•->. ^-^ '«,'V> VSi>>, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET {MT-3) / 1.0 I.I 11.25 2k %2A ISO mifS 12.2 1^1^ U Hi U 1 1.6 Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 m. -^ i\ iV \ :\ % V ^ ■^ ,.v d/ Pages d^colorftes, tacheties ou piquees □ Pages detached/ Pages ditachies ilack)/ ou noire) 0Showthrough/ Transparence D Quality of print varies/ Qualite inigale de I'impression istortion e ou de la e nay appear ese have ajouties IS le texte, ges n'ont □ Continuous pagination/ Pagination continue D includes index (es)/ Comprend un (des) index Title on header taken from:/ Le titre de I'en-tCte provient: issue/ □ Title page of issue Page de titre de la I I Caption of issue/ livraison D Titre de depart de la livraison Masthead/ Generique (p^riodiques) de la livraison eked below/ ndiqui ci-dessous. 18X 22X 26 X 30X y 20X ^_L 24 X 28X 32X Th« copy fUmtd hart has b««n raproduead thank* to tha ganarosity of: University of Cuelph Tha imagai appaaring hara ara tha bait quality poasibia eonildaring tha condition and lagibiiity of tha original copy and in Icaaping with tha filming contract apacificatlona. Original copiat in printad papar cevara ara fllmad baginning with tha front eo>fr and anding en tha last paga with a printad or llluatratad impraa* sion. or tha bacit covar whan appropriata. All othar original copiaa ara fllmad baginning en tha f irat paga with a printad or llluatratad impraa> aion. and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or llluatratad Impraasion. Tha laat racordad frama on aach microficha •hail contain tha symbol — ^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whiehavar applias. Maps, platas. charts, ate. may ba fllmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too Ir-ga to ba antiraiy inciudad in ona axpoaura ara viimad baginning in tha uppar laft hand corner, laft to right and top to bottom, as many framas as raquirad. Tha following diagrams illustrata tha mathod: I ( c c f I t d d P P d li m U di CI •\ It fil L( rs d( at d' ill 1 2 4 5 oduevd thanks L'«x«mplair* filmi fut rtproduit arlet I (• 0*n4rotit4 d«: btft quality ind laoibility with tha art ara fllmad andino on ratad Impraa- priata. All nning on tha >d lmpraa> ith a printad :rofieha Ing "CON- g "END"). mad at l?-ga to ba vflmad \9r, laft to mas aa strsta tha University of Cuslph Las imagas suivantas ont «t« rapredultas tve la da la nattat* da I'axamplaira film«, at §n eonformlt« avae las conditions 4y eontrst 6» fiimaga* Laa axamplalraa erIglnauK dont la eouv9nur§ 9n paplar aat lmprtm«a sont fllm«s ,n eommin* ant par la pramlar plat at 9n tarmlnant solt paHa darnl«ra paga qui eomporta uff amprafnta ollT**;:!?.^".; !" ^'i!'""'"'*"' 'Oil pSr I. sacond plat, aalon la eaa. Tous laa autras asamplairas orlglnauK aont film«a an eomman^ani par i prami«ra paga qui eomporta un§ amprainta I. 323I*!**" •*" ««''""«tr«tlon at 9n tarmlnant par la a^rnlkr* paga qui eomporta unt falla amprainta. Un daa symbolaa suivants ipparaftra sur la darni*ra image da ehaqua mierofieha, salon la cas: la symbola — ^ signifia "A tUIVME" !• symboia V signifia "FIN", ' Las eaitas. planches, tableaux, etc, peuvent «tre film*s a des taux da reduction dlff«renfs, Lorsque le document est trop grand pour «tre reproduit en un seul clieh*, 11 est film* i psrtir da I'angle sup«rieur gauche, de gauehe i droite et de haut en bes. en prenant le nombre d'imagas nAcesseire. Les diegrammes suivants lliustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 A r 0- ri ■ e "7 V --j-i: 1 9 K i ,i I \ i ■u mp i iii i !tii. - in ii »i»n i II ■I i miwui ^ n u |i| , i 4ji jjuscD i imj. o 05 H I, I I / li \ I cc 8 6a Note JOHas L.VTI For the use of Ca Class C, a WARWICK & H, COWPERS TASK. BOOKS m. AND IV. ^2- ^4 WITH Notes, Ouesfions, and aa Introduction By 'J'Oia: 3sr E. BR Institutk. l^-.-V'.-'. ^'«r «Ac u,c of Candidates preparina f rr ■ reamers Examinations, 1888. WARWICK & SONS , ^^^ONTO: ^10 WELLINGTON «TRTO,KAST. I 1 n )f ■y I •f! » ' t Entered aocordlng to the Act of Parliaoient of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven, by Warwick & Soss, In the office of the Minister of Ai^loulture, .**' .,..* II THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH i uid eight Inistf r of PREFATORY NOTE. I Hhould not have undertaken to [)re|)aru thJH little b4M>k had I known what other excellent editionn of The (iarden And Ike Winter Evenina y/pra already available ; neither bo, had I known how much my work was dcNtined to he hurried by publishers and printers. In the annotations which I have made, I have tried to keep in view only what I conceived were the needs of students ; and while I admit T may have erred on the side of fulness, I have faithfully endeavored to put forward only such matter as I thought would be useful. Many of the allusions which are made in The Tatk are not to be understood without some con- siderable knowledge of contemporary history, social usages, and science ; it is not to be supposed, however, that all the explanatory matter here presented is to be learned by rote,— it is given simply to set the student in the way of understanding the text. I have chosen to put much of my annotation in the form of questions, l^)elieving that what the student obtains out of his own text books, or other- ;vise, for himself, will be of some educational value to him, while what he is told o£F-hand will prove but of little value. I have in many instances indicated the places where the information asked for is to be obtained. In making these references the following text books are denoted by initial letters x—The High School Orammar(H. S. O.J, Williams' Practical Englith ( W. P. E.), Abbott ^' -" P«-^bly arouse" that ,t IS difficult to pass any opinir.n upon him as a poet, without being hTt^e^inthT H '^'^^^y:^''^ ^- - * --. TndthemoL^"! whollv li^li, K ' *^ ? ^'' '""*^"^' *'**» P^'^*^* unconsciousness wholly .evealed his inmost self, he stands to all that have , ' them for an mtimate and beloved friend. On the other hand, it is equ.. difficult be not impossible) adequately to appreciate Cow,,er's jietr^ (esSly nM^'Ht^fT' T ^"? '" »«'''^l''*'n«t«»«"«"°« "P«n *»>« son, there is little account or same Z Iv 1 Tk "'"'/ "' '"''' ""*''"' ^^^^ ^"^ "^ "°""^' ^"'^ "^ *he trutZft H ';* « P^'*> •^•^ ^P^'^'^^ «^«" '« '^'^ !**««* d-^y^ with her TTJZf"^""" '"^ f ''*'''"• Unfortunately for him, she died when sentrmTl f "^ "^T "l"^'- ^"^y^hree years later, a cousin having sent him a portrait of her, Cowper, in acknowledging the gift, wrote :-"I sav a dav»7 V ri ^ ^""^ P^'"" '»*•* ^i*!' «q"*> veracity ' the 1 ?f n ^"^ ^ '^'^ "*** *'^'"'' °^ ''^'■•" This gift was the occasion of ^'!!J!fJ'^^_^^^f^affectii^^ in the English language. I wUMlherrf3/,:L'mm^Td\°hl^^^ feeling sure that it h^ad^rthem to hfs Hbrarni ?h?f r" '» P*'*?,^''^"" »' two books, 8o:-GoLDWiN Smith's CotW in fh« FnLn I u'''"'.''!"*' '^^ *'" "«*'«'■ "Kfe* doinir Oiofte Edition hM In Slent^tn^r^iw,''^ ♦''*/"';■ ^"'■''*« B^""*"- This important facts of the m;«tVfr\,*w*H"'"*^ '"*''*^"^ 8etlin)r forth several several poems not previous yiub»Hrd'-.^^^^ f '?k'V'^« '^°"'* = 't contains also ?oTs°ur Th^e'^LTeli^tt^nT 1?«^"" ^^4 ji^^^ -^f b^hari^?';^to^^P'tf^^^^^^^ Society, will also r^KuXia^T^em^al.'"''''' P"'"""""' ^-^ »»>« ««"«^°"'' Tract [7] 8 INTRODUCTORY. UiH.n liiH niothor'H death the y.nuig lad waH sent to schix)! - to a private boarding-Hchool ; but there he was ho ill-treated by an elder boy that his life was imsitively wretched. Later on, at the age of ten, he was sent to West- nnnster, one of the great Public Schools of England ; there his life was much happier, and although shy and sensitive to a degree that must have occasioned him bitter trials innumerable, he nevertheless matle many friends. Moreover, taking j.art in all the school games, and, in especial, becoming proficient in cricket and football, he laid in such a stock of bodily liealth as in future years served to mitigate the disasters of his many mental shipwrecks, even if it could not entirely prevent them. At Westminster ^ too, by virtue of much desultory and self -directed reading, he became a good Latin scholar, a fair Greek scholar, and also a fair English scholar, as hnghsh was understood in those days : Milton he seems to have known by heart. But of history, or of mathematics, philosophy, or science, he knew but little. Leaving Westminster at the age of seventeen, Cowper did not go to CO ege, but began, in London, the study of the Law. In due time he was called to the Bar ; and he retained a nominal connection with his profession till he left London in 1763 ; but he was never fond of it, and was idle in the pursuit of It. It is said that he never held a brief. No profession could have been more unsuited to him than Law ; but it may be doubted whether he would have succeeded in any profession. Everything relating to business seems to have been dis isteful to him ; and some years later, when careful husbandry of his resources had become a necessity, this duty was assumed by his friends, and retained by them to the end. His occupation in London, as far as he had any serious one, was literature. He was one of seven mem- bers of a coterie (all Westminster men) called The Nonsense Club, who aniused themselves with literary trifling ; and two of these having estab- lished a magazine called The Connoisseur, Cowper contributed to it several pieces in prose. He wrote also street ballads, and is said to have written a humorous ode. It was in London that the clouds which darkened so much of Cowper's hfe began to gather. In 1753 he first exi)erienced (at least with such intensity that they were noticeable to others) those strange and unac- countable feelings of melancholy and morbid wretchedness which gave to his life Its terrible and tragic pathos. A residence for some months at the seaside restored his mind to its normal sanity ; but the impression which his ailment made upon his friends was no doubt one of great anxiety as to his future. And nioreover, little as he was able to bear it, Cowper was soon called upon to endure such a distress as the heart rarely recovers from -occasioned no doubt by the conviction of those whose uuty it was to act in the matter, that this recent obscuration of reason, short though it had been, would be but one of many recurring aimil.ar sad «;lij)Bes. The yotajg dilettante writer (for he wa« scarcely more at this time) had conceived a ■to a private y that his life ent to West- hifl life was it tnust have made many in eepecial, ck of bodily nany mental Vestminster came a good scholar, &» e known by science, he 1 not go to time he was 8 profeasion 8 idle in the ssaion could ted whether to business hen careful as assumed in London, seven mem- Glub, who ving estab- o it several e written a f Cowper's with such and unac- ch gave to nths at the sion which xiety as to r was soon vevH from, was to act igh it had riie yuuHK onceived a TNTRODUOTORY, 9 strong attacinnent for a r«Iativ,., Theo.lora C.wper, a charming and .u^con.- l.l.«hcd young la,iy whose heart he luul ...u.pletely won ; but her fathrr w^^* .verse to the ongagen.ent, and wh.u Hnally the high-spirited gi rZr or h..r co„..n w.th an eloquent energy which only too Uinly beH.E h' hopelessness of her own love, Mr. Cow,.r had firmly o forbid tl love s .■ver meeting aga.n. Miss Cowper obeyed her fatJ.er ; but she never ~ uZ: . T T"" '''^* '"" ^""^'" '^'^<* """- - J^- honor (the":; poems on love he ever wrote) she retained to the day of her death iTSslT T f" '^'t '' ^"' ^''^" ""^^ "^^'^ '"^^y «'-" to'the world He; interest .n her former lover never abated ; and to her affectionate kindneL he was mdebted, throughout all his life, for many substantial fa'l The" 7z w:rhr;r""'^ '"*"^'^' -' ^"^ *'^ •^"^'^' ^--^ - ^-^t tX trom whose hand they came, was too sincere and too grateful to express an v in dtlfi 'T"'".*' '" ''/ -r""- ""' """'^ l'-^"-'! *'« n.emo; ofTw in dignified and sacred silence. "'"love in wh^^^\*^'T!u ' ^°"'^"" ''^' "'°'"'^' '^"*^ "'"«* disastrously. A relative n whose hands the nomination lay, had appointed him to a lucrati^rsl' he Clerkship of the Journals of the House of Lords ; but it was neces^rv a committee. In his endeavors to prepare himself for this ordeal -endeavors continued over SIX n.onths of ineffectual study-his mind again gave waT and he attempted suicide. Madness, indeed, remained with himr'n Ze or less strength, untU the very end of his life, but of course w itL Tuch more intensity in those periods when he was unmistakably insane thrnat other times : a terrible fear always had possession of his mind-thkt he w * abandoned of God, and doomed to eternal death. L gTttarted goT humored, and joyous as he always was in his better moo5s, ther^was ne^r a time ,n his whole hfe, after this first attack, when he was not subject to tl rhlwrr";.''