness of feeling in all her writings, arising from the unfortunate incidents of her chequered life. We remember this lady, with her family, formerly resident at Oxford, where she excited much interest by her talents and misfortunes.
[713]Samuel Roberts, his faithful servant.
[713]Samuel Roberts, his faithful servant.
[714]Private correspondence.
[714]Private correspondence.
[715]Count Gravina, the Spanish Admiral.
[715]Count Gravina, the Spanish Admiral.
[716]These illustrations are executed in outline, and form one of the most beautiful and elegant specimens of professional art.
[716]These illustrations are executed in outline, and form one of the most beautiful and elegant specimens of professional art.
[717]'The Rose had been washed, just washed in a shower,' &c.
[717]'The Rose had been washed, just washed in a shower,' &c.
[718]The lines here alluded to are entitled, "Inscription for an Hermitage;" and are as follow:—This cabin, Mary, in my sight appears,Built as it has been in our waning years,A rest afforded to our weary feet,Preliminary to—the last retreat.
[718]The lines here alluded to are entitled, "Inscription for an Hermitage;" and are as follow:—
This cabin, Mary, in my sight appears,Built as it has been in our waning years,A rest afforded to our weary feet,Preliminary to—the last retreat.
This cabin, Mary, in my sight appears,Built as it has been in our waning years,A rest afforded to our weary feet,Preliminary to—the last retreat.
[719]A translation of Cowper's Greek verses on his bust of Homer.
[719]A translation of Cowper's Greek verses on his bust of Homer.
[720]The celebrated monument in Westminster Abbey.
[720]The celebrated monument in Westminster Abbey.
[721]This bust and pedestal were afterwards removed to Sir George Throckmorton's grounds, and placed in the shrubbery.
[721]This bust and pedestal were afterwards removed to Sir George Throckmorton's grounds, and placed in the shrubbery.
[722]Miss Fanshaw was an intimate friend of Lady Hesketh's, and frequently residing with her.
[722]Miss Fanshaw was an intimate friend of Lady Hesketh's, and frequently residing with her.
[723]Private correspondence.
[723]Private correspondence.
[724]The publication alluded to is entitled, "Letters to a Wife; written during three voyages to Africa, from 1750 to 1754. By the Author of Cardiphonia."
[724]The publication alluded to is entitled, "Letters to a Wife; written during three voyages to Africa, from 1750 to 1754. By the Author of Cardiphonia."
[725]He was appointed Professor of Poetry in the University of Oxford.
[725]He was appointed Professor of Poetry in the University of Oxford.
[726]The effects of the French Revolution.
[726]The effects of the French Revolution.
[727]Lawrence.
[727]Lawrence.
[728]He, thund'ring downward hurl'd his candent boltTo the horse-feet of Diomede: dire fum'dThe flaming sulphur, and both horses droveUnder the axle.—Cowper's Version, book viii.
[728]
He, thund'ring downward hurl'd his candent boltTo the horse-feet of Diomede: dire fum'dThe flaming sulphur, and both horses droveUnder the axle.—
He, thund'ring downward hurl'd his candent boltTo the horse-feet of Diomede: dire fum'dThe flaming sulphur, and both horses droveUnder the axle.—
Cowper's Version, book viii.
[729]Right o'er the hollow foes the coursers leap'd,By the immortal gods to Peleus given.—Cowper's Version, book xvi.
[729]
Right o'er the hollow foes the coursers leap'd,By the immortal gods to Peleus given.—
Right o'er the hollow foes the coursers leap'd,By the immortal gods to Peleus given.—
Cowper's Version, book xvi.
[730]Cowper here inverts the order of the names, and attributes to Teucer, what in the original is ascribed to Meriones.At once Meriones withdrew the bowFrom Teucer's hand, but held the shaft the while,Already aim'd......He ey'd the dove aloft beneath a cloud,And struck her circling high in air; the shaftPass'd through her, and returning pierc'd the soilBefore the foot of brave Meriones.She, perching on the mast again, her headReclin'd, and hung her wide-unfolded wing;But, soon expiring, dropp'd and fell remote.The concluding lines of this passage convey a beautiful and affecting image.
