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Not related to the Scotch Bishop Cowper
Name of his family first mentioned in 1465
His mother's family
Her epitaph.
1737. Cowper sent to school at Market-street, Hertfordshire
Cruelly treated there by one of the boys.
1739. Placed in the house of an oculist on account of a disease in his eyes
1741. Sent to Westminster school.
1745. The small-pox relieves his eyes
His character in boyhood misrepresented by himself
His complaint that religion had been neglected in his education
Confirmation at Westminster.
Scene in St. Margaret's churchyard.
Fancies himself consumptive.
His recollections of Westminster pleasurable.
Advantages which he gained there
His schoolfellows.
CHAPTER II.
COWPER IN A SOLICITOR'S OFFICE AND IN THE TEMPLE.
DICATIONS OF A DISEASED MIND. HIS EARLY FRIENDS.
HILL. THE NONSENSE CLUB.
1749. CowPER articled to Mr. Chapman.
Thurlow his fellow clerk
His idleness.
•
Takes chambers in the Temple
First appearance of his malady
He thinks his cure supernatural
1754. Called to the bar.
1756. Death of his father
1757. Removes to the Inner Temple
Commissioner of bankrupts.
His first love
Cowper of a poetical family.
The Nonsense Club
Page
1
ib.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
FIRST IN-
THURLOW.
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15
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20
Verses on his disappointment
23
His early poems preserved by Miss Cowper
This disappointment not the cause of his inadness.
24
1758. Translation of a Latin letterwritten by him at this time, Aug. 17. ib.
25
26
21
Joseph Hill.
His cordial friendship for Cowper. Sportive promise of Thurlow.
1762. Letter to Mr. Clotworthy Rowley, Sept. 2.
Cowper's property nearly consumed
Cowper in dangerous society.
CHAPTER III.
COWPER'S LITERARY ASSOCIATES AND FRIENDS.
COLMAN. LLOYD.
BONNELL THORNTON
George Colman
They commence the Connoisseur
Periodical essays.
Cowper a contributor to the Connoisseur
And to the St. James's Chronicle
Lloyd.
Dr. Lloyd
Lloyd and Colman's Odes to Obscurity and Oblivion.
Gray and Mason take the attack wisely.
Thornton's Exhibition of Sign-paintings.
His Ode for St. Cecilia's Day.
Thornton's Plautus
Extract from Cowper's epistle to Lloyd, alluding to his own dangerous state of mind
Lloyd resigns his ushership
His Actor
Intimacy with Churchill
Assisted by Dr. Lloyd.
Separation from his wife
The Rosciad
Lloyd's acknowledgment of his superiority
Churchill's Apology
Churchill's popularity.
He resigns his cure
Lives with a mistress His remorse
Cowper's admiration of Churchill
Cowper's political opinions
Political ballads
. 27
28
BONNELL THORNTON.
CHAPTER IV.
CHURCHILL. COWPER'S EARLY POLITICS. HIS ADMIRATION OF CHURCHill.
CHURCHILL'S marriage.
·
He is ordained to a curacy in Somersetshire
49
Succeeds his father in the curacy of St. John's, Westminster 50
Compounds with his creditors
51
52
53
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55
Night.
56
Churchill concerned in the North Briton
Scheme of publishing in France to annoy the English government 57
58
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Politics occasion a difference in the Nonsense Club.
State poems
St. James's Magazine
Charles Denis
Lloyd's drudgery.
Lloyd in the Fleet
Death of Churchill and Lloyd
CHAPTER V.
COWPER'S LITERARY AMUSEMENTS IN THE TEMPLE.
GRESS OF HIS INSANITY AS RELATED BY HIMSELF.
COWPER compares Pope's Homer with the original throughout 74
Translates four books of the Henriade
75
Accuses himself of wishing that the Clerk of the Journals might die.
1763. Arrangement in consequence of that gentleman's death.
Cowper's own narrative of the consequences
Letter to Lady Hesketh, Aug. 9.
Cowper at Margate
Progress of his disease.
Whole duty of Man
His brother visits him.
Dawn of recovery
His account of an instantaneous change
Dr. Cotton.
