, 1870-09-11


THE STORY OF FOUR POETS.
In the reign OF Charles II there fiourished
four poets. Three OF them were popular, and
one was not. Let me gay y few words about
each Of them, and see what tho popularity Of
the three vas worth: aud what came OF it.
The fret whs ono Thomas, better known az
=. Tom DCrfey, just AZ people now talk af-
rcyerentis, Of "Tom Mooro. zion :"
Campbell and Tom Hood. He was tue
pet and tho idol OF his ago. and Charles II.
in St Jsmee' Park in familiar talk with lin,
Lis dogs and his courtiers following behind
Nay. the merry monarch carried h,s COM
p!aieancc still further, and conlGeccnded to
sing duets with him. Tom and he
holding tho music-sheet between them
- fact which the poet has recorded
in his mcmoirs With great grsto and satisrac-
tion- D'Crtcy was principally known for his
eongs, which he wrote to old and popular
tnnes-somctimea il not invariably, adapting
AZ much IS was quotable Of tho old words and
choruses to new thcmca, and other.ise altor-
ing and amending, NJ Robert Burns did with
thelpopular songs Of Scotland more than cen-
a. the violin was then called, both by tho
fashionable and unfashionable. and to those
lively aira and jig tunes Of which tho fiddle
was the best exponent. When in exile, with
but eight Chance OF ever sitting on ftae throno
Of his ancestors, and when he could but i'll
afford luxnrics OF any kind, he layished such
money ~ be could command upon fidles
and flddlcrs. When, after the death
of the Great Protector, the common-
wealth Of England found itself without
strong hantl to rul, it. and "the King enjoyed
his own again" ono OF the fret things lie did
was to engages corph Of four and twenty
tiddlers to ,,!ay for him during dinner and 1T
sations in the evening" 1t Was on these occa-
sion. that DUrfcy'. services were called into
rcqaitition to sing lis own songs, not for re-
ward aud emotnmont. but WEoilT for the hon-
or and glory Of amusing the King and baHk-
nance, and that Of Tic fair md frail
ladies' in whose society .'.c took most
pleasure. At the timo Of the
| lscstoration. Tom was 4 g.y youug
fellow Of %. who, had aban-
doned tho study Of the law for the pur-
euits Of literature and convivialty. During
the whole reign Of Charles he lived like a
| n oBperons gentleman, making email means
60 4 long way in keeping up appearances
and being always n welcome guest, not only
at the palace, but at the houses OF tho nobil.
ity and countrE gentry, where, after dinner,
woad s,ns s ,n% o%n sos ~tao1 aot m %uS
other guests wnuld join Justify in the chorus
a collection of lis soues, under tue somewhat
coarsc title--thoush it was not considered
coarse in that sge-of "l'i1ls to Purge Mel
ancholy," was publirhed by Tom. and had .
highly 1emunefative sale.
Tom, who had ceased to be ab3e TO sing in
the 4ere and yellow leaf OF Ills age, fell intt
neglect, il not into peuurr. and 4 benefit was
arranged for him at Drury Lane Theatre
which both Steele and Addison recommended
and publicly Supported. Tho latter WAS par
tiealarly cordial in the Spectator. TON
merry: and I hope they will make him oasy
as long us ho stays among ,s. This vii
take uE>on nc tn Say: theS caunot do kind
ness TO a more divestiag companion, or 1
more cheerful, honest or good-aatured man.
Tom was never married, and as man abou
wae tho beet known parsonage OF his day
. Tut he long outlived his popularity, and Lii
name and his wcrka arc now scarcely know
except to literary an:iqoaries.
The second Of tho popular poets of tha
time was young wel=h LADY, Mr.. Kathc
OF "Orinda." Dy her contemporaries sh
was called '.the matchlcss Orinda,' and "a th'
; nrst deseryetlly admired Mrs. k1thcrin,
/: Phillips" The poems Of "the ,natctlca
Oruda" were circulated in nlanu=cri 1t amonI
/: lscr friends. aud some speculative 1nl di.hon
.
copies Of them, published tlem without he
knowledge. The Law of copyright was neithc
very clear nor very stringent in those day
; tSllaksrcare'r tonncts were printed withou
his consent). and. instead Of sum
the printer Or the, publisher for thi
Mr.. Phillips was driven to th
necessity Of publishing her poems herself
She wrote to \ friend. whom, in the fashion
allie ahectation Of the das, eiae aIl-c.sad a
S l'oliarchus," from some place in Wales
where ellc reeided, setting fer;., lie annosanc
that sllis suHeptisious ruolic4ion had cAuse
her.