[730]Cowper here inverts the order of the names, and attributes to Teucer, what in the original is ascribed to Meriones.
At once Meriones withdrew the bowFrom Teucer's hand, but held the shaft the while,Already aim'd......He ey'd the dove aloft beneath a cloud,And struck her circling high in air; the shaftPass'd through her, and returning pierc'd the soilBefore the foot of brave Meriones.She, perching on the mast again, her headReclin'd, and hung her wide-unfolded wing;But, soon expiring, dropp'd and fell remote.
At once Meriones withdrew the bowFrom Teucer's hand, but held the shaft the while,Already aim'd......He ey'd the dove aloft beneath a cloud,And struck her circling high in air; the shaftPass'd through her, and returning pierc'd the soilBefore the foot of brave Meriones.She, perching on the mast again, her headReclin'd, and hung her wide-unfolded wing;But, soon expiring, dropp'd and fell remote.
The concluding lines of this passage convey a beautiful and affecting image.
[731]A production of Fielding's.
[731]A production of Fielding's.
[732]Hayley's Life of Milton.
[732]Hayley's Life of Milton.
[733]Of these editions of Milton, that of Bentley has always been considered a complete failure. It is remarkable for the boldness of its conjectural emendations, and for the liberties taken with the text. An amusing anecdote is recorded on this subject. To a friend expostulating with him on the occasion, and urging that it was impossible for Milton, in so many instances, to have written as he alleged, he replied with his characteristic spirit, "Then he ought to have written so." Bishop Newton's edition has acquired just celebrity, and has served as the basis of all subsequent editions. It has been deservedly called "the best edited English Classic up to the period of its publication." Warton's edition of "The Juvenile and Minor Poems" discovers a classical and elegant taste. Its merit, however, is greatly impaired by the severity of its censures on Milton's republican and religious principles. It was to rescue that great poet from the animadversions of Warton and Dr. Johnson that Hayley engaged in a life of Milton, which does honour to the manliness and generosity of his feelings. But the most powerful defence is that of the Rev. Dr. Symmons, who, with considerable vigour of thought and language, has taken a most comprehensive view of the character and prose writings of Milton. He would have been entitled to distinguished praise, if, in vindicating the republicanism of Milton, he had not deeply fallen into it himself. In the present day the clouds of prejudice seem to have subsided, and the errors of the politician are deservedly forgotten in the celebrity of the poet. There was a period when, according to Dr. Johnson, a monument to Philips, with an inscription by Atterbury, in which he was said to besoli Miltono secundus, was refused admittance by Dean Sprat into Westminster Abbey, on the ground of its "being too detestable to be read on the wall of a building dedicated to devotion."The honours of a monument were at length conceded to Milton himself; but the beautiful and elegant Latin inscription, composed by Dr. George, Provost of King's College, Cambridge, shows that it was thought necessary to apologize for its admission into that sacred repository of kings and prelates.**We cannot refrain from enriching our pages with this much admired Epitaph."Augusti regum cineres sanctæque favillæHeroum, Vosque O! venerandi nominis umbræ!Parcite, quod vestris, infensum regibus olim,Sedibus infertur nomen: liceatque supremisFuneribus finire odia, et mors obruat iras.Nunc sub fœderibus coeant felicibus, unaLibertas, et jus sacri inviolabile sceptri.Rege subAugustofas sit laudareCatonem."
