try. lad feldom carries on a love, my glafs, and to mix without fear in a drunken fquabble, yet I went on with a high hand with my geometry, till the fun entered Virgo, a month which is always a carnival in my bofom, when a charming filette, who lived next door to the fchool, overfet my trigonometry, and fet me off at a tangent from the fphere of my ftudies. I, however, firuggled on with my fines and cofines for a few days more; but fiepping into the garden one charming noon to take the fun's altitude, there I met my angel, adventure without an affifting con- ments. Another circumftance in my life, which made fome alteration in my mind and manners, was, that I fpent my nineteenth fummer on a fmuggling coaft, a good diftance from home, at a noted fchool, to learn menfuration, furveying, dial. ling, &c. in which I made a pretty good progrefs. But I made a greater progrefs in the knowledge of mankind. The contraband trade was at that time very fuccefsful; and it fometimes happened to me to fall in with those who carried it on. Scenes of (waggering, riot, and roaring diffipation, were till this time new to me, but I was no enemy to focial life. Here, though I learnt to fill Like Proferpine gathering flowers, It was in vain to think of doing any more good at fchool. The re-, maining week I stayed I did nothing but craze the faculties of my foul about her, or fteal out to meet her; and the two laft nights of my ftay in the country, had fleep been a mortal fin, the image of this modeft and innocent girl had kept me guiltlefs, I returned home very confiderably improved. My reading was enlarged with the very important addition of Thomfon's and Shenstone's works; I had seen human nature in a new phafis; and I engaged feveral of my fchool-fellows to keep up a literary correfpondence with me. This improved me in compofition. I had met with a collection of letters by the wits of queen Anne's reign, and I pored over them moft devoutly. I kept copies of any of my own letters that pleafed me, and a comparifon between them and the compofition of most of my correlpondents, flattered my vanity. I carried this whim fo far, that though I had not three farthings worth of bufinefs in the world, yet almost Y 4 every every poft brought me as many letters as if I had been a broad plodding-fon of day-book and ledger. were gathering thick round my fa ther's head; and what was worst of all, he was visibly far gone in a confumption; and to crown my diftrefles, a belle fille, whom I adored, and who had pledged her foul to meet me in the field of matrimony, jilted me, with peculiar circumftances of mortification. The finishing evil that brought up the rear of this infernal file, was my conftitutional melancholy being increafed to fuch a degree, that for three months I was in a ftate of mind fcarcely to be envied by the hopelefs wretches who have got their mittimus-Depart from me ye curfed. My life flowed on much in the fame courfe till my twenty-third year. Vive l'amour, et vive la bagatelle, w re my fole principles of action. The addition of two more authors to my library gave me great pleafure-Sterne and M'Kenfe.Triftram Shandy and the Man of Feeling were my bofom favourites. Poefy was ftill a darling walk for my mind; but it was only indulged in according to the humour of the hour. I had ufually half a dozen, or more, pieces on hand... I took up one or other as it fited the momentary tone of the mind, and difmiffed the work as it bordered on fatigue. My paffions, when once lighted up, raged like fo many devils, till they got vent in rhyme; and then the conning over my vertes, like a fpell, foothed all into quiet! None of the rhymes of thofe days are in print, except, Winter, a dirge, the eldest of my printed pieces; The Death of Poor Maillie, John Barleycorn, and fongs firft, fecond, and third Song fecond was the ebullition of that paffion which ended the forementioned school bufinefs. My twenty-third year was to me an important æra. Partly through whim, and partly that I wifhed to fet about doing fomething in life, I joined a flax dreffer in the neighbouring town (Irvin), to learn his trade. This was an unlucky affair. My ******; and to finish the whole, as we were giving a welcoming caroufal to the new year, the hop took fire, and burnt to afhes; and I was left, like a true poet, not worth á fixpence. I was obliged to give up this fcheme; the clouds of misfortune 12 From this adventure I learned fomething of a town life; but the principal thing which gave my mind a turn, was a friendship I formed with a young fellow, a very noble character, but a hapless fon of misfortune. He was the fon of a fimple mechanic; but a great man in the neighbourhood taking him under his patronage, gave him a genteel education, with a view of bettering his fituation in life. The patron dying juft as he was ready to launch out into the world, the poor fellow in despair went to fea; where, after a variety of good and ill fortune, a little before I was acquainted with him, he had been fet afliore by an American privateer, on the wild coaft of Connaught, ftripped of every thing. I cannot quit this poor fellow's story without adding, that he is at this time mafter of a large Weft Indiaman belonging to the Thames. His mind was fraught with independence, magnanimity, and every manly virtue. I loved and admired him to a degree of enthufialm, and of courfe ftrove to imitate him.