The Life of William Cowper

Thomas Wright

T. Fisher Unwin, 1892 - 681 pages

Contents

• FIRST THIRTYSIX YEARS: 29
• The School at Market Street 173739: 34
• The Memoir: 35
• The Removal to Olney: 41
• John Cowper and the Gipsy: 46
• In Love with Theodora: 53
• CHAPTER IV: 59
• Causidice mi gives himself an air at Southampton 1753: 62
• The Nonsense Club: 64
• Charles Churchill: 72
• Death of the Poets Father July 9 1756: 75
• The Farewell to Theodora probably 1756: 77
• In Love a Second Time The Greenwich Beauty: 79
• Literary and other Amusements: 80
• Cowper at the Inner Temple: 85
• Cowpers Poverty: 88
• The House of Lords Affair 1763: 90
• At Margate August and September 1763: 93
• The Second Derangement: 96
• Laudanum and the River November 1763: 98
• On the Brink of Eternity: 102
• Damned below Judas: 107
• CHAPTER V: 113
• The Clouds begin to Break 27 Dick Colman 113 115: 115
• CHAPTER VI: 125
• Early Days at Huntingdon: 127
• Huntingdon in Cowpers Days: 129
• Sephus and Lady Hesketh: 131
• The Knight of the Bloody Spur: 134
• The Unwins: 136
• Cowper as an Economist: 140
• CHAPTER VIII: 163
• Early Days at Olney: 171
• Hayleys House: 177
• The Influence of John Newton on Cowper: 179
• The Return to Weston: 181
• The Removal of Unwin to Stock and other incidents of 1769: 183
• The Death of his Brother John March 1770: 189
• At the Bull 1771: 196
• CHAPTER IX: 205
• CHAPTER X: 215
• Cowpers Opinions concerning Men and Books: 232
• CHAPTER XI: 243
• Cowpers Whisking Wit: 248
• Cowper as a Letterwriter: 254
• The AntiThelyphthora December 1780: 260
• Expostulation February 1781: 269
• The Greenhouse: 275
• Hope Charity Conversation and Retirement June: 284
• The Publication of the First Volume February 1782: 291
• CHAPTER XIII: 297
• Lady Austen again June 1782: 303
• John Gilpin October 1782: 310
• Mr Smiths Almoner November 1782: 317
• CHAPTER XIV: 327
• Thurlow Colman and Bacon: 335
• The Election of March 1784: 345
• The Broters Throckmorton May 1784: 351
• Finding a Publisher October 1784: 365
• Newtons Relations with Cowper November 1784: 366
• The Commencement of Homer November 12 1784: 372
• Various other Olney Folk May 1785: 380
• The Nutshell of a Summerhouse June 1785: 386
• Publication of the Task June 1785: 392
• a: 397
• The Renewal of his Correspondence with Lady Hesketh: 399
• At the end of the Iliad January: 407
• Preparations for the Arrival of Lady Hesketh Spring 1786: 413
• The Famous Parlour: 421
• The Arrival of Lady Hesketh at Olney June 1786: 426
• 125: 431
• The Old House at Olney: 435
• 127: 439
• The Death of Unwin November 29 1786: 441
• 129: 443
• 131: 448
• The Fourth Derangement January to June 1787: 450
• 134: 457
• 137: 465
• The Five Slave Ballads Spring 1788: 471
• 140: 473
• Mungo the Marquis and Beau: 479
• Cowpers: 487
• Mrs Kings Douceurs: 493
• The Cuckoo Clock and the Hamper June 1789: 500
• January and the Moon February 1790: 509
• Cowper is delivered of two or three other Brats March 1790: 516
• The Visit of Mrs King and the Completion of Homer Sep: 522
• The Four Ages May 1791: 531
• The Bodhams stay a Parsons Week: 538
• Cowpers Profile made by Mr Higgins 1791: 546
• CHAPTER XX: 551
• Hayleys First Visit May 1792: 559
• The Portrait by Lemuel Abbot July 1792: 566
• CHAPTER XXII: 585
• The Miltonic Trap December 1792: 594
• The Quadruple Alliance July 7 1793: 604
• The Portrait by Lawrence and the Lines To Mary: 615
• Hayleys Second Visit November 1793: 619
• CHAPTER XXIII: 627
• Hannahs Extravagance: 633
• IN NORFOLK: 637
• Dunham Lodge October 1795September 1796: 645
• What can it Signify? April 25 1800: 655
• INDEX: 675

Popular passages

Page 423 - Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round, And while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn Throws up a steamy column, and the cups, That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each, So let us welcome peaceful evening in.

Page 430 - The very head and front of my offending Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my speech, And little bless'd with the set phrase of peace ; For since these arms of mine had seven years...

Page 121 - There, if thy Spirit touch the soul, And grace her mean abode, Oh ! with what peace, and joy, and love, She communes with her God ! There like the nightingale she pours Her solitary lays ; Nor asks a witness of her song, Nor thirsts for human praise.

Page 359 - From many a twig the pendent drops of ice, That tinkle in the withered leaves below. Stillness, accompanied with sounds so soft, Charms more than silence. Meditation here May think down hours to moments. Here the heart May give a useful lesson to the head, And learning wiser grow without his books.

Page 393 - Thou art the source and centre of all minds, Their only point of rest, eternal Word ! From thee departing they are lost, and rove At random without honour, hope, or peace. From thee is all that soothes the life of man, His high endeavour, and his glad success, His strength to suffer, and his will to serve.

Page 39 - Be it a weakness, it deserves some praise, We love the playplace of our early days ; The scene is touching, and the heart is stone That feels not at that sight, and feels at none.

Page 618 - Twas my distress that brought thee low, My Mary ! Thy needles, once a shining store, For my sake restless heretofore, Now rust disused, and shine no more, My Mary...

Page 33 - Hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son, Wretch even then, life's journey just begun ? Perhaps thou gav'st me, though unfelt, a kiss ; Perhaps a tear, if souls can weep in bliss — Ah, that maternal smile ! it answers — Yes.

Page 198 - Return, O holy Dove, return, Sweet messenger of rest ! I hate the sins that made thee mourn, And drove thee from my breast.

Page 619 - The sun would rise in vain for me, My Mary ! Partakers of thy sad decline, Thy hands their little force resign ; Yet, gently...

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Life of William Cowper
• Author: Thomas Wright
• Edition: large print
• Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin, 1892
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Apr 2, 2008
• Length: 681 pages