Star.
London, England, 1824-02-23 00:00:00

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Private Correspondence of William Cowper, Esy. with
several of his most intimate Friends. Nowfirst pub-
lished from the Originals. 2 vols. Bvo.
Those who admire the works of the poet Cowper—
mad who that has read them, and possesses a mind en-
dowed with the smallest portion of sensibility, does not
admire them—will acknowledge themselves indebted to
his kinsman, the Rev. John Johnson, LLD. for a rich
treat conveyed to them in these volumes.
Mr. Hayley, in his Life of Cowper, has given the
public much of his epistolary correspondence ; but for
some reason or other has excluded his letters on reli-
gion, addressed to the Rev. John Newton and the Rev.
William Bull. This was done, perhaps, as suggested
by Dr. Johnson, his kinsman and Editor, out of tender-'
ness to the feelings of the Reader—being often of a
desponding cast; but without some specimens of this
kind, it is impossible to conceive a true portrait of the
amiable Cowper's mind.
The columns of a Newspaper are too limited to
allow a sufficiency of extracts, from epistolary volumes,
to convey a correct idea of their merits ; we cannot,
however, entirely avoid giving a specimen, from a
letfer addressed to Mr. Newton, partaking of that tone
to which we have alluded. Speaking of a Clergyman
who had preached at Olney, he says : 1' I should have
been glad to have been a hearer ; but that privilege is
not allowed me yet. Indeed, since I told you that I
had hope, I have never ceased to despair; and have re-
pented that I made my boast so soon, more than once.
A King may forbid a man to appear before him, and
it were strange if the KING of Kings might not do the
same. I know it to be his will that I should not enter
into his presence now ; when the prohibition is taken off
I shall enter; but in the meantime I should neither
please HIM, nor serve myself by intruding."
Further Extracts from the Secret Memoirs of the Court
of Louis XIV.
Of the King's Mistresses the Duchess of Orleans gives
many entertaining anecdotes, but we shall confine our
notice to Madame de Maintenon :
" The marriage of Louis XIV. with old Maintenon
proves how impossible it is to escape one's fate. The
King said one day to the Duke de Crequi and to M. de
la Rochefoucauld, long before he knew Mrs. Scarron,
4 l am convinced that astrology is false: I had my na-
tivity cast in Italy, and I was told that, after living to
an advanced age, I should be in love with an old
to the last moment of my existence. I do not think
there is any great likelihood of that.' He laughed
most heartily as he said this ; and yet the thing has
taken place.
" Before she got into power, the Church of France
was very reasonable; but she spoiled everything, by
encouraging such follies and superstitions as the rosaries
and other things. When any reasonable men appeared,
the old woman and the confessor had them banished or
imprisoned. These two persons were the causes of all
the persecutions which the Lutherans, and those of the
reformed religion, underwent in France. Pere la Chaise,
with his long ears, began the worthy enterprise, and
Pea Le Tellier completed it; France was thus ruined
in every way.
44 All the mistresses the King had did not tarnisirhis
reputation so much as the old woman he married ; fi om
her proceeded all the calamities which have since be-
fallen France. It was she who excited the persecution
against the Protestants, invented the heavy taxes which
raised the price of grain so high, and caused the scar-
City. She helped the Ministers to rub the King; by
means of the Constitution she hastened his death ; she
brought about my son's man iage ; she wanted to place
bastards upon the throne; in short, she ruined and con-
fused everything.
"My son made me laugh the other day. I asked bins
how Madame de Maintenon was. Wonderfully well:
he replied. That is surprising at her age,' I said.—
'.Yes; he rejoined, ' but do you not know that Gov
has, by way of punishing the devil, downed him to
exist a certain number of years in that ugly body r
Among the tolloaing anecdotes some will be found
rather amusing
" Some horiible hooks had been written against Car-
dinal Mazarin, with which he pretended to be very
Much enraged, and had all the Copies bought up to be
burnt.. When he had collected them all, he caused
them to be sold in secret, and, as if it were unknown to
him, by which contrivance he gained 10,060 crowns.
He used to laugh and say, The French are delightful
people ;,1 let them sing and laugh, and they let me do
what I "
" Lade Gordon, the grand-aunt of Lord Huntley,
was my elusai-dqtour for a considerable period. She
was a singular person, and always plunged into reve-
ries. One evening when I wanted my head-dress, to go
to Court, she took off her gloves and threw them in my
face, putting on my head-dress at the same time with
great gravity. When she was speaking to a man she
had a habit of playing with the buttons of his waistcoat ;
having one day some occasion to talk to the Chevalier
Buveon, a Captain in the late Monsieur's guard, and he
beipg a very tall man, she could only reach his waist-
band, which she began to unbutton. The poor Gentle-
man'was quite horror-stricken, and started back, cry-
ins, For heaven's sake, Madam! what are you going
to der This accident caused a great laugh in the
Saloon of St. Cloud."
it They say that Lord Peterborough, speaking of the
two Kings of Spain, said, what fools we are to cut each
other's throats for two such apes.'"
di The Abbess of Maubuisson, Louise Hollandine*,
daughter of Frederic V. Elector Palatine of the days of
Henri IV. had had so many illegitimate children, that
she commonly swore by her body, which had borne
fourteen children."
" The Cardinal de Richelieu, notwithstanding his wit,
had often fits of distraction. Sometimes he would fancy
himself .a horse, and run jumping about a billiard table,
neighing and snorting; this would last an hour, at the
end of 'which his people would put him to bed, and
cover him up closely, to induce perspiration: when he
awoke the fit had passed and did not appear again."
".The Archbishop of Paris reprimanded the Bishop
of Gap on the bad reputation which he had acquired
in consequenceof his intercourse with women. Ah,
Monseigneur: replied the Bi hop of Gap, if you knew
what ton talk of, you would not be astonished. I lived
• Loofa HoUandine, born in 1622, embraced the Catholic faith
In 111i111;Wris made Abbess of Maubuisson in 1664, and died in 1709.
The MO Gelieit wrote her panegyric under the following title :
" Mioncire stir la Vie et Lea Fergus de Madame to Princesse palming de
Daviere, Abeesse de ifaubuisson." Paris, 1709. 12n10.

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