?".*""''^'"""^'"'**'''-- Inthecrisisnowrefe„ed thL ski7f; f . "l^'Z ^"'"^' '"^ "" ''^y^"™ "** «*• A'»'-"«. where, under le as h w" T"h n ""^t P^^^^'--' »- Cotton, he bec'ame on^e mo e sane as it was said. Upon his recovery, CowiH^r had become religious- rehg ous consolation and hope no doubt had much to do with his recrerv' as rehgious fears had also much to do with his subsequent rrpsT Bui there can be no doubt that whatever may have been the mental phenomena which characterized his disease, its origin and sustenance were phys caT • In 1766 Cowper, leaving St. Albans, went to Huntingdon, to be near a yoimger brother who was at Cambridge. It was at Huntingdon that he ZnVh ^"^^^"^r'^'P" "f ^^ ''f-with Mrs. Unwin. the wiroUCe gt man there, and with her son. William Unwin, afterwards also a cler^^ The^two years that Cowper spent in Huntingdon, in the home of the U^ns' were probably the happiest years of his life. In 1767. the dder Mr ulwhl having been accidentally killed, the Huntingdon home was broken up and by the adv.ce of the Rev. John Newton, Mrs. Unwin removed t^oL'yi" 10 INTROtJUCTORY. Buckinghainsliire, wl.icli was in Mr. Newton's pariHh. Cowper accompanied Mrs. Unwin thither, and remained ever afterwards an inmate of her honse- until, indeed, in later days, herself overcome by iUness, and broken down in body and in mind, she was no longer able to sujiervise a house. Mrs. Unwin, who, although she was some years Cowper's senior, was yet so nearly of the same age, and of the same tastes, as to be in every true sense of the word a companion to him, over watched and tended him with an affection and a self-sacrificing spirit that have endeared her name to all lovers of the poet's memory -in illness, and in health which always contained some boding of illness-until, in 1791, a paralytic stroke so affected her that her state became worse than his had ever been. It was then that Cowper's intrinsically noble nature showed itself, and, weak and despairing as he himself then was, he bestowed upon her, with a fidelity no querulousness could daunt, the same kind attentions which, in other days, she had so ^ often lavished upon him. The beautiful lines, entitled To Mary, written in ' this sad time (1793), have enshrined for ever the affectionate kindness of the one, and the loving gratitude of the other. - It is with Olney that Cowper's name and fame are most closely associ-"* ated. That this is so, is perhaps to be regretted ; for had he been thrown amid kindlier surroundings, he had no doubt missed some of the calamities of his life, and had betaken himself to poetic themes more suited to his genius, and inore likely to win enduring fume, than those which so largely occupied his time in those unfortunate years when he was little else than Mr .. Newton's alter ego. At Olney, Newton was his only neighbor, and the two became inseparable ; " for twelve years we were scarcely ever apart." Cowper seems to have yielded up his individuality to his strong-willed companion. But well-intended, affectionate, and loyal, as Newton's influ- ence was. It was none the less disastrous. Cowi)er longed for the " assurance of salvation, " but never could feel that he ixjssessed that blessing. Newton, burly-minded and somewhat coarse-natured, was unable to understand his friend's doubts, and saw no remedy for these misgivings except in such a round of religious pursuits and excitements as Cowper's more delicately- constituted nature could not endure. In 1773, the anxious doubter again relapsed into what he has himself described as "a state of childish imbe- V oility.'' "He believed," he said, "that everyone hated him, Mrs. Unwin most of all." This state of ab«>rration endured for a year and a-half, during which time he was most affectionately cared for by Mrs. Unwin ; and Mr. Newton, also, for all his mistaken zeal, was yet an affectionate and true friend, and did for the poor sufferer everything that lay in his power. How terribly frequent would have been these lapses into madness, can only be guessed at, had the old round of religious occupations been resumed s without any enlivening variation. Gardening at first was tried ; then to this amusement were added carpentering, painting and sketching, and the keeping of pet animals. But none of these, nor all of these, would have INTRODUCTORY, 11 Bufficed to keeptliatpreternatumlly active mind from broodin.r ,„x,n itself- prenentecl ,tse f. But h« now found an occupation wliich, while it fully engaged al h. ,K,wers, afforded hin. also that dintraction of thought o necessary to h.s n,ental equipoise. He became a poet. In London, he hS "s last ™*" »>'«--'» Theodora, whom he addressed as DeUa. Before i h.8 last . Ines., he had composed hymns for Mr. Newton, and after his recovery this hyn.n-writing had In^en continued ; and some ,f the reUgiZ o ! d£ 1 *"r 1 *"' ^'"'"" """ ^'""'^ '*^^" *° l^'^'^ compositions nartlv tst w ' ' h' "7^ "^^''^ "'"'* '•"^'"^ ""»" -'''«•' ^is f^e still I.artly rests were produced at this time. Later, in 1780, in response to a ^Z'lZZrX^''- '^T'"' "'•" «^' *"« ^"^^-*' »>« --^^'"« *o"^ s'Z easv anH , ^^"''Tf . '^^ ^r'-'' -^ then, finding poetical compo sition easy, and b.nng delighted with the employment, he wrote the S2 L rr" r'' "'^ ''''"'"""'• ^^''«" ^'^^^ ^-« published i^ But on the who." M """ "''"''""' *"' ^'^'^ with some adverse criticism. '"as, :; dtbttt ^e ;::r " ^^^ '-"• '"'- '"'-- ^'^ -* -"• -<» Austen. Lady Austen had seen much of the world, had resided in France wWch mfl r' '"' ""f ^ "^'"•*^°' ".annerand a liveliness of hS^o hoteho^d Shi ^''^^•'^'"^'y :"-*=*•- -d welcome to the quiet Olney t.on, and to h,.ve thoroughly understood Cowper's character, and to have been aWe to control his moods. One evening, Then the poet 4^™% despondent, she rec ted for him a story which she had hLl in chUdho^'^ and that night, amidst fits of laughter so convulsive as to be alarming he Ch^Id wf" ^"7 Z' '" '""^ '"°™'"^ ^'^''^^ •* ^- theladrofthe household, who, no doubt, were relieved and delighted to find that th^ir l7eT:T '" '^^ -•^'W">--. had had no more serious ot Jon The tale that thus so curiously received its poetical setting, was the immortal John GUptn; it was soon published, and before long h5 attained tZ fuU measure of popularity which it has ever since worthily enjoy^ LiilVAlenTd T''^ '"'"l^u- '"«P^^**'°»- ""d from the same source. ^ wSl '' rtoS .h« ''^'r.'^f "^-^ ^^"^ t» -"*« a poem in blank verse. " I «ill, rephed the poet, ",f you will give me the subject." "O you can write on any subject," she said; "write on this Sofa." Thus orSLteS - c?lTi ; '"'r 'r"'^ ^'^ ^"""^^ ""*«' '^-' *he work, onpej^n w„3 S„ '" ' *7«lve.month. Besides Tke Task, the new ;olume cSin^ Ttrocimufa or A Jievinv of Srkr^ls 4,, v,,iJ-^^ r-- . """,", 12 INTRODTTOTORY. iiml C'lwpcr WHS s,- in . Turn'. 1785. Tts snocess whs iniin.'.liat.' hikI (•i)iii|>k.t.c ileservedly recki.iw.l tlie first poi't of liis hkc After th..,,ul.l,cati..n of Th, 'Va.k, Cowiht unfortunately h«t..ok hiinsdf t<. translatuig Homer. Thi« e.n,,]oy„u.nt, while it gnve Imn mental i.re- occui,ation, was not so diverting to his n.ind as the writing of original lK>em8 ; and, m the int.'rests of literature, it is greatly to be regretted that he undertook the h,.ge task, for by it he was prevented from writing more of those short, occasional i)ieceH,'for which his genius was iieculiarly fitted- those that he has written being acknowledged to be among the most perfect in the language. In 1786, Cowper and Mrs. Unwin left Olnoy and removed to Weston, a place not far distant, where they were provided with a much more clu'erful and comfortable home. This change was effected by the advice and aid of Lady Hesketh, the poet's cousin, a sister to Theodora. Lady Hesketh's kindness to Cowper was most affectionate and tender, and was most affectionately returned. They had begun a correspondence with one another when he was at Huntingdon ; and though it ha the commonplace Although a« he Hays, he imitated no one, he can, himself, be ..xceecinglv e«.ly .m.Uted. What with metonymies, metaphorn. word^ used in orig S 8en«e8, and more or esn suitable alh.sions, hi. jMH-tical apparatus n.ay b, easdy catalogued. Of sentiment, or passion, or any deep feeling having a beauty or a value mdein-ndent of its verbal setting, there is little The Cham, o h.H ,K,etry, wherever charm is felt, lie* i» it* natnralnws, its sim- plK«ty .ts dehcm^y. and, let us also say. in 4ts Ji*^ity. Hence i is T„ descnpfons of the simple facts of life and nature about him, tha Cowi^r excels; and .t ,s but truth to say that in these he really does excel A bhll^^i!;^^!!'' "■""'' "!. *^" ''*^*"' " ^^'«t^^-««i«g. with its " bub. h Tt." "*^ "•■"•' ^■''*""*''' '**"*'"*f " in ixmderous boots besi' ^' PaBsedtothemoredifBculi not h.f. r v"* *" application of his ide«^ ,ife,» he failed; he could not but fail ; his experience of life was too narrow ; and his mind had not the capacity of comprehending it without experience. Hence it is that The Task, beautiful poem as it is, is only-*ftl««He-tB~parts. " Fitlr-ieiiied together an* compacted," it never was-its author's genius wouIdSTS no such logical treatment ; it was dwewBire from the beginning ; but those parts which no doubt, to the poet when he wrote them. s^m;d oPmost value, in which, with too heavy a sense of responsibility, he undertook the ^^ZJrrr"^"'' ;/""'' ''°'" ^^^ ^^'^'^^^ hisleastmeritonous work : The Task is now read (except by students) in detached pieees onlv and .8 toured fqr its few real impauiOuWaO^iUiants. and not for its vaS mas8-<»-i»«^stuff. Apart from itH defkiwKiy as poetry, there is another reason that so much of Cowper s dogmatic utterance is discredited. One cannot help feeling that despite all his loud and positive asseveration, this sort of writing was not the real expression of the man's inner heart. His ince«eaatabj«,gation was ve^ unhke his real life, though no doubt his real life^Tin^made wretched by this disparity. While he was forever railing at .hi2,ps and philosophers, and men of science, and the people of fashionable society yet li!r T^' "''^* ™P*^'*ti^'' »P°" his sense of jusiice. to make exceptions m favor of such individual members of these tabooed classes -" h« h.^pp«n«} ix^rsonally to become acquainted with Of Cowper'a shorter i>oem8, however, it must be said that they, like his -'■■^iAi,ilj^4^4M,t4A^^:i\:.; 16 INTHODIHTORY. letters, were written iit white heat, currctUr cnlamo, and are tlie unniiHtak. able prtKiuotBof geniun. And had he given hiw attonti.in to writing more of them, instead of translating Homer and editing Milton, the world would liave been greatly the gainer. It wan ii true remark of Liuly Austen'H that he " cowirHmtw-wfrsnything "; and the mcmt trivial event of his quiet and obscure life wa« a sufficiently excellent theme to evoke the happy inspiration of his dainty muse. Vn-K dc S,m,-t,- have more or lens bt*n the affectation, if not the paHsion, of Knglish poets, ever since Mackwouth ]*RAKr> wrote Thr Vicar, and Quincf, but no modern writer of occasional verses has been ^ble To sport-Wtth-wyllablen and play with song with the same graceful ease and conNummate naturalness of Oowper. Had he made this sort of composition the serious "amusement," (as he called his poetical work,) of his life, rather than the writing of niowULgjitires, there can be little doubt that to-day hi«.*ep»*«Ui(.n, insttiad «f waning, would be upon the increase. Although the abscOwte-Tauk to which Cowi)er must be assigned, i»«ot high (at best, perhaps, only first among English poets of the second order), yet, relatively to his age, he was the m(isWjaM»«pi«Uous poet of it, and worthily so. Independent in forming his own opinions in regard to poetical composition, he abandoned the artificialities by which English poetry had been more or less characterized ever since the better days of the Renajsaance (that is, during the whole of the so-called Classic age), even at the hands of so simple and unaffected a writer as Cowper s immediate predecessor, fioU- smith ; and aiming at luciditjmnd na*wrehies8 as the chief graces of his art, ^e >vrote with such clearnessTHuIiiimplicity that he not only won for himself / general recognition as a writer whose style was individual and original, but i also had the honor of being instrumental in bringing into vogue a taato for the unaffected, the simple, the natural, the direct, which English poets have ever since regarded as true and authoritative. The essential quality of Cowper's style is its ffnmiiisficss. His emotions are real— never fictitious ; his imagery is of things which he had actually seen and observed ; his descriptions of the ever-varying phases of nature are faithfully keen and appreciative ; and the same may be said of his portraiture of social phenomena ; -it is only when he attempts to generalize, that, transcending his experience, his style is no longer characte'rized by fidelity, and becomes artificial, vapid, and obscure. One cannot read, Cowper's life and writings without a feeling of deep regret. Endowed by nature with a genius that fitted him to be the Howtee of his age— and indeed a greater than-««rrace— an unkind fate placed him ia^iiicumsUHUUB tlra*-tbww4e4-aad.