[733]Of these editions of Milton, that of Bentley has always been considered a complete failure. It is remarkable for the boldness of its conjectural emendations, and for the liberties taken with the text. An amusing anecdote is recorded on this subject. To a friend expostulating with him on the occasion, and urging that it was impossible for Milton, in so many instances, to have written as he alleged, he replied with his characteristic spirit, "Then he ought to have written so." Bishop Newton's edition has acquired just celebrity, and has served as the basis of all subsequent editions. It has been deservedly called "the best edited English Classic up to the period of its publication." Warton's edition of "The Juvenile and Minor Poems" discovers a classical and elegant taste. Its merit, however, is greatly impaired by the severity of its censures on Milton's republican and religious principles. It was to rescue that great poet from the animadversions of Warton and Dr. Johnson that Hayley engaged in a life of Milton, which does honour to the manliness and generosity of his feelings. But the most powerful defence is that of the Rev. Dr. Symmons, who, with considerable vigour of thought and language, has taken a most comprehensive view of the character and prose writings of Milton. He would have been entitled to distinguished praise, if, in vindicating the republicanism of Milton, he had not deeply fallen into it himself. In the present day the clouds of prejudice seem to have subsided, and the errors of the politician are deservedly forgotten in the celebrity of the poet. There was a period when, according to Dr. Johnson, a monument to Philips, with an inscription by Atterbury, in which he was said to besoli Miltono secundus, was refused admittance by Dean Sprat into Westminster Abbey, on the ground of its "being too detestable to be read on the wall of a building dedicated to devotion."
The honours of a monument were at length conceded to Milton himself; but the beautiful and elegant Latin inscription, composed by Dr. George, Provost of King's College, Cambridge, shows that it was thought necessary to apologize for its admission into that sacred repository of kings and prelates.*
*We cannot refrain from enriching our pages with this much admired Epitaph.
"Augusti regum cineres sanctæque favillæHeroum, Vosque O! venerandi nominis umbræ!Parcite, quod vestris, infensum regibus olim,Sedibus infertur nomen: liceatque supremisFuneribus finire odia, et mors obruat iras.Nunc sub fœderibus coeant felicibus, unaLibertas, et jus sacri inviolabile sceptri.Rege subAugustofas sit laudareCatonem."
"Augusti regum cineres sanctæque favillæHeroum, Vosque O! venerandi nominis umbræ!Parcite, quod vestris, infensum regibus olim,Sedibus infertur nomen: liceatque supremisFuneribus finire odia, et mors obruat iras.Nunc sub fœderibus coeant felicibus, unaLibertas, et jus sacri inviolabile sceptri.Rege subAugustofas sit laudareCatonem."
[734]The same expression is used by Cowley:"Nothing is there to come, and nothing past,But an eternal Now does always last."
[734]The same expression is used by Cowley:
"Nothing is there to come, and nothing past,But an eternal Now does always last."
"Nothing is there to come, and nothing past,But an eternal Now does always last."
[735]Milton's father was well skilled in music.
[735]Milton's father was well skilled in music.
[736]Psalm vii. 12.
[736]Psalm vii. 12.
[737]A popular writer paid the following eloquent tribute to these masterly specimens of professional art.Yet mark each willing Muse, where Boydell draws,And calls the sister pow'rs in Shakspeare's cause!By art controll'd the fire of Reynolds breaks,And nature's pathos in her Northcote speaks;The Grecian forms in Hamilton combine,Parrhasian grace and Zeuxis' softest line,There Barry's learning meets with Romney's strength,And Smirke portrays Thalia at full length.Lo! Fuseli (in whose tempestuous soulThe unnavigable tides of genius roll,)Depicts the sulph'rous fire, the smould'ring light,The bridge chaotic o'er the abyss of night,With each accursed form and mystic spell,And singly "bears up all the fame of hell!"Pursuits of Literature.
[737]A popular writer paid the following eloquent tribute to these masterly specimens of professional art.
Yet mark each willing Muse, where Boydell draws,And calls the sister pow'rs in Shakspeare's cause!By art controll'd the fire of Reynolds breaks,And nature's pathos in her Northcote speaks;The Grecian forms in Hamilton combine,Parrhasian grace and Zeuxis' softest line,There Barry's learning meets with Romney's strength,And Smirke portrays Thalia at full length.Lo! Fuseli (in whose tempestuous soulThe unnavigable tides of genius roll,)Depicts the sulph'rous fire, the smould'ring light,The bridge chaotic o'er the abyss of night,With each accursed form and mystic spell,And singly "bears up all the fame of hell!"
