New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-23
oets. They rushed TO Apollo, and begged LOT

poets They rushed to Apollo, and begged Tor
the crown:
At last rushd in Eusden and cried who shall have It
But |. the true Laureate. to whom the MIG gave
Apollo begged pardon, and granted MS claim;
But vowed that till then. he had neer heaiu MS iahe
Eusden was Laureate for dozen years, ana
then gave place to COlley Cibber, who enloyeu
the honor from 1880 to 1851. On his DEATH
much as the Office had been degraded since Dry
den's time, there a great competition LOT '"e
succession, though chiefly among minor rhyme
.tcrs One great poet not only did not seek IT, pu'
actually declined it. This was Gray Inc DuNc
of Devonshiro offered to make him laureate put
he wrote TO his friend. Mason, asking HIM 10 ohcr
his positive dcclination:
81 hone Won couchcd my refusal to Lord john
Cavcndish in as respectful terms as possible, anu
with all due acknowledgements TO tne Duh'
If Won hear who il is TO be gwen 10, pray Nv
mo know for | interest myself h',i' III '
history of il, and rather Wish soinepouS may
accent il that will retrieve the crcdt VI .ii0
thing if il be refrcvable, or ever had any c'eui'
Rowe was. | think, the last man OF character
tbat had il. Euslcn was person of great hopes
in his youth though at last he turned ouO II
drunken parson. Dryden as disgraceiul u
the Office from his character, the poorest scrin-
hlcr could have bces from his verses. The ONCE
itself has humblcd the posscssor hitherto-h he
were poor writer by making him more con-
spicuous: and if he were a good one, ny setting
him at war with the little fry Of his own pro-
fos.on for there are poets little enough even
TO envy n Poet Laureate
So again tile laurel went to a nonentity, Will
lam Whitehead
his worth a pinch Of snuf.
But for Laureate he was g0od enough
and lie wore the crown for twenty-siX years. an"
died by a stroke of literal poetic justice III
the act Of composing one OF his awful od'r'
His Successor for seven years almost renee"eu
tho office from disgrace. he being Thomas Warton
But Warton died ju 1890, and then came rye
He was the only Member Of the House OF Com
mons who was ever Laureate, and he was also
London police magistrate Byron declared that
no was emincntly respectable in everything nnt
his pootry. So respectable was he, in fact, that
no stonnod taking the yearly cask Of wine, and
cot t,yenty-seven pounds in cash instead.
Pve was Laureate for twenty-three years. and
~, his death the crown was offered TO Scott, who
declined il In favor Of Southey. The latter wore
il for thirtv-onc years the longest time OF all eX-
cont Tcnnvson who was Laureate for forfy-two
years ON the death of Southey il was offered TO
Wordsworth. who declined it at first, on account
If his age But Sir Robert Peel urged 1t upon
him saving. "Do not be- deferred by the fear of
any obligations which the appointment may be
supposed TO imply. | will undertake that you
shall have nothing required from YOU On this
understanding Wordsworth accepted the honor.
lie held it for six years. and wrote one sonnet
which is now 10 be- read with peculiar interest
The sonnet is on the theme Of the Laurea'eship'
and Wordsworths acceptance of It, win some
reference TO his successor, then. of course. not
selected
Ill fpn bnyo
~ some who lived and loved and sang ana deu,
Leave, that were gathered on the pleasant SIDE
OF ola I7lrna~sls from AIoloS houEh,
With FACILITATING hand take ye now.
since worthicr minstrel there Is none beside
And with Il thrill Of song half deihed
! | bind them proudly my locks OF snow
There shall they hide till he who follows next,
or whom ! cannot even guess the name,
shall by curt favour. or some vain preteNt
OF faucied merit. dcsccrate the same. .
And think. PEREZ ancc. he wears them quite as we'll
IS the sole bard who sang of Peter Bell
lie who followed next WAS Tennyson!