June or July, 1767, proceeding from a fall from his horse, was the cause of our poet's removal in October of the same year, with Mrs. Unwin and family, to Olney. At this place he became the intimate friend and associate of the Rev. John Newton, curate of the parish, whose kind and uniform good counsels to the unhappy poet where of such a nature as to bind their friendship so close that death alone could dissolve it. It was at this place that he composed, jointly with Mr. Newton, those hymns so well known under the title of "The Olney Collection." At Olney, too, the unwearied and kind attentions of Mrs. Unwin to our unhappy poet, tended more and more to endear her to him: the Mary of the poet was not solely the Mary of the poem, but the Mary who was endeared to the writer's heart-the Mary for whom his strongest and fondest affections of which the heart is susceptible, were entertained.

The death of the poet's brother, which, as we have before stated took place in 1770, appears to have at this time again had a serious effect upon the mind of our author. He was suddenly called to Cambridge to witness the last moments of his brother John, and for some time he gave himself up a prey to melancholy and grief; but, through the kind and unwearied attentions of his friends, he again rallied, and became more composed. The family with whom he resided was now reduced to two, Mrs. Unwin and himself; the other branches of the family, consisting of a son and daughter having left her, the former by having obtained a preferment in the church, and the latter by having given herself in marriage. It is not improbable that Cowper did at this time propose to Mrs. Un

win the desirability of uniting himself in marriage with her; but, though there were, as we believe, no serious objections on the part of that lady, yet, from the recurrence of the painful malady which had before visited our author, occurring at this time, that union did not take place.

For some years this painful hallucination overcame the noble faculties of Cowper in so serious a manner as to preclude every idea of future comfort in this world; although the illusion on his mind was of a quite different nature to the one that had possessed him in his first attack; his imagination at that time resting upon the idea that he was a pre-ordained subject for everlasting punishment, and at this time feeling the assurance that he had been, from all eternity, destined for a place among the saints of the Most High. These delusions of predestination appear to have bound him, in each case, as with an iron spell. In the autumn of the year 1774, he was prevailed upon to set aside those melancholy contemplations which were producing such a withering effect upon both the inner and the outer man. The attentions of Mrs. Unwin throughout these afflictions had been unwearied, and when convalescence had in some measure been restored, she strongly urged him to pursue some course which might innocently divert his mind from dwelling on melancholy subjects; and our author acting upon her advice, undertook the management of three leverets, which he has not failed to immortalize. He commenced, about this time, at the suggestion of his friend the Rev. Mr. Bull, of Newport Pagnell, his translations of the Songs of Madame la Mothe Guion. Cowper at length appeared before the public in the character

of a British poet: Mrs. Unwin, perceiving that mental exercise, particularly the exercise requisite for the formation of a poetic wreath, was the best alleviator of our poet's natural depression of spirits, urged him to essay higher and more comprehensive flights in such compositions than he had heretofore aimed at; ; and the fruit of such advice was "Table Talk,' "The Progress of Error,' "Truth," "Expostulation," "Hope," "Charity, "Conversation," and "Retirement;" which, with some minor pieces, formed Cowper's first volume. Our author particularly requested his friend Mr. Newton to write a preface for this his first volume, which request that gentleman kindly complied with, and a preface dated Febuary, 1782, from the pen of Mr. N. appeared with the volume.

The year preceding that of the publication of his first volume was eventful to him from the circumstance of that cordial friendship which he enjoyed in his acquaintance, brief as it was, with Lady Austen, widow of Sir Robert Austen, who, at this period, came to reside with her sister, Mrs. Jones, at Clifton, near Olney. The cheerful and agreeable conversation of this lady were greatly instrumental in abating the poet's gloom. A story which she learnt in her childhood, and related to Cowper, was the foundation of that humorous ballad, "The History of John Gilpin ;" at her instigation too, the principal poem of our author was written, viz. "The Task;" the Advertisement annexed to it explains how far she was the means of its produc tion. After he had completed "The Task," at the earnest solicitation of his two friends, Mrs. Unwin and Lady Austen, Cowper commenced the translation of Homer. The friendship and acquaintance

which subsisted between our author and Lady Austen was here suddenly terminated; but from what cause has never been disclosed.

The publication of his second volume of poems, including "The Task," took place in June, 1785, and besides extending his reputation, attracted the notice of his family; and in 1786, Lady Hesketh, who appears to have been the only one of Cowper's kindred who entertained a uniform friendly recollection of him, visited him at Olney, when she expressed a desire to reside with him; whereupon Mrs. Unwin provided for her reception by removing to a more commodious house in the neighbourhood of Weston. Some years previous to this, Sir Thomas Hesketh had died, and bequeathed a legacy to our author, which the latter gratefully acknowledged. This year produced another event which greatly disturbed and harassed our afflicted bard, viz., the death of Mr. Unwin, rector of Stock.

Our author's Homer was published in July 1791; but from this period he was frequently occupied in revising it for subsequent impressions, until a few months before his death, little else of a liter ary character attracting his attention.

In the year 1794, the disease to which Cowper was subject, fastened upon him with a feverish and heart-destroying grasp; the bodily infirmity also of Mrs. Unwin pressed with accumulating weight on her. She had some years previously had an attack of paralysis, which had greatly broken in upon her constitution, and from which she had never perfectly recovered. These two suffering mortals were now under the kind care of Cowper's kinsman, the Rev. Mr. Johnson, whose residence was in Norfolk, to which place the afflicted 'couple were removed.

Here Mrs. Unwin breathed her last on the 17th of December, 1796; and her death, although at some previous period it would most probably have overwhelmed Cowper in despair, was now witnessed by him with apparent insensibility; he gazed on her corpse, he passed from the mournful scene in silence, and was never from this time heard to utter her name.

About this time, Cowper received a pension of £300 per annum; but of this well merited reward he appears to have taken but little or no notice. A few years passed on, during which our author at occasional intervals produced a few minor poems, and revised some passages in his Homer; at length, however, it was apparent to his friends, that the earthly career of the poet was shortly to terminate, and on the 25th of April, 1800, Cowper breathed his last. His remains were deposited in St. Edmund's Chapel, East Dereham Church, where a monument with an inscription by Hayley, is erected to his memory.

Of Cowper as a poet, various opinions have been expressed by different writers. Some, yet those are few, labouring with unwearied zeal to show that his name, amongst the most renowned of our British bards, deserves only a secondary place; whilst others maintain, with equal zeal, that he deserves to be placed among the most illustrious of our English poets. We hesitate not to say, that our opinion fully coincides with the latter; the intermixture of simplicity and elegance which are to be found in his productions, entitle him to be placed side by side with Milton, Pope, Dryden, Goldsmith, &c. Those who are competent to judge, have ever been ready to extol the beauties which