` In fome fome measure I fucceeded: I had pride before, but he taught it to flow in proper channels. His knowledge of the world was vaftly fuperior to mine, and I was all attention to learn. He was the only man I ever faw who was a greater fool than myself where woman was the prefiding ftar; but he fpoke of illicit love with the levity of a failor, which hitherto I had regarded with horror. Here his friendship did me a mifchief; and the confequence was, that foon after I refumed the plough I wrote the Poet's Welcome. My reading only increafed while in this town by two ftray volumes of Pamela, and one of Ferdinand count Fathom, which gave me fome idea of novels. Rhyme, except fome religious pieces that are in print, I had given up; but meeting with Fergufon's Scottish Poems, I ftrung anew my wildly founding lyre with emulating vigour. When my father died, his all went among the hell-hounds that growl in the kennel of juftice; but we made a fhift to collect a little money in the family amongst us, with which, to keep us together, my brother and I took a neighbouring farm. My brother wanted my hair-brained imagination, as well as my focial and amorous madnefs; but in good fenfe, and every fober quality, he was far my fuperior. returned like the dog to his vomit, and the fow that was wafhed to her wallowing in the mire. I now began to be known in the neighbourhood as a maker of rhymes. The firft of my poetic offspring that faw the light, was a burfefque lamentation on a quarrel between two reverend Calvinifts, both of them dramatis perfone in my Holy Fair. I had a notion myfelf that the piece had fome merit; but to prevent the the worst, I gave a copy of it to a friend who was very fond of fuch things, and told him that I could not guefs who was the author of it, but that I thought it pretty clever. With a certain defeription of the clergy, as well as laity, it met with a roar of applaufe.. Holy Willie's Prayer next made its appearance, and alarmed the kirk feffion fo much, that they held feveral meet-, ings to look over their spiritual artillery, if haply any of it might be pointed against profane rhyme. Unluckily for me, my wanderings led me, on another fide, within point blank flot of their heavieft metal. This was a moft melancholy affair, which I cannot yet bear, to reflect on, and had very nearly given me one or two of the principal qualifications for a place among thofe who have loft the chart, and miftaken the reckoning of rationality. I gave up my part of the farm to my breI entered on this farm with a full ther; in truth it was only nominalrefolution, come, go to, I will be ly mine; and made what little prewife! I read farming-books; I cal-paration was in my power for Jaculate crops; I attend markets; and, in fhort, in fpite of the devil, and the world, and the fiefh, I believe I fhould have been a wife man: but the first year, from unfortunately buying bad feed, the fecond from a late harveft, we loft half our crops. This overfet all my wildom, and I maica. But, before leaving my native country for ever, I refolved to publish my poems. I weighed my productions as impartially as was in my power; I thought they had merit; and it was a delicious idea that I fhould be called a clever fellow, even though it should never reach reach my ears-a poor negro driver --or perhaps a victim to that inhofpitable clime, and gone to the world of fpirits! I can truly fay, that pauvre inconnu as I then was, I had pretty nearly as high an idea of myfelf and of my works as I have at this moment, when the public has decided in their favour. It ever was my opinion, that the mistakes and blunders, both in a rational and religious point of view, of which we fee thoufands daily guilty, are owing to their ignorance of themfelves. To know myfelf had been all along my conftant ftudy. I weighed myfelf alone; I balanced myfelf with others; I watched every means of information, to fee how much ground I occupied as a man and as a poet? I ftudied affiduoufly nature's defign in my formation, where the lights and fhades in my character, were intended. I was pretty confident my poems would meet with fome applaufe; but at the worst, the roar of the Atlantic would deafen the voice of cenfure, and the novelty of Weft Indian fcenes make me forget neglect. I threw off fix hundred copies, of which I had got fubfcriptions for about three hundred and fifty. My vanity was highly gratified by the reception I met with from the public; and befides, I pocketed, all expenfes deducted, nearly twenty pounds. This fum came very feafonably, as I was thinking of indenting myself, for want of money to procure a paffage. As foon as I was mafter of nine guineas, the price