New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-25

tho end of February, 1913, about month dI"i
The day ON which h. was seized. Many years
later In fact. b., short time before hls dca"'
Covpcr is found referring once more 70 ms la,'i
dream IN q letter 10 Lady iieskett ;'7'Sj Hhe
had been describing and praising some ocan'iu'
scenery ard ms i what the poet r'joIH''
THE country that you have had IN prospect HAS
always beer famed for its beauties oht me "''''
wbo oan derive no qualification from a view OF
Nature oven under The Disadvantage OF h"r 'HoS'
ordinary dress. will have no eyes 20 admire hrt
N any In one day-in one minute shour'
rather have said-she became universal biahK 10
mo and though from a different cause. Nrt win
a, efroct ~ difficult 10 remove blindness ts"Ii'
Uonccforth observes the biographer. low
nor vos n doomed man. God had iorsaNch MN
forever And the fearful dcusion never ici'
him except for very brief intervals dnIlHg '"e
remainder of his life These fdt1i ptopel'l"S
for believing IN dreams OF certain Rind 'o'"l"-
arv dreams lie did not believe in, and fer lmneln-
ing snpcrnatnr,l voices proved ms undoihI' 40
,ho student Of literature the chief point OF IN
tcrc&t IN Cowpcrs career probably Is inc ihc'"'"'
81 thc commencement Of the Task-th" Story
~ Lady Austen suggesting a subject 10 ms pen
but 10 Cowpcr himself that fact was oi ihHili''H
jmal consequence. compared with 'hat "r'a'
r,,or, whom # vas revealed TO him as he
thought from heaven that the Goa 'ha' "'''"
him, had doomed him T. everlasting torment; that
God had even regretted that IL" had SN.n ~
;stoncc 10 him. So deeply indeed. was tins IN
Grained in his mind that FIR many years ne never
offered q praycr-dd not even ask a blessing on
his food, his argument beng 'ha' he Ia" n' ''7'
10 do so-that II was useless
A. u.,al in such instances of mental ali'ha-
,ion his friends were wholly unable - pcrsnah"
linn ont Of the grim belief into which he hdh
fallen. Occasionally, for a short time, ray 81
honc wonlI spring up in his mind. but 1t soon
nasscd away. and he rc1apscd into his Oh s'a''
Yet il would clearly be an error 70 conclude '"''
CowpcrS life was altogether or even deeply I'M
happy. Men, siuc or insane. hrcom" acc"''"'''''
10 ANYTHING ana everything: and Their" j. aiAP'
evidence that the poet became 80 famlllaf WIN
his horrid imaginingS that they ceased 10 aH'c'
him with anything like III" force OF reAl'''.
There was in his nature, moreover. STRAIN "i
humor and Of gaycty which could not b" WHO'LL
snpprn, -cd or cXtincushcd. and this fouEH Nrn'
from time 70 time IN his poetry BAT u" most
remarkable fact in his life. after ALL j. the fa''
that . mind 50 disortcrcd should have pro1ucci
bot6 poetry am prose really 81 high order No
moro delightful lcttcr-writ"r-as al the world
knows-adorns literature. and even to-day, when
ideas and standards have changed 50 greatly. there
I
does not relax its hold upon th" reader.
Moreover his letters are marv'llously clear AMI
pcrspicuon4 There j. not in them the least
trace Of mental weakness or confusion. They N"
equally free as a rule. from morbdty, BENG
BRIGHT livclv graceful and fclicitous in imagery
and expression, and lighted often hv n lambert
humor winch plays through them IN M" most
cnortlcss way Mr. Wright cont"mplatcs ia" early
publication Of comrlct" edition Of Cowp"I
Jefferson NJ least ~ complete one n cAn now
be made In the mean time be- has been enabled
10 print many highly interesting and hitherto
uneditcd extracts from the poets correspondence.
which helps 10 throw rev LIGHT upon his If"
and character Wa are introduced bricilv. 20
all his friends Newton AMI johnson and lIaylcy
and the cranky oil solcolma.tcr Ic"lom-up'n
whose spiritual insight Cowpcr leaned fnr TOO
heavily for his own mental w"lflr" " cours"
no b1graph"r can put much incident into tie
life Of a man like the poet. bat i - curious that
one who had few practical adap'abili'ie~ should
have been borne easily and. on th" whole, 50
prosper,usly, throughout.
Ccwpcr was from the beginning greatly de
pendent upon Others ard lis rcl,fiyos and friends
stood by him with rare LOYALTY and persistence
| When AT last b" received q royal pension on what
was then very handsome scale hc was TOO far
gone TO benefit hy IT, Had Thurlow kept hi-
\ word this would cot have Dosn the case. hst 'hr
| great Chancellor appears 70 hay" held BRAT a
| slight opinion OF hls Old college friend and ~
any lat" never put forth finger 10 help him
| When the md care. and Cowpcr lay upon his
death bed. il was remarked bv those who stood
Jround that his face assumed an aspect of iu-
| "nablc peace and satisfaction. II WAS as fhou.h
tie darl, Authorization had lifted. and the PASSING
soul had for the first time perceived is phnntasual
nature, AMI looked beyond II. into slorihci
realm. And from the time Of his death till the
coffin was closcd' Mr. Johnson SAYS the cN-
| preston with which his coun'"nancc had settled
was that Of canncss and composurc mingled, as
il We're with holy surprise
The present life has been prepared with great
! deal OF conscientious care. IL does not attempt
| 10 deal in criticism, of CpwDci's poctical merits
| AMI this abstcntion was wise: for Cowper has
| long ago received his verdict from postority. and
it is not likely to be changed. Mr. Wright f..
borrower not hlindly culogstc. He recognizes fully
the weakness and poverty Of C"vpcrs translation
Of Homer for instance, and porceiycs how unfit
the Olney poet was 10 assume 'l, 'rditorship Of
| Millions works. On his own ground and with his
| own subjects. however, the was different
| Here he did well. and sometimes surprisingly
| wei. Our foreiathcrs liked the didactic vein.
| indeed. much better than the present generation
does but II also liked. and it right in liking.
the vein of satire which Cowpcr possessed, and
which, when his emotions were strongly moved.
took the form of very caustlc and telling
invective The poets life was n strangely MINGLED
| one but Mr.. Wright has, think made il
apparent that on the whole II far less nm
! happy than has commonly been thought II" has
| brought together very good series of portraits
OF the poet and the friends Of the latter, and in
,I,.
| library perhaps the smallest and humblcSt ever
owned by a man Of letters of his standing and
| reputation
SOMETHING ABOUT Old BOOKS.
WILLIAM RLADESS d" EOOKo ~ CHAINS"
/ Ii 1 .r-Li, 4