Yet mark each willing Muse, where Boydell draws,And calls the sister pow'rs in Shakspeare's cause!By art controll'd the fire of Reynolds breaks,And nature's pathos in her Northcote speaks;The Grecian forms in Hamilton combine,Parrhasian grace and Zeuxis' softest line,There Barry's learning meets with Romney's strength,And Smirke portrays Thalia at full length.Lo! Fuseli (in whose tempestuous soulThe unnavigable tides of genius roll,)Depicts the sulph'rous fire, the smould'ring light,The bridge chaotic o'er the abyss of night,With each accursed form and mystic spell,And singly "bears up all the fame of hell!"
Pursuits of Literature.
[738]Eartham, Feb. 1792.Dear Sir,—I have often been tempted, by affectionate admiration of your poetry, to trouble you with a letter; but I have repeatedly checked myself in recollecting that the vanity of believing ourselves distantly related in spirit to a man of genius is but a sorry apology for intruding on his time.Though I resisted my desire of professing myself your friend, that I might not disturb you with intrusive familiarity, I cannot resist a desire, equally affectionate, of disclaiming an idea which I am told is imputed to me, of considering myself, on a recent occasion, as an antagonist to you. Allow me, therefore, to say, I was solicited to write a Life of Milton, for Boydell and Nichol, before I had the least idea that you and Mr. Fuseli were concerned in a project similar to theirs. When I first heard of your intention, I was apprehensive that we might undesignedly thwart each other; but, on seeing your proposals, I am agreeably persuaded that our respective labours will be far from clashing; as it is your design to illustrate Milton with a series of notes, and I only mean to execute a more candid life of him than his late biographer has given us, upon a plan that will, I flatter myself, be particularly pleasing to those who love the author as we do.As to the pecuniary interest of those persons who venture large sums in expensive decoration of Milton, I am persuaded his expanding glory will support them all. Every splendid edition, where the merits of the pencil are in any degree worthy of the poet, will, I think, be secure of success. I wish it cordially to all; as I have a great affection for the arts, and a sincere regard for those whose talents reflect honour upon them.To you, my dear sir, I have a grateful attachment, for the infinite delight which your writings have afforded me; and if, in the course of your work, I have any opportunity to serve or oblige you, I shall seize it with that friendly spirit which has impelled me at present to assure you, both in prose and rhyme, that I am your cordial admirer,W. Hayley.P.S. I wrote the enclosed sonnet on being told that our names had been idly printed together in a newspaper,as hostile competitors. Pray forgive its partial defects for its affectionate sincerity. From my ignorance of your address, I send this to your bookseller's by a person commissioned to place my name in the list of your subscribers; and let me add, if you ever wish to form a new collection of names for any similar purpose, I entreat you to honour me so far as to rankmine, of your own accord, among those of your sincerest friends. Adieu!SONNET.TO WILLIAM COWPER, ESQ.On hearing that our names had been idly mentioned in a newspaper, as competitors in a Life of Milton.Cowper! delight of all who justly prizeThe splendid magic of a strain divine,That sweetly tempts th' enlighten'd soul to rise,As sunbeams lure an eagle to the skies.Poet! to whom I feel my heart inclineAs to a friend endear'd by virtue's ties;Ne'er shall my name in pride's contentious lineWith hostile emulation cope with thine!No, let us meet, with kind fraternal aim,Where Milton's shrine invites a votive throng.With thee I share a passion for his fame,His zeal for truth, his scorn of venal blame:But thou hast rarer gifts,—to thee belongHis harp of highest tone, his sanctity of song.
[738]
Eartham, Feb. 1792.
Dear Sir,—I have often been tempted, by affectionate admiration of your poetry, to trouble you with a letter; but I have repeatedly checked myself in recollecting that the vanity of believing ourselves distantly related in spirit to a man of genius is but a sorry apology for intruding on his time.
Though I resisted my desire of professing myself your friend, that I might not disturb you with intrusive familiarity, I cannot resist a desire, equally affectionate, of disclaiming an idea which I am told is imputed to me, of considering myself, on a recent occasion, as an antagonist to you. Allow me, therefore, to say, I was solicited to write a Life of Milton, for Boydell and Nichol, before I had the least idea that you and Mr. Fuseli were concerned in a project similar to theirs. When I first heard of your intention, I was apprehensive that we might undesignedly thwart each other; but, on seeing your proposals, I am agreeably persuaded that our respective labours will be far from clashing; as it is your design to illustrate Milton with a series of notes, and I only mean to execute a more candid life of him than his late biographer has given us, upon a plan that will, I flatter myself, be particularly pleasing to those who love the author as we do.
