The Life of William Cowper

Front Cover
Haskell House, 1892 - Literary Criticism - 681 pages
Mr. Wright, a long-time Cowper scholar, wrote an extremely comprehensive biography of the pre-Romantic 18th century English poet. He was able to avail himself of collections of Cowper's letters & of the unpublished journals of a number of Cowper's friends. Illus.
 

Contents

The Nonsense Club
64
Charles Churchill
72
Death of the Poets Father July 9 1756
75
The Farewell to Theodora probably 1756
77
In Love a Second Time The Greenwich Beauty
79
Literary and other Amusements
80
Cowper at the Inner Temple
85
Cowpers Poverty
88
The House of Lords Affair 1763
90
At Margate August and September 1763
93
The Second Derangement
96
Laudanum and the River November 1763
98
On the Brink of Eternity
102
Damned below Judas
107
CHAPTER V
113
The Clouds begin to Break
115
Dick Colman
121
CHAPTER VI
125
Early Days at Huntingdon
127
Huntingdon in Cowpers Days
129
Sephus and Lady Hesketh
131
The Knight of the Bloody Spur
134
Cowper as an Economist
140
WITH THE UNWINS
145
Cowper thinks of becoming a Clergyman
151
The Removal to Olney
159
CHAPTER VIII
163
Early Days at Olney
171
The Influence of John Newton on Cowper
179
The Removal of Unwin to Stock and other Incidents of 1769
183
The Death of his Brother John March 1770
189
At the Bull 1771
196
51
197
CHAPTER IX
205
Cowpers Fondness for Fish
221
The Fire at Olney October 1777
227
Cowper and Scott
233
Newton removes to London January 1780
240
The Poet draws Mountains and Dabchicks
245
A Head once endued with a Legal Periwig
251
The Lacemakers June 1780
257
CHAPTER XII
265
Expostulation February 1781
269
The Greenhouse
275
Newtons Visit to Olney June 1781
278
Lady Austen July 1781
279
Hope Charity Conversation and Retirement June to September 1781
284
The Fracas January 1782
287
Wilson the Barber
289
The Publication of the First Volume February 1782
291
CHAPTER XIII
297
The Case of Simon Browne
301
Lady Austen again June 1782
303
The Woman in a Nuns Hood August 1782
306
John Gilpin October 1782
310
Mr Smiths Almoner November 1782
317
Cowper and America January 1783
322
CHAPTER XIV
327
Reading Aloud
329
He had not Prayed for Ten Years A Side Reference to the Dream October 27 1783
331
Another Fire at Olney and what Followed November 1 1783
332
Thurlow Colman and Bacon
335
At Book the Fifth February 1784
339
The Election of March 1784
343
Cowpers tender yet resolute letter to Lady Austen the Spring of 1784
347
The Brothers Throckmorton May 1784
351
The Walks at Weston
356
Finding a Publisher October 1784
365
Newtons Relations with Cowper November 1784
366
Tirocinium
370
The Commencement of Homer November 12 1784
372
The Poplar Field and other Contributions to the Gentle mans Magazine January 1785
374
Mr Teedon
375
Anonymous December 1785
404
At the end of the Iliad January 1786
407
Fuseli and Maty
411
Preparations for the Arrival of Lady Hesketh Spring 1786
413
How Cowper Looks at Fiftyfour
418
The Famous Parlour
421
The Arrival of Lady Hesketh at Olney June 1786
426
The Unwarrantable Interference of Newton
429
Cowper removes to Weston
431
The Old House at Olney
435
WESTON AND NORFOLK CHAPTER XVI
439
The Death of Unwin November 29 1786 44
441
The Ladies of the Inkbottle and the Goodnatured Padre
443
Johnny Higgins
444
Mr Churchey and Samuel Rose
448
The Fourth Derangement January to June 1787
450
A Day at Chicheley
455
The Mortuary Verses November 1787
457
Mr Clotworthy Rowley February 1788
459
The Frogs
460
The Drolleries of Cowpers Letters
465
CHAPTER XVII
469
The Five Slave Ballads Spring 1788
471
Mr Bean March 1788
473
Cowper in at the Death
474
At Chicheley again May 24 1788
476
Mungo the Marquis and Beau
479
Dr Ash and Dr Grindon
481
Visit of Newton the Bouton de Rose and Lady Hesketh The Household at Weston July and August 1788
484
Cowpers Oak
487
He begins the Odyssey September 24 1788
492
Mrs Kings Douceurs
493
A HighBuck Holiday January 1789
495
Miss Hannah
496
The Kings Recovery February 1789
498
The Cuckoo Clock and the Hamper June 1789
500
CHAPTER XVIII
503
Johnny of Norfolk
504
January and the Moon February 1790
509
Cowpers Three Mothers and the Lines on the Receipt of his Mothers Picture out of Norfolk Spring 1790
511
Cowper is delivered of two or three other Brats March 1790
516
The Laureateship
518
The Narrative of Mr Van Lier Midsummer 1790
520
The Anodyne of God July 7 1790
521
The Visit of Mrs King and the Completion of Homer Sep tember 9 1790
522
CHAPTER XIX
525
Cowpers Twenty Books
526
The Four Ages May 1791
531
Publication of Homer July 1 1791
533
The Bodhams stay a Parsons Week
538
The Milton Scheme and the Delphic Teedon
539
Cowpers Profile made by Mr Higgins 1791
546
Thomas Park February 18 1792
548
CHAPTER XX
551
Cowper Plays the Commentator
556
Hayleys First Visit May 1792
559
Carwardine the Generous
564
The Portrait by Lemuel Abbot July 1792
566
The Journey to Eartham August 1st
568
Hayleys House
573
The Epitaph on Fop August 25th
575
CHAPTER XXII
583
The Miltonic Trap December 1792
592
The Quadruple Alliance July 7 1793
602
The Portrait by Lawrence and the Lines To Mary
613
Hayleys Second Visit November 1793
619
CHAPTER XXIII
627
Hannahs Extravagance
633
IN NORFOLK
637
Dunham Lodge October 1795September 1796
645
What can it Signify? April 25 1800
655
Cowpers Works
673
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