What character, what turn thou wilt assume From constant converse with I know not whom; Thou canst not! Nature, pulling at thine heart, Nor say, Go thither, conscious that there lay Either his gratitude shall hold him fast, Oh, barbarous! wouldst thou with a Gothic hand Pull down the schools-what?—all the schools i' the land, Or throw them up to livery nags and grooms, And though I would not advertise them yet, MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. THE MINOR POEMS of Cowper are here arranged in the order of their dates; or, where these could not be ascertained, the authority of the earliest editions has been preferred. Only twenty-six of these original performances were published by the author. The rest either appeared separately in the different periodicals of the time, generally with his permission, or remained unknown beyond the circle of those friends to whom they were communicated in the course of correspondence. The various repositories in which those gems had previously been scattered, if not concealed, have been searched, and if nothing absolutely new remained to reward this industry, at least the present collection has thus been rendered the amplest yet published, and affords the advantage of perusing with ease and in regular series, what had formerly to be sought for in a number of unconnected volumes. To the more important pieces, likewise, a circumstantial note is generally appended; but where public favour has so long been declared, particular criticism seemed altogether unnecessary. Here it may, however, be remarked, that in his Occasional Verses, Cowper ranks among the most successful of English authors; a merit of very rare attainment. Such compositions demand a concentration, yet flexibility of idea, a delicacy of turn, and a happiness of expression, not less the fruits of practice than natural gifts, and which are yet wanting in the similar productions of many deservedly eminent for their labours of higher pretension. His excellence here is not indeed uniform ; yet even in his least perfect attempts, there is always some redeeming quality, often some unexpected beauty, which not only rescues them from the disgrace of failure, but raises them above mediocrity. In the happiest pieces, what more pathetic than their simple tenderness, or more touching than their dignified seriousness? or, in the lighter compositions, what more airy than their ingeniousness, more polished than their gaiety? Cowper's fancy, like his character, — at once refined, yet natural-meditative, yet playful—working out thought into new and unexpected, yet pleasing and unforced relations,-peculiarly fitted its possessor for excelling in this walk of poetry. Hence in all the finished specimens of these minor effusions, while we are struck with the general effect, which, according to the subject, takes captive the heart, or gently surprises the imagination, careful reperusal seldom fails to bring out some latent beauty, some recondite allusion which had before escaped us. These productions thus resemble some exquisite cabinet picture, which, by its arrangement and breadth, charms at once as a whole, while it delights on minute examination by its hues, its handling, and its sentiment. MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. THE DOVES. [With these verses Cowper commenced his Occasional Poems, as originally printed. The lines were written in May or June, 1780, and first transcribed in a private letter to Mrs Newton, which ends thus: "The male dove was smoking a pipe, and the female dove was sewing, while she delivered herself as above. This little circumstance may lead you, perhaps, to guess what pair I had in my eye." Lest the reader now, from these undove like occupations, should "guess wide," it may be necessary to add here, that the "doves" were Mr and Mrs Bull.] REASONING at every step he treads, While meaner things, whom instinct leads, One silent eve I wander'd late, "Our mutual bond of faith and truth Shall cheer our latest age: "While innocence without disguise, And constancy sincere, Shall fill the circles of those eyes, And mine can read them there; |