This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com 15". I6.s■(i) HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY FROM THE LIBRARY OF BLISS PERRY FRANCIS LEE HIGGINSON PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, EMERITUS PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE SEPTEMBER 25, 1947 LAMONT LIBRARY THE CORRESPONDENCE OF WILLIAM COWPER THE CORRESPONDENCE OF WILLIAM COWPER ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WITH ANNOTATIONS BY THOMAS WRIGHT PRINCIPAL OF COWPER SCHOOL, OLNEY AUTHOR OF ' THE LIFE OF WILLIAM COWPER,' ETC. IN FOUR VOLUMES VOLUME I NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 372 FIFTH AVENUE LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON MCMIV << 1 K-i & * ■ Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty THIS WORK IS DEDICATED, BY KIND PERMISSION, TO DR. WILLIAM ALDIS WRIGHT EDITOR OF THE CORRESPONDENCE OF ANOTHER OREAT ENGLISH LETTER-WRITER EDWARD FITZGERALD GENERAL CONTENTS VOLUME I PAOK Preface, ..... ix Correspondents of Cowper, . xix List of Original Letters in the Public Museums and Libraries, . xxiii Genealogical Tables of Cowper, Donne, and Killingworth Families, . xxvii Chief Events of Cowper's Life, . xxxi Prime Ministers, .... xxxii Introduction, 1 Letters written during the Temple Period, ..... 2 Letters written from Huntingdon, . 23 Letters written from Olney, . 98 VOLUME II Letters written from Olney {continued), . 1 Til viii COWPER'S LETTERS VOLUME III PAGE Letters written from Olney {continued), . 1 Letters written from Weston Under wood, ..... 103 VOLUME IV Letters written from Weston Under wood (continued), ... 1 Letters written from Eartham, . 266 Letters written from Weston Under wood again, .... 292 Letters written from Norfolk, . 489 List of the Letters in the four volumes, 509 Summary, ..... 531 Index, ..... 533 Maps : — Olney in the time of William Cowper. The Environs of Olney. The Grounds at Weston Underwood. PREFACE William Cowper is universally acknowledged to be the greatest of English letter -writers. How strange, therefore, that over one hundred years from the time of his death should have elapsed before a practically complete edition of his correspondence, arranged chronologically, with annotations, should be given to the world. In all, three bulky collec tions of Cowper's letters have hitherto been pub lished, those of Hayley, Grimshawe, and Southey. Hayley, with the fear of Lady Hesketh before his eyes ; and Grimshawe, owing to pure incapacity either to understand Cowper or to produce a respect able work of any kind ; mutilated the letters merci lessly. Grimshawe, afraid, one would suppose, lest his readers should wreck their chances of future happiness by venturing on a smile, took peculiar delight in striking out the facetious passages — often requests for various small articles, or thanks for presents — which are among the best specimens of Cowper's playful humour. Our feelings, iz there- x COWPERS LETTERS fore,of Southey, kindly. towards who Hayley went and to Grimshawe work in a are sensible the reverse and workmanlike way, did his best. But even his edition is extremely defective. In the first place, the so-called ' private correspondence ' having been re fused him, he was unable to keep to chronological order. His Life and Works of William Cowper originally occupied fourteen volumes, of which 1, 2, and part of 3 are taken up with the Life and quota tions from the copyright letters, and the rest of 3 and 4, 5, 6, and 7 with the bulk of the correspondence. As soon as possible he added a fifteenth volume, consisting of the letters that had previously been denied him. The whole thing is therefore in a confused In the state. second place, through his misfortune in not being able to see many of the originals, most of his letters are also mutilated, though not so badly as Grimshawe's. In the third place, numbers of letters have since been brought to light. Some have appeared in scarce books and forgotten periodicals, but many are unpublished. For ten years I have been collecting these scattered letters and arranging the whole series, and the result is now offered to the public. PREFACE xi This collection is considerably larger than either Southey's or Grimshawe's, but I do not style it, as Grimshawe did his, a • complete edition ' of the letters of William Cowper. There never will be a complete edition — to wit, a collection of all exist ing letters — for the simple reason that, human nature being what it is, there will always be a few collectors whose keenest joy is to hug something that has never been in print. Still I have been very successful. My inquiries in the press and among likely private persons resulted in large numbers of original letters being placed in my hands. Then, too, the originals in the British Museum, the Cowper Museum at Olney, and other public institutions have likewise been at my service. In every case in which I could get sight of the originals I have restored the excised passages, and have done my best to reduce