«hiHed 4ii» genius ; so that in most of his writing, it is not genius that is seen, but merely versicular talent. JNTUOUUCTOKV. 17 THK HTirUY OF THE TASK. nr Task XH univemilly adnnttcl t., 1,,., „„ tlu- wh..!., C..w,K.r-K«,«rt«t work although .t ,« far from being a .miimmlj. .noritorious proJuT.,.. and the nnan.nnty of choice which critics and others have displayed in makinK selections from it. proves that Cow,H,r's position as a poet is very definitely hxed, and that H»»K4r-t>r(rtrho has written, even of The Task is destmed to oblivion. But the charn, which resides in those parts that by common consent are reckoned its better parts, is ,mn,istakable, and l.ke .hat of all good ,K,etry) inin.itable. Unfortunately, compara ively few of these choicer bits are to l« found in Books ril. and IV., the portions of The Task most fren,u.„tly set apart for study ; the selection of these books for such a purpose in preference to the others. „„.«t be attributed rather to their negative, than to their positive, excellences. However some passages of Th^nnteu and of The WiuU^veni,^, are as beautiful L any- thing ever Cowper wrote, and these should be made the subject of special study Mf p<,ss.ble, they shouW-feH-wwrnori^ed. The,2fijiafi«, bcgfnfting T was a stricien deer that^eft the' herd - and the 32 line«, l£{{i»ning with :— They love the country, and none else, who seek— are probably the nio«H»etic»l-pww»geff of Btiok Ttl. Book IV has innoh greater merit, and lines ldJiU3W». 130.143, 050453. and the series of passages in Imen 243-42*. with others of perhaps less value, have much jx^tica beauty and are well worth special study ; and some of these should be carefully treasured m the memory; o'louia In reading a poem, the purpose which the student has at school while if IS partly the same as that which he will have in maturer years, is also much more inclusive. In after life we read poetry mainly for the pleasure Jhe menta exhilaration, it affords us. Other purposes we may hope our r'ead ing will serve us, but this is the main one. But the better our mindsTe prepared for reading, the greater is the pleasure which we shall gain and the greater also is the number of secondary purposes likely to be serve^l for us. At school, oo we should first read f«t£ka*ure, f*»*«hilaration fthi we shall best gain m the case of any poem, by one, or two, or more" reaS ings without much purposive study. But when these are ended, an era of hard work must follow We must then read so as toJiackW^ur^rnd that our reading m after years shall be the ««ier for ul Poetry, iHi worth anything at all i,U»te»«3; it is crowded with beauty and^nng not aU dt,ca«,.ble at first sight. It is only culture that helps us tCe £ mner l^aaty to get at thi., hiddon mining, and cultu..i.iresurt(more than of anything else) of hard study. Again, p<,etry is condaa.Z«Lt .t describes by allu«onrbrimplication. To understand therSS^L' 18 iNTROnUCTORY, uulold ik»^ implicationH, re(N»rch in n«s* ^ry. Ho that at Hchool we should i*oquir«« the habit ofxaififuLusaid, and. thfinui t ft *- »«*«irch. This will cling to ud through life, and make Hnhscqucnt rcwarch ea8y, or more or Iprh unnecesaivry. Again, iwetry, like nil foriiiM df litiTiiry iixprenmon, i« the fashioning of one omnitifrfieiit inhtruilliiitt— l*"ir"*B<'- Henci^ it \» osHtmtial, even in the study of the ohoicent jwetry, to pay a tirnt-rate attention to tho words, the iptimma verba, of the iM)tt. Should one'i* innate knowledge of language be sufficiently minute and accurate t<» make thJH tumecesgary, thiH would be a blessed gift ; the student may rest confident, however, that he is not possessed of this gift,— that knowledge must bt- to him an acquisi- tion, and an acquisition by hiH own toil. Hence in ntudying one poem, while he is seeking to know thoroughly all aboiit itH_3K0rdii. and sentences, believing that by reason of this knowledge the poet'H meaning will become all the clearer to him, he is also acquiring an ability to read and understand other poems, with, perhaps, less labor : in other words, he is obtaining that " Itaowladgo '-' whiob is •ipower." Therefore, in the Nottx which have been here made, much attention has been given to the allusions which the poet makes, and also to the very words which he uses (Cowiwr's 8tyl«j»so Ittoid that to the sentences but little attention was necessary) ; yet all the help that has been given has been, of a purixjse, so put, that much work is left for the student himself to do. at at MchnnI we p«rch. This will y, or more or Ipiih ixpreMition, ix thti icx it Ik* oMHtrntial, ' attention tility to read and jher wordH, he iH ore, in the Notcx n to the allusionM le UHes (Cowiier's was necessary) ; |)ose, BO put, that THE TASK BOOK III. The Garden. \ I ARGUMENT. Self-recollection and reproof. — Address to domestic happi- ness. — Some account of myself. — The vanity of many of their pursuits who are reported wise. — Justification of my censures. — Divine illumination necessary to the most expert philoso- pher. — The question, What is Truth ? ainswered by other questions. — Domestic happiness addressed again. — Few lovers of the country. — My tame hare. — Occupations of a retired gentleman in his garden.— Pruning.— Framing.— Greenhouse. —Sowing of flower-seeds.— The country preferable to the town even in the winter. — Reasons why it is deserted at that season. — Ruinous effects of gaming, and of expensive improve- ment. — Book concludes with an apostrophe to the metropolis. THE TASK. BOOK III- THE GARDEN. As one, wlio, long in thickets and in brajjes Entangled, winds nay this way and now that His dfijdmis course uncertain, seeking home ; Or having Jong in miry ways been foiled And sore discomlited, from slough to slough Plunging, and half despairing of escape, If chance at length he finds a greensward smooth And faithful to the foot, his spirits rise, He chfirups brisk his ear-erecting Steed^ 10 And winds his way with pleasure and with ease ; So I, designing other themes, and called To adorn the Sfi|a with eulogium due. To tell its slumbers and to paint its dreams, Have rambled wide : in country, city, seat Of academic fame (howe'er deserved), Long held and scarcely disengaged at last. But now with pleasant pace a cleanlier road I mean to tread. I feel myself at large, Courageous, and refreshed for future toil, 20 If toil awaits me, or if dangers new. Since pulpits fail, and sounding-boards reflect Most part an empty ineffectual sound. What chance that I, to, fame so little known, Nor coaKersant with men or manners much. Should apeak to purpose, or with better hope Crack the satiric tho;;g 1 'Twere wiser far [21] /-Z-O 22 THE TASK. i For me, enamoured of sequestered scenes, And charmed with rural beauty, to repose Where chance may throw me, beneath elm or vine, 30 My languid limbs when summer sears the plains, Or when rough winter rages, on the soft And sheltered Sofa, while the nitrous air Feeds a blue Hame, and makes a cheerful hearth j There, undisturbed by Folly, and apprised How great the danger of disturbing her. To muse in silence, or at least confine Remarks that gall so many, to the few My partners in retreat. Disgust concealed Is ofttimes proof of wisdom, when the fault 40 Is obstinate, and cure beyond our reach. Domestic happiness, thou only bliss Of Paradise that has survived the fall ! Though few now taste thee unimpaired and pure, Or tasting long enjoy thee, too infirm Or too incautious to preserve thy sweets Unmixed with drops of bitter, which neglect Or temper sheds into thy crystal cup. Thou art the nurse of Virtue. In thine arms She smiles, appearing, as in truth she is, 50 Heaven-born, and destined to the skies again. Thou art not known where Pleasure is adored, That reeling goddess with the zoneless waist And wandering eyes, still leaning on the arm Of Novelty, her fickle frail support ; For thou art meek and constant, hating change, And finding in the calm of truth-tried love Joys that her stormy raptures never yield. Fors.aking thoe, what shipwrock have we jnadQ Of honour, dignity, and fair renown, THE GARDEN. 60 Till prostitution elbows us aside In all our crowded streets, and senates seem Convened for purposes of empire less, Than to release the adultress from her bond The adultress ! What a theme for angry verse ' What provocation to the indignant heart That feels for injured love ! but I disdain The nauseous task to paint her as ^he is, Cruel, abandoned, glorying in her shame. ,- . ^ No. Let her pass, and charioted along 70 In guilty splendour, shake the public ways ; 's.he frequency of crimes has washed them white • And verse of mine shall never brand the wretch.' Whom matrons now, of character unsmirched, And chaste themselves, are not ashamed to own Virtue and vice had boundaries in old time, Not to be passed ; and she that had renounced Her sex's honour, was renounced herself By all that prized it ; not for prudery's sake But dignity's, resentful of the wrong. 80 'Twas hard perhaps on here and there a waif. Desirous to return, and not received ; But was a wholesome rigour in the niain And taught the unblemished to preserve'with care Ihat purity, whose loss was loss of all. Men too were nice in honour in those days And judged offenders well. Then he that sharped And pocketed a prize by fraud obtained. Was marked and shunned as odious. He that sold His country, or was slack when she re.iuircd 90 His every nerve in action and at stretch Paid with the blood that he had basely spared Th. price of his default. But now-ycs, now, We ftre become so candid and so fair, 23 24 TIFK TASK. /0S-/I0 So liberal in coiistriiotion, and so rich In Clu'istian charity, (good-natured agu !) That thoy aro safe, sinners of either sex, Transgress what laws they may. Well dressed, well bred, Well e(|uipaged, is ticket good enough To pass us readily through every door. 100 Hypocrisy, detest her as wo may, (And no man's hatred ever wronged lujr yet,) May claim this nnsrit still -that she admits The worth of what she mimics with such care, And thus gives Virtue indirect applause ; But she has burned her mask, not needed here, Where Vice has such allowance, that her shifts And specious semblances have lost their use. I was a stricken deer that left the herd Long since ; with many an arrow deep infixed 110 My panting side was charged, when I withdrew To seek a tranquil death in distant shades. There was I found by One who had Himself Been hurt by the archers. In His side He bore. And in His hands and feet, the cruel scars. With gentle force soliciting the darts, He drew them forth, and healed and bade me live. Since then, with few associates, in remote And silent woods I wander, far from those My former partners of the peopled scene ; 120 With few associates, and not wishing more. Here much I ruminate, as much I may. With other views of men and manners now Than once, and others of a life to come. I see that all are wanderers, gone astray Each in his own delusions ■ thev are lost In chase of fancied happiness, still wooed THE GARDEN. And never won. Drean, after dream ensues, And still they dream tliat they shall still succeed And still are disappointed, h'ings the world 130 With the vain stir. 1 sum up half mankind, And add two-thirds of the remaining Jialf And find the total of their hopes and fears JJreams, empty dreams. The million flit as gay As if created only like the fly That spreads his motley wings in the eye of noon lo sport their season, and be seen no more. The rest are sober dreamers, grave and wise. And pregnant with discoveries new and rare. Some write a narrative of wars, and feats 140 Of heroes little known, and call the rant A history : describe the man, of whom His own coevals took but little note, And paint his person, character, and' views, As they had known him from his mother's womb They disentangle from the puzzled skein In which obscurity has wrapped them up, The threads of politic and shrewd design That ran through all his purposes, anddiarge His mmd with meanings that he nev i had" 150 Or having, kept concealed, home drill and' bore The solid earth, and from the strata there Extract a register, by which we learn That He who made it. and revealed its date To Moses, was mistaken in its age. Some, more acute and more industrious still, Contrive creation ; travel Nature up To the sharp peak of her suMimest height. And tell us wiience the stars ; why some .