As to the pecuniary interest of those persons who venture large sums in expensive decoration of Milton, I am persuaded his expanding glory will support them all. Every splendid edition, where the merits of the pencil are in any degree worthy of the poet, will, I think, be secure of success. I wish it cordially to all; as I have a great affection for the arts, and a sincere regard for those whose talents reflect honour upon them.
To you, my dear sir, I have a grateful attachment, for the infinite delight which your writings have afforded me; and if, in the course of your work, I have any opportunity to serve or oblige you, I shall seize it with that friendly spirit which has impelled me at present to assure you, both in prose and rhyme, that I am your cordial admirer,
W. Hayley.
P.S. I wrote the enclosed sonnet on being told that our names had been idly printed together in a newspaper,as hostile competitors. Pray forgive its partial defects for its affectionate sincerity. From my ignorance of your address, I send this to your bookseller's by a person commissioned to place my name in the list of your subscribers; and let me add, if you ever wish to form a new collection of names for any similar purpose, I entreat you to honour me so far as to rankmine, of your own accord, among those of your sincerest friends. Adieu!
SONNET.
TO WILLIAM COWPER, ESQ.
On hearing that our names had been idly mentioned in a newspaper, as competitors in a Life of Milton.
Cowper! delight of all who justly prizeThe splendid magic of a strain divine,That sweetly tempts th' enlighten'd soul to rise,As sunbeams lure an eagle to the skies.Poet! to whom I feel my heart inclineAs to a friend endear'd by virtue's ties;Ne'er shall my name in pride's contentious lineWith hostile emulation cope with thine!No, let us meet, with kind fraternal aim,Where Milton's shrine invites a votive throng.With thee I share a passion for his fame,His zeal for truth, his scorn of venal blame:But thou hast rarer gifts,—to thee belongHis harp of highest tone, his sanctity of song.
Cowper! delight of all who justly prizeThe splendid magic of a strain divine,That sweetly tempts th' enlighten'd soul to rise,As sunbeams lure an eagle to the skies.Poet! to whom I feel my heart inclineAs to a friend endear'd by virtue's ties;Ne'er shall my name in pride's contentious lineWith hostile emulation cope with thine!No, let us meet, with kind fraternal aim,Where Milton's shrine invites a votive throng.With thee I share a passion for his fame,His zeal for truth, his scorn of venal blame:But thou hast rarer gifts,—to thee belongHis harp of highest tone, his sanctity of song.
[739]Private correspondence.
[739]Private correspondence.
[740]Lord Howe was at this time in pursuit of the French fleet, and absent six weeks, during which the public received no intelligence of his movements. His lordship at length returned, having only seen the enemy, but without having been able to overtake and bring them to action. Though this furnished no argument against him, but rather showed the terror that he inspired, yet some of the wits of the day wrote the followingjeu d'espriton the occasion.When Cæsar triumph'd o'er his Gallic foes,Three words concise,* his gallant acts disclose;But Howe, more brief, comprises his inone,Andviditells us all that he has done.Lord Howe subsequently proved his claim to the whole of this celebrated despatch of Cæsar, by the great victory which he gained off Ushant over the French fleet, June 1, 1794, a victory which forms one of the brightest triumphs of the British navy.*Veni, vidi, vici.I came, I saw, I conquered.
[740]Lord Howe was at this time in pursuit of the French fleet, and absent six weeks, during which the public received no intelligence of his movements. His lordship at length returned, having only seen the enemy, but without having been able to overtake and bring them to action. Though this furnished no argument against him, but rather showed the terror that he inspired, yet some of the wits of the day wrote the followingjeu d'espriton the occasion.
When Cæsar triumph'd o'er his Gallic foes,Three words concise,* his gallant acts disclose;But Howe, more brief, comprises his inone,Andviditells us all that he has done.