nfis friend contEiycd 10 stop the sale o
the ,siratical ho,E, and undertook to brin
cut a correct edition: hut tho fady d:ed o
t1ua!l-1tox tefnre The work appeared. +
The crest sorrow Of all the wits and ;tiue ladic
Of the court. 1.-The smallpox" rays Poll
srthuz, in bis introductory essas :. "that ma
licions tlieease, as knowing how little she woul
l,syc hccn concerned for her handsomencss
when at the best, was not satisfied to bo A. in
: furious a printer OF her face Us til
; other had heen Of her poems, bu
/! than her stationer had treated them
+; for though ne, to her most sensible atilic,ior
surreptlously possessed himself OF falls
copy, and sent those children Of hey fame
iuto the world go matts1ed that they yer
. more unlike themselves than sho could hav
Y
tyraut, (the emall-pox), with greater bal
bality, te,zed unexpectedly upon her. the sru
! original, and to the much tuster 1ttlicsiou g
!. | il, and hurried her untimely to the grave
npon the o2d Of juno. 1861. she beng the
thirty-one years Of age.
roliarrlus mentions to her prGise, as some
: thing unueuat in lady, that her hand-writin
. was good and her spelling correct. Cowlc
! war AZ complimentary in verse rs Pollarchu
. !; was in prese. and in An e!cEy on hcr death
!; after rst,ne tile smallpox in round terms Il
i's cruelty and spite in attacking 70 besutafu
, witty, and iuepired q person. he raised ht
high above 3ll the poets and poe:csses Of he
: t,me-l,imee1f alone excepted.
! Oriuda vas devoted Hoyalist. and hi
, poems consist principally Of oaes mud addrcs,
! e. to t1,c King and Queen, and to the Srcs
!, loryle and ladies' OF the court. on their ma
: Where are nov the works Of the match'e'
, Orinda, the delight Of the age: Thew slee
0 in her forgotten folio, And arc ~ unknown
0 modern readers rs the poems, il the1e be All.
! Of tho dwel'ers IN another p!anct.
q Abraham, Cowlcy, the last Of the roruls
!, tho, is poet Of much greater mark tbs
1 Ttm D rIfcy and Mrs. Philips. though h
/ fame. or what is left Of ii, depends mos
:. uron the account given Of him in johnson
il "1ivcs Of tho Poets" than upon his ou
j. writings. sfre. Phillips was "the match'css
!; to CoWier va. reserved The epithet Of I'll
: inc mpAiablc." He WAS essentially u ms
b | OF his own time, and OF no othc-. eu3 ncith'
c looked before 1s1r after-as al s. + poets j
y liz poems abound in conceits | prct:
y rerses, in wor.ey luirls, in quib. and
:. quoaitets. nnd when he gives brit "a gre
n thought. 4. he sometimes s;oes,,
IL ~, to ovcrlar it with words,
,mnttes l!r Tenus, ~ it wcrt, urli
e the weigh, Of her ribbons, her lace
II her vc,vet-. aud her furl'clows, till q
" rcor beauty IL scarcely able to wslllc und'
u the Esee Of fnerJ. 4 tone OF melancho
,s pe,vztcs hir writings And II he calls hiuse
0. '' the melancholy Cos1ey," il j. TO be supp0
u cd that ruth Vas the real character OF /
H. mini. :" well - Of his poems. He Was bo
J. il London. in 1918. the son Of grocer
FL Fleet ttz~ct. He died in 1857. in his 4G
IA .ear, Al lis country house in Chtrssty, wlit
&c | rr he had retired TO live life Of rural \
ID tht!rso. lics] to!i.u1c. Inh's youth and cal
&c INN. he aa- Iloyalist, involved in 4
&c ifonalts OF the Revolution. Ills first step
u life Nar au appointment az ftivate Secrets
I'd te Icrd Jermy,,, afserwa1d Earl Of st. AlbaI
T. r;:A x1.om tic went TO Paris in 16
Ills principal duty. being. to transl:
f:om secte, cipher the eonGde
ii risl correspondence OF the hiag 4
be Quccu. He remained abroad for tcn yea
a livit 70 ons very we'll know how. At the G
d. Of that TING lie returned to England, osten
On lily 10 rurs.e tue practice Of medicine, uhi
ID, be l;nI studied, or feigned to study. Ehiie
he the continent, but. in reality, 1t IL suppos,
re to report the state Of a1AirA in England to
g. exilcl royal family and their friends IN Pa
ve On tie death Of Comwe,l, and the sntsoqut
cd restoration OF Charles H., he expected to {
cd rain The usstership Of the SAvor, which,, it