posthumous Poems, I trust, that a faithful representation of him has been formed, where the most striking features will appear the work of his own inimitable hand. The result of the whole production will, I am confident, establish one most satisfactory truth, interesting to society in general, and to your Lordship in particular! the truth I mean is expressed in the final Verse of an Epitaph, which the hand of friendship inscribed to your excellent Relation:

"His Virtues form'd the Magic of his Song."

May the affectionate zeal, with which I have endeavoured to render all the justice in my power to his variety of merit, atone for whatever deficiencies may be found in this imperfect attempt, and lead both your Lordship, and our Country, to honour with some degree of approbation

Your very faithful Servant,

WILLIAM HAYLEY.

THE

CONTENTS

OF THE

FIRST VOLUME.

INTRODUCTORY LETTER.

The Life, Part the First-The Family, Birth, and First Residence of Cow-

per-His Eulogy on the Tenderness of his Mother, pages 1, 2, 3-

Her Portrait Her Epitaph by her Niece, 4, 5- The Schools that

Cowper attended-His sufferings in Childhood, 7, 8, 9 9- -Leaves West-

minster and is stationed in the House of an Attorney, 11— -Verses on his

early Afflictions, 12, 13-Settles in the Inner Temple-His Acquaint-

ance with eminent Authors, 14-His Epistle to Lloyd, 15- His

Translations in Duncombe's Horace, 19-His own Account of his early

Life, 19-Stanzas on Reading Sir Charles Grandison, 20-Verses

Written at Bath, 1748-His Nomination to the Office of Reading Clerk

in the House of Lords, 24-His extreme dread of appearing in Public, 25

-His Health deranged-His Retirement to the House of Dr. Cotton

at St. Alban's, 26-His Recovery, 28-He settles at Huntingdon to
be near his Brother residing in Cambridge, 29-The Two Brothers em-
ployed on a Translation of Voltaire's Henriade, 29-The Origin of
Cowper's Acquaintance with the Family of Unwin, 30- He becomes a
Part of that Family, 32- -His early Friendship with Lord Thurlow and
Joseph Hill, Esqr. 33-Commencement of his Letters.

The origin of Cowper's Acquaintance with the Rev. Mr. Newton, 65.-

His Removal with Mrs. Unwin on the Death of her Husband to Olney in

Buckinghamshire-His Devotion and Charity in his New Residence-

Continuation of his Letters.

A Poem in Memory of John Thornton, Esqr. 68-Cowper's Beneficence to

a Necessitous Child, 71-Composes a Series of Hymns-Continuation

of his Letters.

To Mrs. Cowper.

To the same

without Date

August 1769,

Cowper is hurried to Cambridge by the dangerous Illness of his Brother, 76

To Mrs. Cowper

March 5, 1770

....

19

A brief Account of the Rev. John Cowper, who died March 20, 1770———

and the Tribute paid to his Memory by his Brother the Poet.

The Collection of the Olney Hymns interrupted by the Illness of Cowper,
page 86 His long and severe depressionHis tame Hares one of his

The Publication of his first Volume-not immediately successful-probable
reasons of the neglect that it seemed for some time to experience. -an
example of the Poet's amiable ingenuousness in speaking of himself—
the various kinds of excellence in his first Volume-from page 110 to 114.

PART THE SECO ND.

The origin of Cowper's acquaintance with Lady Austena Poctical Epistle
to that Lady, 115, 120-a Billet to the same Lady, and three Songs writ-
ten for her Harpsichord, 122, 128-She relates to Cowper the Story of
John Gilpin, 129-Contiunation of Letters, 130.

To Joseph Hill, Esqr......

To the same, inclosing a Letter from Benjamin

The origin of the Task, 135-extracts from Cowper's Letters to the Revd.
Mr. Bull, relating to the progress of that Poem, 136, 137-a sudden end
of the Poet's Intercourse with Lady Austen-continuation of his Letters.

Το

The Publication of Cowper's second Volume, in 1785, leads to a renewal of

his Correspondence with his Relation Lady Hesketh, 139-continuation

To the same

....

May 15, 1786 54

May 25, 1786

May 29, 1786

June 4, 1786

June

9, 1786

1786

...

....

....

....

55

56

57
58

59

oa. 6, 1786 60

Cowper receives at Olney his Relation Lady Hesketh, 207--Extracts from

his Letters to the Revd. Mr. Bull-Poem on Friendship, from 210 to 224

-Extract from the Revd. Mr. Newton's Memoirs of Cowper, 225-the

Removal of Mrs. Unwin and Cowper from the Town of Olney, to the Vil-

lage of Weston, 226--continuation of his Letters:

To