When Cæsar triumph'd o'er his Gallic foes,Three words concise,* his gallant acts disclose;But Howe, more brief, comprises his inone,Andviditells us all that he has done.
Lord Howe subsequently proved his claim to the whole of this celebrated despatch of Cæsar, by the great victory which he gained off Ushant over the French fleet, June 1, 1794, a victory which forms one of the brightest triumphs of the British navy.
*Veni, vidi, vici.I came, I saw, I conquered.
[741]Sketch of the Life of Cowper.
[741]Sketch of the Life of Cowper.
[742]Sketch of the Life of Cowper, by Dr. Johnson.
[742]Sketch of the Life of Cowper, by Dr. Johnson.
[743]The Task, book vi.
[743]The Task, book vi.
[744]Job xxxiii. 13.
[744]Job xxxiii. 13.
[745]The following is the result of the information obtained by the Editor on this subject, after the minutest inquiry. A lady who was on a visit at Mr. Newton's, in London, saw, it is said, this Memoir of Cowper lying, among other papers, on the table. She was led to peruse it, and felt a deeper interest in the contents, from having herself been recently recovered from a state of derangement. She privately copied the manuscript, and communicated it to some friend. It was finally published by a pious character, who considered that in so doing he exonerated the religious views of Cowper from the charge of having been instrumental to his malady.
[745]The following is the result of the information obtained by the Editor on this subject, after the minutest inquiry. A lady who was on a visit at Mr. Newton's, in London, saw, it is said, this Memoir of Cowper lying, among other papers, on the table. She was led to peruse it, and felt a deeper interest in the contents, from having herself been recently recovered from a state of derangement. She privately copied the manuscript, and communicated it to some friend. It was finally published by a pious character, who considered that in so doing he exonerated the religious views of Cowper from the charge of having been instrumental to his malady.
[746]Market Street. Hayley places this village in Hertfordshire, and Cowper in Bedfordshire. Both are right, for the public road or street forms a boundary between the two counties.
[746]Market Street. Hayley places this village in Hertfordshire, and Cowper in Bedfordshire. Both are right, for the public road or street forms a boundary between the two counties.
[747]We deeply lament that boys frequently leave public schools most discreditably deficient even in the common principles of the Christian faith. My late lamented friend, the Rev. Legh Richmond, used to observe that Christ was crucified between classics and mathematics. A great improvement might be effected in the system of modern education, if a brief but compendious summary of divine truth, or analysis of the Bible, were drawn up, divided into parts, suited to the different gradations of age and knowledge, and introduced into our public schools under the sanction of the Episcopal Bench. Care should also be taken, in the selection of under-masters, to appoint men ofacknowledged religious as well as classical attainments, who might specially superintend the religious improvement of the boys. Such are to be found in our Universities, men not less eminent for divine than profane knowledge. A visible reformation would thus be effected, powerfully operating on the moral and spiritual character of the rising generation.
[747]We deeply lament that boys frequently leave public schools most discreditably deficient even in the common principles of the Christian faith. My late lamented friend, the Rev. Legh Richmond, used to observe that Christ was crucified between classics and mathematics. A great improvement might be effected in the system of modern education, if a brief but compendious summary of divine truth, or analysis of the Bible, were drawn up, divided into parts, suited to the different gradations of age and knowledge, and introduced into our public schools under the sanction of the Episcopal Bench. Care should also be taken, in the selection of under-masters, to appoint men ofacknowledged religious as well as classical attainments, who might specially superintend the religious improvement of the boys. Such are to be found in our Universities, men not less eminent for divine than profane knowledge. A visible reformation would thus be effected, powerfully operating on the moral and spiritual character of the rising generation.
[748]Ashley Cowper, Esq.
[748]Ashley Cowper, Esq.
[749]Here we first observe the ground-work of Cowper's malady, originating in constitutional causes, and morbid temperament.
[749]Here we first observe the ground-work of Cowper's malady, originating in constitutional causes, and morbid temperament.