to Of order entirely the intolerable new letters, chaos. then, many will be found in these pages, including the three earliest known and a fine series to Mrs. Throckmorton. Seventy- two letters of Cowper to Teedon are referred to in Teedon's Diary, and I have the satisfaction of being able to say that not a single item of this series has escaped My annotations my net. should be helpful. xii COWPER'S LETTERS The task has not been an easy one : when the originals were to hand all went gaily, but it was otherwise when Grimshawe had to be relied upon. That gentleman, for instance, not content with eliminating whole paragraphs, was actually rash enough to cut letters in two and serve them up as separate letters with different dates, or he would cut a piece off one letter and tag it on to another.1 Difficulties in chronology certainly never gave him a sleepless A few of night. the letters are undated, and in placing them For I the have, convenience of course, had of the to exercise reader a my list judgment. is given showing not only the dates of the letters, but also the opening words ; and other helpful lists, and three genealogical tables will also be found. Lastly, there is aSome comprehensive of the more index. famous letters have won to themselves TheTheThe '«' RunawayThreshHop o'special myhis Hare' oldThumb names. Jacket' Letter, ' Letter, Letter, Thus . we ... 21st31st12thhave Aug.Oct. July — 1779. 1780.1781. The The ' Kissingpoetical Candidate' letters, withoutLetter, counting . 29th Mar. the 1784. ' Hop o' 1 my There Thumb is, of course, ' jingle, the arepossibility five inthat number, either Lady namely Hesketh : — or Hayley was the sinner, and Grimshawe only the victim. PREFACE xiii To Robert Lloyd, . 1754, „ Mrs. Newton, . 16th Sept. 1781. „ Bull, 22nd June 1782. „ Lady Austen, . 12th Aug. 1782. „ Hill Nov. 1784. thatshepardonablycultured,LadyofLadythethem.weWeotherandlovable,correspondence,inmostevenhisknownCowperwith — The shouldactsthewas hehavefigures warm-hearted nearertheAusten characters.Hesketh had than personalityYetmind. letters andbuxom.seemsself- the idealising, exception say one— —in jealous that surroundings, torturing,quietand; for — aDickenswerethe faithful howButlike queen story of these./Eneaslet andThey hearty,of anypoet vivacious,notMrs.perhapsadistinctly,if the William—devoted, Achatesbynext-door ofCowperplayful,letters other —areforintended was fact butUnwin; liberal,kindHawthorne, is there drawnof accounted greatthethe never too,and;andreveal, himselfCowper cousinsjust,CowperSamuel neighbour and forareworkings centre (may thepapilionaceousEnglishstandas be sopublication.affectionatehonourable,not —or—sharply beautiful,losthappypossessedweis Johnson.manythegood outperhapsof merely— writerofaddbetter sight nay,shy, this the his asinasof ?) xiv COWPER'S LETTERS of the sterner sex alone at least five staunch friends, any one of whom would have hesitated at nothing to do him service — the earnest, amiable, and witty John Newton, the melancholic, pipe-loving William Bull, the sedulously attentive Rose, the volatile ' Johnny of Norfolk,' the effusive, grandiloquent, and good-natured Hayley — each with his idiosyn crasies, but all true as steel. Nor must we forget the ever invisible but continually devoted Theodora, the practical Joseph Hill, or the courtly ' Frogs.' The minor figures of the drama are scarcely less familiar to us : pretty, giddy, thoughtless, extrava gant ' Miss Hannah,' Cowper's prote'ge'e ; poverty- pinched, verbose, devout, vaticinating Samuel Teedon — schoolmaster and Delphic oracle; car penter-parson Tom Raban, sturdy and opinionative, with the noticeable negative virtue of not being intentionally uncivil; 'Poor Jenny Raban,' Tom's afflicted daughter ; ' Royal Oak '-frequenting ' Geary Ball,' A wordand ' wrong-headed or two about ' Nathan pronunciation Sample. may be acceptable. The poet and his friends always pronounced his name Cooper. Of this there is abundance of documentary evidence. Cooper, therefore, and not Cowper, is correct. As regards two other words of frequent occurrence in these PREFACE xv pages, Olney has the o long and the I silent, and rhymes with pony ; Madan is pronounced Madden, with the accent on the first syllable. The refer ences 2.1. TheThe Cowper in Globe this Unpublished (Fisher work Edition Unwin). are and of to Cowper's Uncollected Poems Poems (Macmillan). of William 8. The Life of William Cowper (Thomas Wright, Olney).1 4. Of The the Town letters of Cowper written (Thomas to Cowper Wright, very Olney).1 few have been preserved. The following may be mentioned — Mrs. Unwin, FROM. DATE. WHERE TO BE FOUND. 1775 Aug. 21 Unpublished. Rev. John Newton, 1767 July SO Bull's Letters by the Rev. John Newton, published by Religious Tract Society. Id. 1780 Id. 1780 Apl. 87 Id. 1780 May 6 Id. 1780 Sept. 30 Id. 1786 Mar. 11 Lord Thurlow, 1791 In this work. Id. 1791 Thomas Hayley, 1793 Mar. 4, Southey's Corvper, vol. vii. Joseph Bringhurst p. 333. (of Philadelphia), 1796 April 3 In the Cowper Museum, Olney.