^re fixed ^"'^ planetary some ; what gave them first 160 Rotation, from what fountain flowed their light 25 ■ Vi^iWj ^ yiirjS S j a rs 26 TIIK TASK. Great contest follows, atul inucli learnod dust Involves the combatants, each claiming truth, And truth disclaiming both : and thus they spend The little wick of life's poor shallow lamp In playing tricks with nature, giving laws To distant worlds, and trifling in their own. Is't not a pity now, that tickling rheums Should ever tease the lungs and blear the sight Of oracles like these 1 Great pity too, 170 That having wielded the elements, and built A thousand systems, each in liis own way, They should go out in fume and be forgot 1 Ah ! what is life thus spent 1 and what are they But frantic who thus spend it all for smoke ? Eternity for bubbles proves at last A senseless bargain. When I see such games Played by the creatures of a Power who swears That He will judge the earth, and call the fool To a sharp reckoning that has lived in vain ; /^t'T-^? 180 And when I weigh this seeming wisdom well, J And prove it in the infallible result So hollow and so false— I feel my heart Dissolve in pity, and account the learned, If this be learning, most of all deceived. Great crimes alarm the conscience, but it sleeps While thoughtful man is plausibly amused. "Defend me therefore, common sense," say I, "From reveries so airy, from the toil Of dropping buckets into empty wells, 190 And growing old in drawing nothing up ! " " 'Twere well," says one sage erudite, profound, Terribly arched and afjuiline his nose. And overbuilt with most impending brows — - "'Twere well, could you permit the world to live 200 THK (JAiU)KN. As the world pleases. What's the world to you ?" Much, r was born of woinan, and drew milk, As sweet as charity, from human breasts. I think, articulate, I laugh and weep. And exorcise all functions of a man. ' How then should I and any inan that lives Be strangers to each other? Pierce my vein. Take of the crimson stream meandering there, And catechise it well. Apply thy glass. Search it, and prove now if it be not blood Congenial with thine own : and if it be, What edge of subtlety canst thou suppose Keen enough, wise and skilful as thou art, To cut the link of brotherhood, by which ' One common Maker bound me to the kind ? 210 True ; I am no proficient, I confess. In arts like yours. I cannot call the swift And perilous lightnings from the angry clouds, And bid them hide themselves in earth beneath ; I cannot analyse the air, nor catch The parallax of yonder luminous point That seems half quenched in the immense abyss ; Such powers I boast not— neither can I rest A silent witness of the headlong rage Or heedless folly by M-hich thousands die, 220 Bone of my bone, and kindred souls to mine. God never meant that man should scale the heavens By strides of human wisdom. In His works, Though wondrou^i, He commands us in His word To seek Him rather where His mercy shines. The mind indeed, enlightened from above Views Him in all ; ascribes to the grand cause The grand effect; acknowledges with joy 27 28 THE TASK. 7. 3s.-^fr His manner, and with rapture tastes His style. But never yet did philosophic tube, 230 That brings the planets home into the eye Of observation, and discovers, else Not visible. His family of worlds. Discover Him that rules them ; such a veil Hangs over mortal eyes, blind from the birth, And dark in things divine. Full often too Our wayward intellect, the more we learn Of nature, overlooks her Author more, From instrumental causes proud to draw Conclusions retrograde, and mad mistake. 240 But if His word once teach us, shoot a ray Through all the heart's dark chambers, and reveal Truths undiscerned but by that holy light, Then all is plain. Philosophy baptized In the pure fountain of eternal love Has eyes indeed ; and viewing all she sees As meant to indicate a God to man. Gives Him His praise, and forfeits not her own. Le&rning has borne such fruit in other days On all her branches : piety has found 250 Friends in the friends of science, and true prayer Has flowed from lips wet with Castalian dews. Such was thy wisdom, Newton, childlike sage ! Sagacious reader of the works of God, And in His word sagacious. Such too thine, Milton, whose genius had angelic wings, And fed on manna. And such thine, in whom Our British Themis gloried with just cause, Immortal Hale ! for deep discernment praised And sound integrity, not more than famed 260 For sanctity of manners undetiled. All flesh is grass, and all its glory fades Like the fair flower dishevelled in the wind • Riches have wings, and grandeur is a dream': Ihc man we celebrate must find a tomb And wo that worship him, ignoble graves Nothing is proof against the general curse Ut vanity, that seizes all below. The only amaranthine flower on earth 970 R J'' u"' '. ^^^ ""^^ ^'''""S *''«^«»'-«. truth. ^iU But what IS truth 1 'Twaq P;ia+^'c T« T .u •. ,o **® ^ question put To Truth Itself, that deigned him no reply And wherefore? will „ot God impart His light lo them that ask it ?-Freely_'ti8 His joy His glory and His nature, to impart. " ' But to the proud, uncandid, insincere Or negligent inquirer, not a spark. What's that which brings contempt upon a book. And him who writes it, though the style be neai, o«n T? ."^ ? '^'*'' *"^ '^'•g^'^ent exact ? -»U Ihat makes a minister in holy things The joy of many, and the dread of more His name a theme for praise and for reproach ? Ihat while It gives us worth in God's account i>epreciates and undoes us in our own ? What pearl is it that rich men cannot buy, That learning is too proud to gather up, ^ut which the poor and the despised of all Seek and obtain, and often find unsought? J ell me, and I will tell thee what is truth 2f) 290 Oh friendly to the best pursuits of man. Friendly to thought, to virtue, and to peace. Domestic life in rural leisure passed i Few know thy value, and few taste thy sweets ■^fO'l^X. 30 THE TASK. ; II M I Though many boast thy favours, and atJ'cct To undorstand and cliooso thet! for thoir own. But foolish man foregoes his proper bliss, Even as his lirst progenitor, and quits, Though placed in I'aradiso, (for (^urth has still Some traces of her youthful biiauty left,) JlOO Substantial happiness for transient Joy. Scenes formed for cont(;mplation, and to nurse The growing seeds of wisdom — that suggest, By every pleasing image they present, Reflections such as meliorate the heart. Compose the passions, and exalt the mind — Scenes such as these, 'tis his supremo delight To fill with riot, and detile with blood. Should some contagion, kind to the poor brutes We persecute, annihilate the tribes 310 That draw the sportsman over hill and dale Fearless, and rapt away from all his cares ; Should never game-fowl hatch her eggs again, Nor baited hook deceive the iish's eye ; (Jould pageantry and dance, and feast and song. Be quelled in all our summer-months' retreats ; How many self-deluded nymphs and swains. Who dream they have a taste for fields and groves. Would find them hideous nurseries of the spleen, And crowd the roads, impatient for the town ! 320 They love the country, and none else, who seek For their own sake its silence and its shade ; Delights which who would leave, that has a heart Susceptible of pity, or a mind Cultured and capable of sober thought. For all the savage din of the swift pack, And clamours of the field 1 Detested sport. That owes its pleasures to another's pain, tllK fJ.AflDK'N. 31 Thelt feeds Upon iho sobs and dying shrioks Of harndess nature, dunih, but yet endued 330 With eloquence that agonies inspire, Of silent tears and heart-distending sighs ! Vain tears, alas ! and sighs that never lind A corresponding tone in jovial souls. Well,- one at least is safe. One sheltered hare Has never heard the sanguinary yell Of cruel man, exulting in her woes. Innocent partner of my peaceful home. Whom ten lofig years' experience of my care Has mad(! at last familiar, she has lost 340 Much of her vigilant instinctive dread, Not needful here, beneath a roof like mine. Yes,— thou mayst eat thy bread, and lick the hand That feeds thee ; thou mayst frolic on the floor At evening, and at night retire secure To thy straw couch, and slumber unalarmed : For I have gained thy confidence, have pledged All that is human in me to protect Thine unsuspecting gratitude and lovo. If I survive thee I will dig thy grave ; And when I place thee in it, sighing say, I knew at least one hare that had a friend. 350 Jj-j.- J(Lc How various his employments whom the world Calls idle, and who justly in return Esteems that busy world an idler too ! Friends, books, a garden, and perhaps his pen, Delightful industry enjoyed at home. And Nature in her cultivated trim Dressed to his taste, inviting him abroad— Can he want occupation who has these ? 360 Will he be idle who has much to enjoy 1 :i2 THE TASK. II ']i Me, thoroforo, studious of laborious ease, Not slothful, happy to deceive the time Not wuste it, and aware that human life Is but a loan to be repaid with use, When He shall call His debtors to account, From whom are all our blessings, business finds Even here ; while sedulous I seek to improve, At least neglect not, or leave unemployed, The mind He gave me ; driving it, though slack 370 Too oft, and much impeded in its work By causes not to be divulged in vain. To its' just point — the service of mankind. Ho that attends to his interior self, — That has a heart and keeps it, — has a mind That hungers and supplies it, — and who seeks A social, not a dissipated life, — Has business ; feels himself engaged to achieve No unimportant, though a silent task. A life all turbulence and noise may seem 380 To him that leads it, wise and to be praised ; But wisdom is a pearl with most success Sought in still water, and beneath clear skies. He that is ever occupied in storms Or dives not for it, or brings up instead, Vainly industrious, a disgraceful prize. > •' The morning finds the self-sequestered man Fresh for his task, intend what task he may. Whether inclement seasons recommend His warm but simple home, where he enjoys, 390 With her who .shares his pleasures and his heart. Sweet converse, sipping calm the fragrant lymph Which neatly she prepares ; then to his book Well chosen, and not sullenly perused THE OAUhiN. 88 In selfish silence, but imparted oft As aught occurs thut she may sniilo to hear, Or turn to nourishment digested well. Or if the garden with its many cares, All well repaid, demand him, he attends The welcome call, conscious how much the hand 400 Of lubbard Labour needs his watchful eye, Oft loitering lazily if not o'orseen. Or misapplying his unskilful strength. Nor does he govern only or direct, JJut much performs himself. No works indeed That ask robust tough sinews bred to toil, Servile employ ; but such as may amuse, Not tire, demanding rather skill than force. Proud of his well-spread walls, he views his trees That meet, no barren interval between, 410 With pleasure more than even their fruits afford, Which, save himself who trains them, none can feel Those therefore are his own peculiar charge. No meaner hand may discipline the shoots, None but his steel approach them. What is weak, Distempered, or has lost prolific powers. Impaired by ago, his unrelenting hand Dooms to the knife : nor does he spare the soft And succulent, that feeds its giant growth Hut barren, at the expense of neighbouring twigs 420 Less ostentatious, and yet studded thick With hopaful gems. The rest, no portion left That may disgrace his art, or disappoint Large expectation, he disposes neat At measured distances, that air and sun, Admitted freely, may afford their aid. And ventilate and warm the svyelling buds. Hence Summer has her riches. Autumn hence, 34 THE TASK. And lienoe even Winter fills his withered hand With blushing fruits, and plenty not his own.