of wafting me to the torrid zone, I took a fteerage paffage in the firft fhip that was to fail from the Clyde, for Hungry ruin had me in the wind. 66 The " I had been for fome days fkulking from covert to covert, under all the terrors of a jail; as fome ill advifed people had uncoupled the mercilefs pack of the law at my heels. I had taken the last farewell of my few friends; my chest was on the road to Greenock; I had compofed the laft fong I fhould ever measure in Caledonia, gloomy Night is gathering faft, when a letter from Dr. Blacklock to a friend of mine overthrew all my fchemes, by opening new prospects to my poetic ambition. The doctor belonged to a fet of critics for whole applaufe I had not dared to hope, His opinion that I would meet with encouragement in Edinburgh for a fecond edition fired me fo much, that away I posted for that city, without a fingle acquaintance, or a fingle letter of introduction. The baneful ftar that had fo long shed its blafting influence in my zenith,: for once made a revolution to the Nadir; and a kind Providence placed me under the patronage of the nobleft of men, the earl of Glencairn-Oublie moi, grand Dieu, fi jamais je l'oublie! At I need relate no farther. Edinburgh I was in a new world; I mingled among many claffes of men, but all of them new to me; and I was all attention to catch the characters and the manners living, as they rife. Whether I have profited time will flew.* ************** His death, which took place in July, 1796, is noticed in our Chronicle for that year. Some T HE entrance of our late friend upon the tranfient fcenes of this life, apparently led to a kind of eminence very different from that to which he attained. Born of amiable and refpectable parents, of noble affinity, and connected with perfons of great worldly influence, his advancement in temporal affluence and honour feemed to demand no extraordinary mental endowments. His opening genius difcovered, however, a capacity for elegant literature; and he enjoyed the beft advantages for improvement in fo pleafing a purfuit. With uncommcn abilities, he poffeffed a moft amiable temper; and he became not only the darling of his relations, but beloved and admired by his affociates in education; fome of whom, with inferior profpects, have fince. rifen to diftinguifhed reputation, and even to the highest profeffional rank. But the towering hopes that were naturally built on fo flattering a ground, were undermined at an early period. From childhood, during which our late friend loft a much-loyed parent, his fpirits were always very tender, and often greatly dejected. His natural diffidence and depreffion of mind were increafed to a moft diftreffing degree by the turbulence of his elder comrades at the most celebrated public fchool in the kingdom. And when, at mature age, he was appointed to a lucrative and honourable station in the law, he fhrunk with the greateft terror, from the appearance which it required him to make before the upper houfe of parliament. Several affecting circumftances concurred to increase the agony of his mind, while revolving the confequences of relinquishing the poft to which he had been nominated; and he wifhed for madneís, as the only apparent means by which his per *This delightful poet and truly original genius, whofe works will engage the attention of posterity equally as they have done the prefent times was born at Berkhampstead, in Hertfordshire, in November, 1731, as the diurnal writers inform us. His father, John Cowper, rector of Berkhampstead, and chaplain in ordinary to his majesty, was fecond fon of Spencer Cowper, efq one of the judges of the cominon pleas, brother of lord chancellor Cowper. Our author is faid to have received his education at Westminster; from whence, we believe, he was transferred to Cambridge, which he left without taking any degree: his plan at that time was to ftudy the law; he therefore quitted the university, and entered himself of the inner temple. At this period of his life he was celebrated for the vivacity and sprightlinefs of his conversation, and the brilliancy of his wit. He affociated with thofe who were moft eminent in the literary world, and though we do not know that he employed the prefs on any work, he was well known to poffefs the powers of compofition, and was not the leaft diftinguished of the group 'which then dictated the laws of tafte. An office of confiderable value, which had been fecured for a term to his family, it is fuppofed he was intended to fill; and in the mean time he engaged in the ftudy of the law with fome' application, but with little fuccefs. His temper and difpofition were not in unifon with the buftle of bufinefs; his health became precarious, and fome events alluded to in his poems, but not fufficiently explained, compelled him to feek that country retirement, the charms of which he has fo beautifully defcanted on. †The many interefting anecdotes in this affecting narrative will, we trust, more than compensate for the vein of fanaticifm which pervades it. plexity |