[750]A relative of Cowper's ought to have been the last to prohibit the perusal of Herbert's Poems, because Dr. John Donne, the pious and eminent Dean of St. Paul's, one of Cowper's ancestors, was the endeared friend of that holy man, to whom, not long before his death, he sent a seal, representing a figure of Christ extended upon an anchor, the emblem of Hope, to be kept as a memorial.Izaak Walton bears the following expressive testimony to Herbert's Temple, or Sacred Poems."A book, in which by declaring his own spiritual conflicts, he hath comforted and raised many a dejected and discomposed soul, and charmed them into sweet and quiet thoughts; a book, by the frequent reading whereof, and the assistance of that Spirit that seemed to inspire the author, the reader may attain habits ofpeaceandpiety, and all the gifts of theHoly GhostandHeaven: and may, by still reading, still keep those sacred fires burning upon the altar of so pure a heart, as shall free it from the anxieties of this world, and keep it fixed upon things that are above."See Walton's Lives.
[750]A relative of Cowper's ought to have been the last to prohibit the perusal of Herbert's Poems, because Dr. John Donne, the pious and eminent Dean of St. Paul's, one of Cowper's ancestors, was the endeared friend of that holy man, to whom, not long before his death, he sent a seal, representing a figure of Christ extended upon an anchor, the emblem of Hope, to be kept as a memorial.
Izaak Walton bears the following expressive testimony to Herbert's Temple, or Sacred Poems.
"A book, in which by declaring his own spiritual conflicts, he hath comforted and raised many a dejected and discomposed soul, and charmed them into sweet and quiet thoughts; a book, by the frequent reading whereof, and the assistance of that Spirit that seemed to inspire the author, the reader may attain habits ofpeaceandpiety, and all the gifts of theHoly GhostandHeaven: and may, by still reading, still keep those sacred fires burning upon the altar of so pure a heart, as shall free it from the anxieties of this world, and keep it fixed upon things that are above."See Walton's Lives.
[751]We do not know a state of mind more to be deprecated than what is indicated in this passage. It is the science of self-tormenting, that withers every joy, and blights all our happiness. That Satan tempts is a scriptural truth; but the same divine authority also informs us, that "every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed," James i. 14: that God suffereth no man to be tempted above what he is able, and that if we resist Satan he will flee from us. The mind that feels itself harassed by these mental temptations must take refuge in the promises of God, such as Isaiah xli. 10; xliii. 2; lix. 19; 2 Cor. xii. 9, and plead them in prayer. Resistance to temptation will weaken it, faith will overcome it, and the panoply of Heaven, if we be careful to gird ourselves with it, will secure us against all its inroads.
[751]We do not know a state of mind more to be deprecated than what is indicated in this passage. It is the science of self-tormenting, that withers every joy, and blights all our happiness. That Satan tempts is a scriptural truth; but the same divine authority also informs us, that "every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed," James i. 14: that God suffereth no man to be tempted above what he is able, and that if we resist Satan he will flee from us. The mind that feels itself harassed by these mental temptations must take refuge in the promises of God, such as Isaiah xli. 10; xliii. 2; lix. 19; 2 Cor. xii. 9, and plead them in prayer. Resistance to temptation will weaken it, faith will overcome it, and the panoply of Heaven, if we be careful to gird ourselves with it, will secure us against all its inroads.
[752]Afterwards Lord Chief Justice, in the Court of Common Pleas, and created Lord Walsingham.
[752]Afterwards Lord Chief Justice, in the Court of Common Pleas, and created Lord Walsingham.
[753]It could hardly be called irreverent, unless the manner in which it was uttered rendered it such.
[753]It could hardly be called irreverent, unless the manner in which it was uttered rendered it such.
[754]Samuel Roberts.
[754]Samuel Roberts.
[755]There is a considerable improvement in public manners since this period, and oaths and blasphemies would not be tolerated in well-bred society. May the hallowed influence of the Gospel be instrumental in producing a still happier change!
[755]There is a considerable improvement in public manners since this period, and oaths and blasphemies would not be tolerated in well-bred society. May the hallowed influence of the Gospel be instrumental in producing a still happier change!
[756]Cowper adopted a profession, but never pursued it with perseverance.