* 430 Fair recompense of labour well bestowed, And wise precaution, which a clime so rude • Makes needful still, whose Spring is but the child Of churlish Winter, in her froward moods Discovering much the temper of her sire. For oft, as if in her the stream of mild Maternal nature had reversed its course, She brings her infants forth with many smiles, But once delivered, kills them with a frown. He therefore, timely Avarned, himself supplies 440 Her want of care, screening and keeping warm The plenteous bloom, that no rough blast may sweep His garlands from the boughs. Again, as oft As the sun peeps and vernal airs breathe mild, The fence withdrawn, he gives them every beam. And spreads his hopes before the blaze of day. To raise the prickly and green-coated gourd. So grateful to the palate, and when rare So coveted, else base and disesteemed, — Food for the vulgar merely, — is an art 450 That toiling ages have but just matured, And at this moment unassayed in song. Yet gnats have had, and frogs and mice, long since Their eulogy ; those sang the Mantuan bard, And these the Grecian, in ennobling strains ; And in thy numbers, Philips, shines for aye The solitary Shilling. Pardon then, Ye sage dispensers of poetic fame. The ambition of one meaner far, whose powers, Presuming an attempt not less sublime, 'Miraturque novos fructus et non sua poma,"- "VIRGIL, THE GAHJ)EN. ■IGO Pant for tJie praise of dressing to the taste Of critic appetite, no sordid fare, A cucumber, while costly yet and scarce. The stal)le yields a stercoraceous heap, &^U^ Impregnated with quick fermenting salts, And potent to resist the freezing blast : For ere the beech and elm have cast their leaf Deciduous, when now November dark Checks vegetation in the torpid plant Exposed to his cold breath, the task begins. 470 Warily therefore, and with prudent heed. He seel*8 a favoured spot ; that where he builds Ihe agglomerated pile, his frame may front The sun's meridian disk, and at the back Enjoy close shelter, wall, or reeds, or hedge Impervious to the wind. First he bids spread Dry fern or littered hay, that may imbibe The ascending damps ; then leisurely impose, And lightly, shaking it with agile hand From the full fork, the saturated straw 480 What longest binds the closest, forms secure The shapely side, that as it rises takes, ^y just degrees, an overhanging breadth, Sheltering the base with its projected eaves. The uplifted frame, compact at every joint, And overlaid with clear translucent glass, ' He settles next upon the sloping mount, ' Whose sharp declivity shoots oflP secure From the dashed pane the deluge as it falls • He shuts it close, and the first labour ends 490 Thrice must the voluble and restless earth Spin round upon her axle, ere the warmth Slow gathering in the midst, through the square masa 35 A-H-^V-'t-^-"*^ 86 THE TASK. Diffused, attain the surface : when, behold ! A pestilent and most corrosive steam, Like a gross fog Biootian, rising fast, And fast condensed upon the dewy sash, Asks egress ; which obtained, the overcharged And drenched conservatory breathes abroad. In volumes wheeling slow, the vapour dank, 500 And purified, rejoices to have lost Its foul inhabitant. But to assuage The impatient fervour which it first conceives Within its reeking bosom, threatening death To his young hopes, requires discreet delay. Experience, slow preceptress, teaching oft The way to glory by miscarriage foul. Must prompt him, and admonish how to catch The auspicious moment, when the tempered heat, Friendly to vital motion, may afford 510 Soft fermentation, and invite the seed. The seed, selected wisely, plump, and smooth, And glossy, he commits to pots of size Diminutive, well filled with well-prepared And fruitful soil, that has been treasured long, And drunk no moisture from the dripping clouds : These on the warm and genial earth that hides The smoking manure, and o'erspreads it all, He places lightly, and as time subdues The rage of fermentation, plunges deep 520 In the soft medium, till they stand immersed. Then rise the tender germs, upstarting quick And spreading wide their spongy lobes, at first Pale, wan, and livid, but assuming soon, If fanned by balmy and nutritious air, Strained through the friuudiy malti, a vivid green. Two leaves produced, two rough indented leaves, i! THE OAllDEX. Cautious lu, pinclies from tho second stalk A piinple, tliat portends a future sprout r.'^O ;^;'\'"''f ^^« ^'' «'-«-fc''- Thence straight succeed 060 Ihe brandies, sturdy to his utmost wish, Prolific all, and Iiarbingcrs of more. The crowded roots demand enlargement now, And transplantation in an ampler space Indulged in what they wish, they soon supply Large foliage, overshadowing golden flowers, lilown on the summit of the apparent fruit. These have their sexes, and when summer shines, Ihe bee transports the fertilizing meal 540 wT H "'' u ''"'"''' '"^ ^^^" '^' '^•'«-*hing air 540 Wafts the rich prize to its appointed use Not so when Winter scowls. Assistant art Then acts in Nature's office, brings to pass Ihe glad espousals, and ensures the crop. Grudge not, ye rich, (since luxury must have His dainties, and the world's more numerous half Lives by contriving delicates for you ) Grudge not the cost. Ye little know the cares, Ihe vigilance, the labour, and the skill That day and night are exercised, and hang 550 Upon the ticklish balance of suspense. That ye may garnish your profuse regales With summer fruits brought forth by wintry suns, len thousand dangers lie in wait to thwart The process. Heat and cold, and wind and steam. Moisture and drought, mice, worms, and swarming flies. Minute as dust and numberless, oft work Dire disappointment that admits no cure, And which no care can obviate. It were lone Too long to tell the expedients and the shifts 'S7 ■aitti 38 ThK task. f -^ 560 Which he that fights a season so severe Devises, while he guards his tender trust, And oft at last in vain. The learned and wise, Sarcastic, would exclaim, and judge the song Cold as its theme^ and. like its theme, the fruit Of too much labour, worthless when produced. Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too. Unconscious of a less propitious clime, There blooms exotic beauty, warm and snug, While the winds whistle and the snows descend. 570 The spiry myrtle with unwithering leaf Shines there and flourishes. The golden boast Of Portugal and western India there, The ruddier orange and the paler lime, Peep through their polished foliage at ti',e storm, And seem to smile at what they need not fear. The amoraum there with intermingling flowers And cherries hangs her twigs. Geranium boasts Her crimson honours, and the; spangled beau, Ficoides, glitters bright the winter long, 580 All plants, of every leaf that can endure The winter's frown, if screened from his shrewd bite, Live there and prosper. Those Ausonia claims, Levantine regions these ; the Azores send Their jessamine, her jessamine remote Caffraria : foreigners from many lands, They form one social shade, as if convened By magic summons of the Orphean lyre. Yet just arrangement, rarely brought to pass But by a master's hand, disposing well 590 The gay diversities of leaf and flower; Must lend its aid to illustrate all their charms, And dress the regular yet various scene. THE f.'AUDKN. 39 GOO Plant behind plant aspiring, in the van The dwarfish, in the rear retired, but still Sublime above the rest, the statelier stand. So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show ! while Roscius trod the stage ; And so, while Clarrick as renowned as he. The sons of All)ion, fearing each to lose Some note of Nature's music from his lips. And covetous of Shakspeare's beauty seen In every flash of his far-beaming eye. Nor taste alone and well-contrived display Suffice to give the marshalled ranks the grace Of their complete effect. Much yet remains Unsung, and many cares are yet behind, And more laborious ; cares on which depends Their vigour, injured soon, not soon restored. The soil must be renewed, which, often washed, GIG Loses its treasure of salubrious salts, And disappoints the roots ; the slender roots Close interwoven, where they meet the vase Must smooth be shorn away ; the sapless branch Must fly before the knife ; the withered leaf Must be detached, and where it strews the Hoor Swept with "a woman's neatness, breeding else Contagion, and disseminating death. Discharge but these kind offices, (and who Would spare, that loves them, offices like these ?) G20 Well they reward the toil. The sight is pleased, The scent regaled, each odoriferous leaf. Each opening blossom, freely breathes abroad Its gratitude, and thanks him with its sweets. So manifold, all pleasing in their kind, ' All healthful, are the employs of rural life, 40 TIM': TASK. |i! iiii n Roitei-atod as tlu^ wluu;! of tiiuo liuns round ; still (Miding, and l)(>j,'inning still. Nor aro those all. To dock tin? shapoly knoll, That, softly .swelled and gaily dnssaod, api)oars (l;^ A flowery island, from tlit! dark green lawn Emerging, must l»o deemed a labour duo To no nu>an hand, and asks the touch of taste. Here also grateful mixture of well-matched And sorted hues (each giving (;ach relief. And l>y eontraatod Ixviuty shining more) Is needful. Strength may wi(>ld the ponderous apado, May turn the clod, and wheel the compost homo, But elegance, chief grace tin? garden shows, And most attractive, is the fair result 040 Of thought, the creature of a polished mind. Without it, all is gothic as the scone To which the insipid citizen '-esorts Near yonder heath ; wliere industry misspent, But proud of his uncouth ill-chosen task, Has made a heaven on earth ; with suns and moons Of close-rammed ston(>s has charged the encumbered soil And fairly laid the zodiac in the dust. He therefore who would see his flowers disposed Sightly and in Just order, ore lie gives 650 The beds the trusted treasure of their seeds, Forecasts the future whole ; that when the scene Shall break into its preconceived display, Each for itself, and all as with one voice Conspiring, may attest his bright design. Nor even then, dismissing as performed His pleasant work, may he suppose it done. Few self-supported flowers endure the wind Uninjured, but expect the upholding aid Of the smooth shaven prop, and neatly tied, • THE (JAIIDKN. 41 660 Aro wedded tlius, like beauty to old ago, d ; t- 6 C 9 For intorost siiko, the living to the dead. Some clothe the soil that feeds them, far dillused And lowly creeping, modest and yet fair, Like virtue, thriving most where little Keen ; Some, n)oio a8|)iring, catch the mughhour shrub With clasping tendrils, and invest his branch, Else nnadorned, with many a gay festoon And fragrant chaplet, recompensing well The strength they borrow with the grace they lend, 670 AH hate the rank society of weeds, Noisome, and ever greedy to exhaust The impoverished eurtli ; an overbearing race. That, like the nmltitude made faction-mad. Disturb good order, and degrade true worth. O blest seclusion from a jarring world, Which he, thus occupied, enjoys ! Retreat Cannot indeed to guilty man restore Lost innocence, or cancel follies past ; But it has peace, and much secures the mind From all assaults of evil, proving still A faithful barrier, not o'erleaped with ease By vicious custom, raging uncontrolled Abroad, and desolating public life. When fierce temptation, seconded within By traitor appetite, and armed with darts Tempered in Hell, invad !S the throbbing breast, To combat may be glorious, and success Perhaps may crown us, but to fly is safe. Had I the choice of sublunary good, 690 What could I wish that I possess not here ? Health, leisure, means to improve it, friendship, peace, No loose or wanton, though a wandering muse, ^^Jj^M.