Cowper's first hymn
He resigns his commissionership Determination to retire from the world
His relations subscribe to an allowance for him Second hymn
Takes lodgings at Huntingdon Departure from St. Alban's .
Cowper likes his place of abode
His difficulty in housekeeping State of his finances
Diminution of his acquaintances Hill visits him
Feelings on first finding himself among strangers Resumes his intercourse with Hill.
Writes to Lady Hesketh
His emotions when he had seen her last.
Self-accusation
His own account of his madness
Removed to an asylum at St. Alban's
CHAPTER VI.
COWPER'S RECOVERY. HIS REMOVAL TO HUNTINGDON. THE UNWIN
FAMILY.
Verses composed during his madness
Cowper at St. Alban's.
RISE AND PRO-
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77
98
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. 107
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97
Reason for introducing Mr. Unwin to his relations.
He takes to gardening
Declines the honorary office of lecturer at Lyon's Inn.
State of his finances
Mr. Unwin killed by a fall from his horse.
CHAPTER VII.
Cowper and Mrs. Unwin remove to Olney
Olney.
His manner of life there
1769. Letter to Mr. Hill on his recovery, Jan. 21
He declines his invitation
His brother's illness
1771. Letter to Mr. Unwin on his brother's death, March 31
To Mrs. Cowper, on the same
His Sketch of his brother's life, &c.
assistance.
The repeated invitation declined Moses Brown.
COWPER'S REMOVAL TO OLNEY.
ACCOUNT OF HIS BROTHER'S DEATH.
MR. KNOX's opinion that providential designation is exem- plified in Cowper's case.
Mr. Newton.
. 115
117
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. 123
. 124
. 125
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146
. 147
. 148
. 150
. 152
CHAPTER VIII.
COWPER AT OLNEY. RETURN OF HIS DISORDER. PARTIAL RECOVERY.
MR. NEWTON REMOVES TO LONDON.
INTERMISSION correspondence with Mr. Hill
1770. Invitation again declined, Sept. 25.
1771. Letter to him on his marriage, Aug. 27.
On his own straitened circumstances, and Mr. Hill's offer of
164
165
166
167
168
Mr Newton's income as curate
Mr. Thornton allows him £.200 a year..
Cowper supplied with means for assisting the poor by Mr. Thornton ib.
Cowper assists Mr. Newton in composing the Olney Hymns. 169
169
State of his mind evinced in them.
Statement of a marriage engagement with Mrs. Unwin unfounded 171
Second attack of madness
172
He fixes himself at Mr. Newton's.
Extracts from Mr. Newton's letters to Mr. Thornton during Cowper's abode with him.
Cowper returns to his own house.
Composes verses during this stage of his malady
His tame hares
. 176
. 178
179
180
Opinion of Gray.
Fire at Olney
181
Illuminations and bonfires there on the 5th of November forbidden 183
184
185
1776. Letter to Mr. Hill, Nov. 12.
His love of literature revives.
Riot in consequence
Mr. Newton's house threatened
Effect in determining him to remove
Olney Hymns published
Cases of insanity among his people
CHAPTER IX.
COWPER AT OLNEY. FIRST VOLUME OF HIS POEMS. LADY AUSTEN.
MR. NEWTON introduces Mr. Bull to Cowper.
Feelings on Mr. Newton's departure
Straitened in his means.
Sir Thomas Hesketh's death.
Cowper's green-house
Employs himself in drawing.
His neighbours consult him upon points of law
He begins his first satire at Mrs. Unwin's suggestion
Finishes three more satires in three weeks
Motives for publishing.
Consents to let his name be affixed.
Mr. Unwin hurt that Mr. Newton should have been employed
Mr. Newton's criticisms
Thurlow made Chancellor
Letter to Mr. Unwin stating Cowper's reason for not writing
to Lord Thurlow
Cowper asks him to write the preface.
Delay of the press.
Useful remarks made in the proof sheets by the publisher
Two more satires begun
Green-house made a summer retreat
Lady Austen
She proposes to settle at Olney
Epistle in verse to her.
Interruption of their friendship
Its renewal.
Doubts whether Mr. Newton's preface should be retained
.
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. 211
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