[756]Cowper adopted a profession, but never pursued it with perseverance.
[757]Shortness of life seems to have been peculiar to this family. The writer well remembers the two last baronets, viz. Sir John Russel, whose form was so weak and fragile, that, when resident at the University of Oxford, he was supported by instruments of steel. He died at the early age of twenty-one. 2ndly. Sir George Russel, his brother, who survived only till his twenty-second year. The editor followed him to his grave. The family residence was at Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, an ancient seat, and restored at great expense by these last direct descendants of their race. Chequers was formerly noted as the place where Hampden, Cromwell, and a few others, held their secret meetings, and concerted their measures of opposition against the government of Charles I. The estate afterwards devolved to Robert Greenhill, Esq.
[757]Shortness of life seems to have been peculiar to this family. The writer well remembers the two last baronets, viz. Sir John Russel, whose form was so weak and fragile, that, when resident at the University of Oxford, he was supported by instruments of steel. He died at the early age of twenty-one. 2ndly. Sir George Russel, his brother, who survived only till his twenty-second year. The editor followed him to his grave. The family residence was at Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, an ancient seat, and restored at great expense by these last direct descendants of their race. Chequers was formerly noted as the place where Hampden, Cromwell, and a few others, held their secret meetings, and concerted their measures of opposition against the government of Charles I. The estate afterwards devolved to Robert Greenhill, Esq.
[758]Poems, the Early Productions of William Cowper.
[758]Poems, the Early Productions of William Cowper.
[759]See p. 36.
[759]See p. 36.
[760]See p. 264.
[760]See p. 264.
[761]See Letter, Dec. 26, 1729.
[761]See Letter, Dec. 26, 1729.
[762]Cowper believed that he had incurred the Divine displeasure, because he did not commit the crime of self-destruction; a persuasion so manifestly absurd as to afford undeniable proof of derangement.
[762]Cowper believed that he had incurred the Divine displeasure, because he did not commit the crime of self-destruction; a persuasion so manifestly absurd as to afford undeniable proof of derangement.
[763]See p. 122.
[763]See p. 122.
[764]We are indebted for this copy to a much esteemed and highly valued friend, the Rev. Charles Bridges.
[764]We are indebted for this copy to a much esteemed and highly valued friend, the Rev. Charles Bridges.
[765]"... I had a brother once," &c.The Task, book ii.
[765]
"... I had a brother once," &c.
The Task, book ii.
[766]There is a beautiful illustration of this sudden and happy change, in Cowper's poem entitled "Hope.""As when a felon whom his country's laws," &c.
[766]There is a beautiful illustration of this sudden and happy change, in Cowper's poem entitled "Hope."
"As when a felon whom his country's laws," &c.
[767]On the 10th of March, vide supra.
[767]On the 10th of March, vide supra.
[768]Cowper's Memoir of Himself.
[768]Cowper's Memoir of Himself.
[769]The Rev. Martin Madan.
[769]The Rev. Martin Madan.
[770]He was afterwards Bishop of Lincoln.
[770]He was afterwards Bishop of Lincoln.
[771]The subject of this poem is the Argonautic expedition under Jason.
[771]The subject of this poem is the Argonautic expedition under Jason.
[772]Apollonius Rhodius. He had the charge of the celebrated library at Alexandria, in the time of Ptolemy.
[772]Apollonius Rhodius. He had the charge of the celebrated library at Alexandria, in the time of Ptolemy.
[773]John Cowper.
[773]John Cowper.
[774]The idea in this stanza is taken from the 4th book of Apollonius, line 1298.
[774]The idea in this stanza is taken from the 4th book of Apollonius, line 1298.
[775]Afterwards created Lord Carrington.
[775]Afterwards created Lord Carrington.
[776]Sister of the late Joseph Foster Barham, Esq. I cannot mention this endeared character, with whom I have the privilege of being so nearly connected, without recording my affectionate regard, and high estimation of her piety and virtues.
[776]Sister of the late Joseph Foster Barham, Esq. I cannot mention this endeared character, with whom I have the privilege of being so nearly connected, without recording my affectionate regard, and high estimation of her piety and virtues.