^r, 680 iJiBf^"^'— rrT""f-liifni-ii 42 TIIK TASK. And coiislant occupation without euro. Thus blest, I draw a picturo of that bliss ; iropoloss indooil that dissipated minds, And prolligate abusers of a world Created fair so much in vain for thoni, Should seek the guiltless joys that I describe, Allured by my report : but sure no less 700 That, self-condemned, they must neglect the prize. And what they will not taste must yet approve. What we admire we praise ; and when we praise, Advance it into notice, that its worth Acknowledgqd, others may admire it too. I therefore recommend, though at the risk Of popular disgust, yet boldly still. The cause of piety, and sacred truth. And virtue, and those scenes which (Jod ordained Should best secure them and promote them most ; 710 Scenes that I love, and with regret perceive Forsaken, or through folly not enjoyed. Pure is the nymph, though liberal of her smiles. And chaste, though unconfined, whom I extol ; Not as the prince in Hhushan, when he called. Vain glorious of her charms, his Vashti forth To grace the full pavilion. His design Was but to boast his own peculiar good, Which all might view with envy, none partake. My charmer is not mine alone ; my sweets, 720 And she that sweetens all my bitters too. Nature, enchanting Nature, in whose form And lineaments divine I trace a hand That errs not, and find raptures still renewed, Is free to all men — universal prize. Strange that so fair a creature should yet want Admirers, and be destined to divide 'i'fIR fJAUDKN. With meaner objects even the few she finds. Strippcid of her ornamonts, lier leaves, and llownrs, She loHoa all her influence. Oities (hen 730 Attract us, and neglected nature pines, Abandoned as unworthy of our love. But are not wholesome airs, though unperfumed By roses, and clear suns though scarcely felt, And groves, if unharnionious, yet secure From clamour, and whose very silence charms, To bo preferred to smoke, to tho eclipse That metropolitan volcanoes make, Whose Stygian throats breathe darkness all day long, And to the stir of Commerce, driving slow, 740 And thundering loud, with his ten thousand wheels? They would be, were not madness in the head, And folly in the heart ; were England now What England was, plain, hospitable, kind. And undebauched. But we have bid farewell To all the virtue* of those better days. And an their honest pleasures. Mansions once Knew their own masters, and laborious hinds Who had survived the father, served the son. Now the legitimate and rightful lord 750 Is but a transient guest, newly arrived And soon to be supplanted. He that saw His patrimonial timber cast its leaf Sells the last scantling, and transfers the price To some shrewd sharper, ere it buds again. Estates are landscapes, gazed upon awhile Then advertised, and auctioneered away. The country starves, and they that feed the o'ercharged And surfeited lewd town with her f.air dues By a just Judgment strip and starve themselves, 7G0 The wings that waft our riches out of sight 4» 44 TIIK TASK. (irow on tlio gaint'st«>r\s oII)o\vh, luul tlin alurt And niiiiblw motion of tlioHo n^HtlcsH jointH, That nt'vor tiro, hoou fans tluMu all away. linj)rov»>ini'nt too, th« itlol of tho ago, A t^»/v">~" Ih fod with many a victim, liO ! lut oomos, — Tlio onmipotont magician, l?iown, appoaiu Down falls tlio vtuiorablo pilo, tho abodo Of our fon'fatluTH, a gravo whiHkorod raco, Hut tasteless. Springs a palaco in its stoad, 770 Hut in a d IIS lll'Ci 1 will To I., I II iisuriniiH loan. r<>ruii(|nl (Inly, wImwi lii.s vote mi VV<.|| ,i„„,u;j,.,|, shall |„iv, ,.arn,..| its wortl.y ,„■ '"i iiiiio,;„nt, coinpan.,! with aiU lil<„ (,|„.s,,, p<' mi.I CH-UM j.iHtol, iin.l 11.,. wliistlin« l.all Ol !»;(!, N.'..t tl,ro„K|. (in, travolln.'s l,,.ni,,l,.s ' ||. Uiat (in.lH <>"«' «lfop of jll(,av(MrH HWVA'.t iiioroy in Iuk <;iip, Oun (lifr, 1,,.^,, ,.ot_ ,^,„, j,,,,.;^,^^ ^^ ', ,,,,,,^^^.,^^ So ho may wrap hims,.lf in honest ra;,'H At his last ^asj. ; l.ut <:oukl not f(,r a"workl KiHli up his (iirly'and dop. ncl.int hmul Vvnm pools an.l ditcln's of tlio commonwealUi m Sordid and sid 46 THE TASK. The liopo of better tliiugB, the clianco to win, The wish to shine, the thirst to be amused, 830 That at the sound of Winter's hoary wing Unpeople all our counties of such herds Of fluttering, loitering, cringing, begging, loose And wanton vagrants, as make London, vast p •^'* ~o>fv ^jj(j boundless as it is, a crowded coop. Oh thou, resort and mart of all the earth. Chequered with all complexions of mankind, And spotted with all crimes ; in whom I see Much that I love, and moro that 1 admire, And all that I abhor ; thou freckled fair, 840 That pleasest and yet shockest me, I can laugli And I can weep, can hope and can despond, Feel wrath and pity, when I think on thee ! Ten righteous would have saved a city once. And thou hast many righteous. — Well for thee ! That salt preserves thee ; more corrupted else. And therefore more obnoxious at this hour, Than Sodom in her day had power to be. For whom God heard His Abraham plead in vain. ■in, loose 1. d, lee augh d, 3! !0, thee! jlse, in vain. THE TASK. BOOK IV The Winter Evening. ARGUMENT, The post comes in. — The newspaper is read. — The world contemplated at a distance. — Address to winter. — The rural amusements of a winter evening compared with the fashionable ones. — Address to evening. — A brown study, — Fall of snow in the evening. — The waggoner. — A poor family piece. — The rural thief. — Public-houses. — The multitude of them censured. — The farmer's daughter ; what she was ; what she is.— The simplicity of country manners almost lost. — Causes of the change. — Desertion of the country by the rich. — Neglect of magistrates. — The militia principally in fault.— The new recruit and his transformation. — Reflection on bodies corpo- rate. — The love of rural objects natural to all, and never to be totally extinguished. THE TASK. BOOK IV. -THE WINTER EVENING. Hark ! 'tis the twanging horn ! O'er yonder bridge, That with its wearisome but needful length Bestrides the wintry flood, in which the moon Sees her unwrinkled face reflected bright, He comes, the herald of a noisy world, With spattered boots, strapped waist, and frozen locks. News from all nations lumbering at his back. True to his charge, the close-packed load behind, Yet careless what he brings, his one concern 10 Is to conduct it to the destined inn, And having dropped the expected bag — pass on. He whistles as he goes, light-hearted wretch, Cold and yet cheerful : messenger of grief Perhaps to thousands, and of joy to some, To him indifl[erent whether grief or joy. Houses in ashes, and the fall of stocks, Births, deaths, and marriages, epistles wet With tears that trckled down the writer's cheeks Fast as the periods from his fluent quill, 20 Or charged with amorous sighs of absent swains, Or nymphs responsive, equally affect His horse and him, unconscious of them all. But oh the important budget ! ushered in With such heart-shaking music, who can say What are its tidings 'I have our troops awaked 1 Or do they still, as if with opium drugged, /-ZX. 3i- Ill ■si . 50 THE TASK. Snore to the murniurs of the Atlantic wave Is India free ? and does she wear her plumed And jewelled turban with a smile of peace, 30 Or do we grind her still 1 The grand debate, The popular harangue, the tart reply, The logic, and the wisdom, and the wit. And the loud laugh — I long to know them all ; I burn to set the imprisoned wranglers free, And give them voice and utterance once again. :ii~i( /l,v w»-^»^^ Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round, And while the bubbling and loud hissing urn Throws up a steamy column, and the cups 40 That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each. So let us welcome peaceful evening in. Not such his evening, who with shining face Sweats in the crowded theatre, and squeezed And bored with elbow-points through both his sides, Outscolds the ranting actor on the stage ; Nor his, who patient stands till his feet throb, And his head thumps, to feed upon the breath Of patriots bursting with heroic rage, Or placemen all tranquillity and smiles. 50 This folio of four pages, happy work ! Which not even critics criticize ; that holds Inquisitive attention, while I read. Fast bound in chains of silence, which the fair, Though eloquent themselves, yet fear to break ; What is it but a map of busy life. Its fluctuations, and its vast concerns'? Here runs the mountainous and craggy ridge That tempts ambition. On the summit, see, The seals of ottice glitter in his eyes ; sm all ; free, rs 'ast, tid, y urn ps ±, face ezed >tb his sides, throb, breath aids le fair, l)reak ; ridge see, THE WINTER EVENING. 60 He climbs, he pants, he grasps them. At his heels, Close at his heels, a demagogue ascends. And with a dexterous jerk soon twists him down. And wins them, but to lose them in bis turn. Here rills of oily eloquence in soft Meanders lubricate the course they take • The modest speaker is ashamed and grieved To engross a moment's notice, and yet begs. Begs a propitious ear for his poor thoughts,' However trivial all that he conceives. 70 Sweet bashfulness ! it claims, at least," this praise- The dearth of information an ' good sense That it foretells us, ah ,, omes to pass. Cataracts of declama^.- . himderhere There forests of no meaning spread the page In which all comprehension wanders lost ; While fields of pleasantry amuse us there' With merry descants on a nation's woes. Th'> rest appears a wilderness of strange But gay confusion ; roses for the cheeks 1 80 And lilies for the brows of faded age, Teeth for the toothless, ringlets for the bald. Heaven, earth, and ocean plundered of their'sweets, Nectareous essences, Olympian dews, Sermons and city feasts, and favourite airs, iEthereal journeys, submarine exploits, • And Katerfelto, with his hair on end At his own wonders, wondering for his bread. 'Tis pleasant through the loopholes of retreat To peep at such a worid ; to see the stir 90 Of the great Babel, and not feel the ornwd • To hear the roar she sends through all her gates At a safe distance, where the dying sound 3 51 ^^-?7 52 THE TASK. It>'f-.lt(l \ X<- lu-Y- Falls a soft murmur on the uninjured ear. Thus sitting, and surveying thus at ease The globe and its concerns, I seem advanced To some secure and more than mortal height. That liberates and exempts me from them all. It turns submitted to my view, turns round With al' its generations ; I behold 100 The tumult, and am still. The sound of var Has lost its terrors ere it reaches me ; Grieves, but alarms me not. I mourn the pride And avarice that make man a wolf to man, Hear the faint echo of those brazen throats. By which he speaks the language of his heart, And sigh, but never tremble at the sound. He travels and expatiates, as the bee From flower to flower, so he from land to land ; The manners, customs, policy of all LIO Pay contribution to the store he gleans ; He sucks intelligence in every clime, And spreads the honey of his deep research At his return, a rich repast for me. He travels, and I too. I tread his deck, Ascend his topmast, through his peering eyes Discover countries, with a kindred heart Suffer his woes, and share in his escapes ; While fancy, like the finger of a clock. Runs the great circuit, and is still at home. 120 Winter ! ruler of the inverted year. Thy scattered hair with sleet like ashes filled, ^ Thy breath congealed upon thy lips, thy cheeks Fringed with a beard made white with other snows Than those of age, thy forehead wrapt in clouds, A leafless brt^nch thy sceptre, and thy throne THE WINTER EVENING. A sliding car, indebted to no wheels, But urged by storms along its slippery way,— I love thee, all unlovely as thou seeni'st, And dreaded as thou art. Thou hold'st the sun 130 A prisoner in the yet undawning east, Shortening his journey between morn Lnd noon, And hurrying him, impatient of his stay, Down to the rosy west ; but kindly still Compensating his loss with added hours Of social converse and instructive ease, And gathering, at short notice, in one group The family dispersed, and fixing thought, Not less dispersed by daylight and its cares. I crown thee King of intimate delights, 1140 Fireside enjoyments, homeborn happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturbed retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening know. No rattling wheels stop short before these gates ; No powdered pert, proficient in the art Of sounding an alarm, assaults these doors Till the street rings ; no stationary steads Cough their own knell, while, heedless of the sound, The silent circle fan themselves, and quake : I no But here the needle plies its busy task, The pattern grows, the well-depicted flower. Wrought patiently into the snowy lawn. Unfolds its bosom ; buds, and leaves, and sprigs, And curling tendrils, g/acefully disposed, Follow the nimble fingers of the fair ; A wreath that cannot fade, of flowers that blow With most success when all besides decay. The poet's or historian's page, by one aiade vocal for the amusement of the rest ; 53 54 THE TASK. i IfiO The sprightly lyre, whose treasure of sweet sounds . ''' The tol fro Jmany a tren^bling chord shakes out ; And the clear voice symphonious, yet distmct, And in the charming strife triumpHant stUl, Beguile the night, and set a keener edge On female industry : the threaded steel Flies swiftly, and unfelt th. task proceeds. The volume closed, the customary rites Of the last meal commence. A Roman meal, Such as the mistress of the world o.ce found 170 Delicious, when her patriots of high note, PerhP°8 by moonUght, at their humble doors, And under an old oak's domestic shade, Enjoyed, spare feast 1 a radish and an egg. Discourse ensues, not trivial, yet not dull, Nor such as with a frown forbids the play Of fancy, or proscribes the sound of mirth , Nor do we madly, like an impious world. Who deem religion frenzy, and the God That made them an intruder on their joys, 180 Start at His awful name, or deem His praise A jarring note : themea of a graver tone. Exciting oft our gratitude and love, Whie we retrace with memory's pointing wand, That calls the past to our exact review. The dangers we have 'scaped, the broken snare. The disappointed foe, deliverance found Unlooked for, life preserved and peace restored. 1 ruits of omnipotent eternal love. ' Oh evenings worthy of the gods ' exclaimed 190 The Sabine bard. Oh evenings, I reply, ^'" More to be prized and coveted than yours. As more illumined, and with nobler truths. That I Jind mine, and those we love, enjoy. THE WINTER EVENING, Is Winter hideous in a garb like this? Needs he the tragic fur. the smoke of lamps. The pent-up breath of an unsavoury throng, To thaw him into feeling, or the smart And snappish dialogue that flippant wits -00 The self-complacent actor, when he views (Stea ing a sidelong glance at a full house) The slope of faces from the floor to the roof (As If one master spring controlled them all) Kelaxed into an universal grin, Sees not a countenance there that speaks of joy Half so refined or so sincere as oure Cards were superfluous here, with all the tricks mat Idleness has ever yet contrived To fill the void of an unfurnished brain, 1 To palliate dulness, and give time a shove, lime as he passes us, has a dove'« wing Unsoiled and swift, and of a silken sound : But the world's Time is Time in masquerade. Theirs, should I paint him. has his pinions fledged W^h motley plumes ; and where the peacock shows His a,ure eyes, is tinctured black and red With spots quadrangular of diamond form Ensanguined hearts, clubs typical of strife,' -20 What should be, and what was an hour-glass once I Becomes a dice-box, and a billiard mace ' Well does the work of his destructive scythe Thus decked, he charms a world whom frhion blinds To h. true worth, most pleaded when idirm:; Whose only happy are their wasted ho„r«. ' ThTJlT' '' ""^''^ "^^ '^'^ mothers wore The backstring and the bib, assume the dress 55 21( 56 THE TASK. Of womanhood, sit pupils m the f od Of card-devoted Time, and mght by mght 9.0 P aced at some vacant corner of the board. ''' Learn every trick, and soon play a^^ the^g-. But truce with censure. Roving as I rove Where shall I find an end. or how proceed 1 As he that travels far, oft turns aside To view some rugged rock or mouldenng tower Which seen, delights him not ; then coming home, Describes aid prLts it. that the world may know How far he went for what was nothing worth , So r with brush in hand and pallet spread. 240 Wi^ colours mixed for a far different- ''' Paint cards and dolls, and every icUethuig That fancy finds in her excursive flights. JVJ -l.ii 8 Come, Evening, once .g.m, »«>»on otj^ . Ketum sweet Evening, and con .nue long I Ml-nk. I see thee in the streaky we« • -r:i;X;;:r,^:tnrpi.- r«^!rirr:2irhr^j»-»«> or,o With sweet oblivion of the cares of day , Not sumptuously adorned, nor needing aid, Sr homVeaLed Night, of clustenng gems . A star or two just twinkling on thy brow t^ces thee; save that the moon IB thi^^^^ No less than hers, not worn indeed on high 260 Or make me so. Composure is thy gift . THE WINTER EVENING, And whether I devote thy gentler hours To books, to muaic, or the poet's toil ; To weaving nets for bird-alluring fruit ; Or twining silken threads round ivory reels When they command whom man was bom L please ; I slight thee not. but make thee welcome still Just when our drawing-rooms begin to blaze With lights, by clear reflexion multiplied From many a mirror, in which he of Gath -70 Goliath, might have seen his giant bulk ' Whole without stooping, towering crest and all My pleasures too begin. But me perhaps The glowing hearth may satisfy awhile With faint illumination, that uplifts The shadow to the ceiling, there by fits Dancing uncouthly to the quivering flame Not undelightful is an hour to me So spent in pariour twilight ; such a gloom 0X0 T^*' ""'i* ^^" thoughtful or unthinking mind, -80 The mmd contemplative, with some new theme i'regnant. or indisposed alike to all Laugh ye, who boast your more mercurial powers. That never feel a stupor, know no pause. Nor need one ; I am conscious, and confess. Feariess, a soul that does not always think Me oft has fancy, ludicrous and wild Soothed with a waking dream of houses, towers, Trees, churches, and strange visages expressed In the red cinders, while with poring eye -JU 1 gazed, myself creating what I saw Nor less amused have I quiescent watched Tiie sooty films that play upon the bars i'endulous, and foreboding, in the view 57 58 THE TASK. Of B«per.tHion, P"P'^«'J''"» '""'., „„„ approach. Though still deooived, some stranger n ^rF ?;:°ts the «nderstandir.g takes repose Oot:S^the mood lethargic with a mask TVius oft, reclined at ease, i io» Thus 01^, freezing blast, rXst^::ra:a--^^^^^ ''»f::r;o::stdTdfar:Co,d., I saw tn xneadows green, ^h^X'* ali the lands, where lately waved Thougn la , ^jj^^ ^y^j^n, ttf^^so'li;:: 'by the forceful share: y^: far off the weedy fal|^s,m^ And Blowly, and by most unfelt, the face rtf nniversftl nature undergoes. ?Lual a fleecy shower : the downy .lakes I;l:fdLg, and! with never-ceasing lapse, oach. appr • he face and lost. t, home rt weaves b, lar din ! 7 iely waved j: ich BS groves le, 3ve. ,nge ! )rmed ace r iiakos apse, THE WINTER EVENIXO. 60 Softly alighting upon all below, Assimilate all olyects. Earth receivj-s .•J30 Gladly the thickening mantle, and the green And tender blade that feared the chilling blast Escapes unhurt beneath so warm a veil. In such a world, so thorny, and where none ^ ^ 5 -3 <«^ Finds happiness unblighted, or, if found. Without some thistly sorrow at its side, ' It seems the part of wisdom, and no sin ■ Against the law of love, to measure lots With less distinguished thau ourselves, that thus We may with patience bear our moderate ills 340 And sympathise with others, suffering more. Ill fares the traveller now, and he that stalks In ponderous boots beside his reeking team. The wain goes heavily, impeded sore By congregated loads adhering close To the clogged wheels ; and in its sluggish pace Noiseless appears a moving hill of snow. The toUing steeds expand the nostril wide, While every breath, by respiration strong ' Forced downward, is consolidated soon 350 Upon their jutting chests. He, formed to bear The pelting brunt of the tempestuous night, With half-shut eyes and puckered cheeks, and teeth I'resented bare against the storm, plods on. One hand secures his hat, save when with both He brandishes his pliant length of whip, Kesounding oft, and never heard in vain. Oh happy I and in my account, denied That sensibility of pain with which ^flA rpu T '•■ • -"i^". <^hriuu nappy thou. dbO Thy frame, robust and hardy, feels indeed THE TASK. The piercing cold, but feels it unimpaired ; The learnfed linger never uoed explore Thv vigorous pulse ; and the unhealthful east Keathes'the spleen, and searches every bon. Of the infirm, is wholesome air to thee. Thy days roll on exempt from household care , The waggon is thy wife ; and the poor bnvsts That drag the dull companion to and tro. Thine helpless charge, dependent on thy care. .370 Ah, treat them kindly ! rude as t^ou appearest Yel show that thou hast mercy, which the gt.at. With needless hurry whirled from place to place, Humane as they would seem, not always show. Poor, yet industrious, modest, quiet, neat, 3 7V -^P Such claim compassion in a night like this. And have a friend in every feeling heart. Warmed, while it lasts, by labour, all day long They brave the season, and yet fand at eve, 111 clad and fed but sparely, time to «o<>l- 380 The frugal housewife trembles when she 1 ghts Her scaSy stock of brushwood, blazing clear, But dying soon, like all terrestrial joys, i The few small embers left she nurses well. And whUe her infant race, with outspr^d h^^^^^^^ [. And crowded knees, sit cowering o'er the sparks. Retires, content to quake, -they be v^-^- The man feels least, as more inured than she To winter, and the current in his veins More briskly moved by his severer toil ; 390 Yet he too finds his own distress in theirs. The *aper soon extinguished, which I saw Daneled along at the cold finger's ena JuTt when the day declined, and the brown loaf THE WINTER EVENING. Lodged on the shelf, half eaten without sauce Of savoury cheese, or butter costlier still, Sleep seems their only refuge : for, alas ! Where penury is felt the thought is chained, And sweet colloquial pleasures are but few. With all this thrift they thrive not. All t1,« -^re 400 Ingenious parsimony takes, but just Saves the small inventory, bed and stoo. Skillet and old carved chest, from public ai<% They live, and live without extorted alms From grudging hands, but other boast have none To soothe their honest pride, that scorns to beg ; Nor comfort else, but in their mutual love. I praise you much, ye meek and patient pair. For ye are worthy ; choosing rather far A dry but independent crust, hard earned, 410 And eaten with a sigh, than to endure The rugged frowns and insolent rebuffs Of knaves in office, partial in the work Of distribution ; liberal of their aid To clamorous importunity in rags. But ofttimes deaf to suppliants who would blush To wear a tattered garb however coarse. Whom famine cannot reconcile to filth ; These ask with painful shyness, and refused Because deserving, silently retire. 420 But be ye of good courage. Time itself Shall much befriend you. Time shall ^ive increase. And all your numerous progeny, well trained But helpless, in few years shall find their hands. And labour too. Meanwhile ye shall not want What, conscious of your virtues, we can spare, Nor what a wealthier than ourselves may send. 1 mean the man who, when the distant poor Need help, denies them nothing but his name. Gl 62 THE TASK. But poverty, with most who whimper forth 430 Their long complaints, is self-inflicted woe , The effect of laziness or sottish ->^^\ Now goes the nightly thief prowling abroad For plunder; much solicitous how best He may compensate for a day of sloth, Sv works of darkness and nocturnal wrong, w'olt^^le gardener's pale, the farmer's hedge vZZ neatly, and secured with driven stakes D^pintheloLmybank. Uptorn by strength. Resistless in ao bad a cause, but lame 440 To better deeds, he bundles up the spoil. An ass's burden, and when laden most Ind heaviest, light of foot steals fast away. Nor does the boarded hovel better guard ?he well-stacked pile of -en ^ogs a^nd -^^^ From his pernicious force. Nor w 1 he leave UnTr nched the door, however well secured, Where chanticleer amidst his harem sleeps Where c*^»^^ Tvi^itched from the vcrch, In unsuspecting pomp. ^ He gives the princely bird, with all his wiv.s, i^n To his voracious bag, >itruggling in vain. Ind loldly wondering at the sudden change^ Nor this t- feed his own. 'Twere some excuse Did pity of their «-ff«"-g^^".\^';f; His principle, and tempt him -^ - For their support, so d. titute. ^^'^^ Neglected pine at home, themselves, as mor. Expose^^ than others, with less scruple made ffis vlti s, robbed of their defenceless all oil is all he does. 'Tis quenchless thirst 460 Of rvinon. ebriety that prompts His eveiy action, and imbrutes the man. Oh for a law to noose the villain's neck THE WINTER EVENING. 63 Who starves his own : who persecutes the blood c.'^ He gave them in his children's veins, and hates And wrongs the woman he has sworn to love! Pass where we may, through city or through town, Village or hamlet, of this merry land, Though lean and beggared, every twentieth pace Conducts the unguarded nose to such a whiff 470 Of stale debauch, forth issuing from the styes That law has licensed, as makes temperance reel. There sit, involved and lost in curling clouds Of Indian fume, and guzzling deep, the boor, The lackey, and the groom ; the craftsman there Takes a Lethean leave of all his toil ; Smith, cobbler, joiner, he that plies the shears, And he that kneads the dough ; all loud alike, AH learnM and all drunk. The fiddle screams Plaintive and piteous, as it wept and wailed 480 Its wasted tones and harmony unheard ; Fierce the dispute, whate'er the theme; while she, Fell Discord, arbitress of such debate. Perched on the sign-post, holds with even hand Her undecisive scales. In this she lays A weight of ignorance ; in that, of pride ; And smiles delighted with the eternal poise. Dire is the frequent curse, and its twin sound The cheek-distending oath, not to be praised As ornamental, musical, polite, 490 Like those which modern senators employ. Whose oath is rhetoric, and who swear for fame. Behold the schools in which plebeian minds, Once simple, are initiated in arts Which some may practise witli politer grace, But none with readier skill ! 'Tis here they learn 64) THE TASK. The road that leads from competence and peace To indigence and rapine ; till at last ^ocietv. grown weary of the load, Shak Iher encumbered lap. and ca«t8 them out. bhaKes ner attempt 500 But censure profits little .yam To advertise in verse a public pest, Th^t Hke the filth with which the peasant feeds His hungry acres, stinks, and is of use. ?he Excise is fattened with the ru^h result Of all this riot ; and ten thousand casks. For ever dribbling out their ^-^^^^^^^^ Touched by the Midas finger of the State, Bleed gold for ministers to sport away. Brinklnd be mad then : 'tis your country bids , 510 Gloriously drunk, obey the important call Her cause demands the assistance of your throats , Ye all can swallow, and she asks no more. Would I had fallen upon those happier days That poets celebrate ; those golden times Ind those Arcadian scenes that Maro sings, * A a;,4n«v warbler of poetic prose. ZX^rlm^..^ thin, and swains had hearts nr?Mt their virtues : Innocence, it seems, ll't:T^^r^^^e^, foundshelter inthe groves, 520 The footsteps of simplicity, impressed TTnon the vie. ing herbage (so they sing). Then were not alf effaced : then speech profane, And manners profligate, were rarely found. Observed aB prodigies, and soon reclaimed vlwish 1 those days were never : airy dreams Sat for the picture; and the poet's hand, Imparting substance to an empty .h.de. Imposed a gay delirium for a truth. THE WINTEll EVENING. 65 Grant it : I still must envy them an age 530 That favoured such a dream, in days like these Impossible, when Virtue is so scarce, That to suppose a scene where she presides Is tramontane, and stumbles all belief. No : we are polished now. The rural lass, « '^^ * Whom once her virgin modesty and grace, Her artless manner, and her neat attire. So dignified, that she was hardly less Than the fair shepherdess of old romance. Is seen no more. The character is lost. •540 Her head, adorned with lappets pinned aloft, And ribands streaming gay, superbly raised. And magnified beyond all human size. Indebted to some smart wig-weaver's hand For more than half the tresses it sustains ; Her elbows ruffled, and her tottering form III propped upon French heels ; she might be deemed (But that the basket dangling on her arm Interprets her more truly) of a rank Too proud for dairy work or sale of eggs. 550 Expect her soon with footboy at her heels. No longer blushing for her awkward load, Her train and her umbrella all her care. The towji has tinged the country ; and the stain Appears a spot upon a vestal's robe. The worse for what it soils. The fashion runs Down into scenes still rural ; but, alas ! Scenes rarely graced with rural manners now. Time was when in the pastoral retreat The unguarded door was safe ; men did not watch 560 To invar)a onrithpf'o Mrakf -in ■« -l. • -a Jtner o rignc, or guuru cheir own. Then sleep was undisturbed by fear, unscared i-^<,t-~J-S- 60 THE TASK. ^JUj^ By drunken howlings ; and the chilling tale Of midnight murder -as a wonder heard With doubtful credit, told to frighten babes. But farewell n-w to unsuspicious nights, And slumbers unalarmed. Now, ere you sleep. See that your polished arms be primed with care. And drop the nightbolt ; ruffians are abroad ; And >he first 'larum of the cock's shrill throat '',70 May prove a trumpet, summoning your ear To horrid sounds of hostile feet witbm. Even daylight has its dangers ; and t. .'. ..-ilk Through pathless waste, and woods, unconscious once Of ethtjr tenants than melodious birds Or harmless flocks, is hazardous and bold. Lamented change ! to which full many a cause Inveterate, hopeless oi a cure, conspires. The course of human things from good to HI, From ill to worse, is fatal, never fails. 580 Increase of power begets incre-se of wealth ; Wealth luxury, and luxury exwss • Excess, the scrofulous and itchy plague That seizes first the opulent, descends To the next rank contagious, and in time Taints downward all the graduated scale Of order, from the chariot to the plough. The rich, and they that have an arm to check The license of the lowest in Jegree, Desert their office ; and themselves mtent 590 On pleasure, haunt the capital, and thus To all the violence of lawless hands Resign the scenes their presence might protect. Authority herself not seldom sleeps, ^i^-ygh resident, and witness of the wrong. The plump convivial parson often bears THE WINTER EVENING, The magisterial sword in vain, and lays His reverence and his worship both to rest On the same cushion of habitual sloth. cm wu T ^'"^'^'^"^ '^«*''*^« his arm : GOO When he should strike, he trembled, and sets free amsetf enslaved by terror of the bind "' The audacious convict, whom he dares not bind. Perhaps, though by profession ghostly pure. He too may have his vice, and sometimes p ove in lucrative concerns. Examine well Propitious, pays his tribute, game or fish. Wildfowl or venison, and his errand speeds. A nl/^"'"' ^'V"'^ ""'"' '^^^ -» *he rest, Of public virtue ever wished removed. Works the deplored and mischievous effect, lis universal soldiership has stabbed The heart of merit in the meaner class |620 OfTllt r?V''' ^*"'*^ ""^ ^'•^^"^-^^ rage Of those that bear them, in whatever cause I Seem mo3t at variance with all moral good. And incompatible with serious thought mL .^' *^' '^^^ '' ""*"^«' -^*htut guile. Blest with an infant's ignorance of all aIIP ''""P^' P'^*^"^^«' «°- -"d then A wrestling-match, a foot-race, or a fair I« balloted, and trembles at thL news ' Sheepish he doffs his hat. and mumbling swears 67 6z-^-fe 4'% ; 1 1 i i I 68 THE TASK. A Bible-oath to be whate'er they pleasu, C30 To do he knows not what. The task pertomed, That instant he becomes the s-ngeants ..-> , His pupil, and his torment, and his jest. His awkward gait, his introverted toes Bent knee«, round suoulders, and dejected looks. Procure hh. many a curse. By slow degrees, ^ptto:..rn,.ndl>.rmedofst^Wstuff; He vet bv slow d-c^ree., put. off himself, ^^.ouBoiov. of.. hunge. and likes It well, Sj'aulsereco, his .louch becomes^ G40 He steps nght onward, martial m his a.r His form and movement ; is as smart above A le'and larded locks can make him ; wears Hlshat, or his plumed helmet, with a grace; And. his three years of heroship expired Returns indignant to the B^ig^^f P^^f^^^^ He hates the field, in wh. no fife or drum Attends him. drives his cattle to a march And sighs for the smart comrades he has eft. . ^„11 if his exterior change were al 1- 650 But with his clumsy port the wretch has lost His ignorance and harmless manners too. ?o sw'ear, to game, to ^""^Vltrbreach By lewdness, idleness, and Sabbath breach. The great proficiency he made abroad To astonish and to grieve ^^ g--^ J^fhlrt To break some maiden's and his mother s heart. To be a pest where he was useful once. Are his sole aim, and all his glory now. Man in society is like a flower 660 Blowninits.-ve bed: 'tis there alone His faculties. .,anded in full bloom, THE WINTER EVENING. ^ me out ; there only reach their proper use. But man associated and leagued with man By regal warrant, or self-joined by bond For interest sake, or swarming into clans .leneath one head for purposes of war L,,ke flowers selected from the rest, and bound AnJ bundled close to fill some crowded vase Fades rapidly, and by compression marred, ' "' 6 i Contracts defilement not to be endured Hence chartered boroughs are such public plagues ; And burghers, men immaculate perhaps In all their private functions, once combined, JJecome a loathsome body, only fit For dissolution, hurtful to the main. Hence merchants, unimpeachable of sin Against the charities of domestic life, Incorporated, seem at once to lose r«n ?^''" "'**"'"^' *°^ disclaiming all regard ^or "lercy and the common rights of man, Build factories with blood, conducting trade At the sword's point, and dyeing the white robe ut innocent commercial justice red Hence too the field of glory, as the' world Misdeems it, dazzled by its bright array With all its majesty of thundering pomp Enchanting music, and immortal wreaths Is but a school where thoughtlessness is taught |690 For folly, gallantry for every vice. But slighted as it is, and by the great Abandoned, and, which still I more regret In ect^ ^;th the manners and the modes ' - It knew not once, the country wins me still 69 THE TASK. I never framed a wish, or formed a plan That flattered me with ^OP- o e-^^^^^^^^^ But there I laid the scene. There eariy My fancy, ere yet liberty of choice Hldfounkme.orthehopeofbemgfree. 700 Mv very dreams were rural, rural too ' The fir Jtbom efforts of my youthful muse. Sportive, and jingling her ^o^)'^' Ere yet her ear was ™-*-«« /*,*^;" ^^^^^^^^^ tuned No bard could please me but whose lyre was l^NaWsprTises. Heroes and the. feats Fatigued me, never weary of the pipe Of Titvrus, assembling, as he sang, ?L -tic throng beneath his ^-u"^ ^-^. Then Milton had indeed a poets charms . 710 New to my taste, his Paradise surpassed '^'^^IsTrug ling efforts of my boyish^^^^^^^^ To speak its excellence ; I danced for joy. I marvelled much that, at so npe an age As twice seven years, his b^uties had hen hrst Engaged my wonder, and adminng sti 1. Ind still admiring, with regret supposed . The ioy half lost because not sooner found. tLToo. enamoured of the life I loved, Pathetic in its praise, in its pursuit 720 Determined, and possessing it ** 1»«* in :iu; Cowley 1 and though now reclaimed By modern lights from an erroneous taste, I cannot but lament thy splendid wit Entangled in the cobwebs o^^he schools THE WINTEU EVENINa. >30 For a lost world in solitude and verse Tis bom with all : the love of Nature's works Is an mgred^ent in the compound, man, Infused at the creation of the kind And though the Almighty Maker has throughout Discriminated each from each, by strokes And touches of His hand, witk so much art Diversified, that two were never found ThTIn */" P°'nts--yet this obtains in all. ' 40 And all can taste them : minds thaf uJ u . I And tutored with a relish l': etl ^^^ '^^" '-"^^^ But none without some relish, none u'nmoved. It .8 a flame that dies not even there Whatever else they smother of true worth In human bosoms, quench it or abate. The villas with which London stands begirt Like a swarth Indian with his belt of beads' [50 Prove it. A breath of unadulterate air ' The ghmpse of a green pasture, how they cheer The citizen, and brace his languid frame ! Even m the stifling bosom of the town A garden in which nothing thrives has'charms That soothe the rich possessor ; much consoled Of nightshade, or valerian, grace the well He cultivates. These serve him with a hint That Nature lives ; that sight-refreshing green Is still the livery she delights to v , ar Though sickly samples of the r>: ...rait whole. What are the casements lined with creeping herbs 71 7^/-7^; 72 •jHB TASK. O. oLsa, myrtle o. the ragr- ^ ^ ^^^ ^^ ^„„,, That man, immoied '" J'*^^^'' ' Hi« inborn inexting».rf.abe th t On.uraUoene.cojnp™^«>^'^ By supplemental "Wt", the |.,^_ „0 Th. most »f"™»'';* "* * brick-wall bounds A„d *=y *;' -;Xea^ theU. lung, with ai,-, To range the ields ana vr ,^j^ vet feel *e burning .n^^JJ^^.^,, S„.pend the,r crazy boxe^^P ^^^^ And watered duly. lh«e no »■ l\.gmen. and *» 'P-^-'^^^'X ' (If multituder; anknown ! haii, .ui AdreBshimBelfwhowiUtothepursuxt Of honour, or. a.. ^^^^^^^^^^ Thwart his attemp «, or n^y h^ ^^.^^ ^^^^ Soxne must be ^^^f fZ^,, ,very man Great talents: and God «« .^ ^^^e, ,.0 The virtue temper un^ a g;^ ^^^^ That lifts him into hfe, cli Just in the niche he waB ordained to hU. To the deliverer of an injured land Hejives^atonguetojnla^^ •Mignonette soo TfrE WfNTEU EVENfKO. To feel, and courage to redress her wrongs • To mouarchs dignity ; to judges sense ; ' To artists ingenuity and skill ; To me an unambitious mind, content In the low vale of life, that early felt A wish for ease and leisure, and ere long tound here that leisure and that ease I wishe.1 73 I1(I NOTES. • ^^'>^K Ili.-THE (iAHDEN aiid proso are tliffbrejit,. *® "■^" '» P"otry the -ef of p.,A.^ , ''"^'''' '' ''""""'t'^" «"'«x ; for exa.nple, like HK«.T.-show 1 force ,r-\:;*:7 ;r''" "'^ "^'^"*^^''' ^-'Piy represent the English .,, «; r'^r^^?":;" ^ '""^ .epreHent the Greek en (the name ,« our . wT.' A ^ ^* "'^^ " lo'it.hc or technical tonus (mostlv ..f . 7 r^' ^ '" '"^''^ «a.uplein"e,icycIona,dia' Or , ""^''''" formation); for -Is that have Ll ^2 th^ rFretr^ ''''.^"" '"'' "' 1» '"Huy words en-, though representing thlEtr t •" "''^""^- " ;on of this French en, as in '• omra "Ch ^\ '"' '' "" ^""^'^- ke. Compare ff. ^1 r^., IV T 'th' 7','^ '" "-^'^ngl-l, " tI.atendency.howevc,rJorone;roth r^li "" ''"'^'^ ''^^^^ h' "-luire," or for the two to d^Te^ i^;'^'""^^ hsure." Compares. S. G IV 40 I' '^"«"'-« " ^"d ^Xse'^r- ''^'^^- «"'— -■'iverbmodifyanounora I ^iTl"^^- '^''" ''^^^^'"^ »--^'- ^^^ectire [see ^ . . AUi. 68.] or a misplaced atinbuHve ? «« n • . ^ ^- ^• • epithet, ..^certain is a subjective Ih^; " 0"^-'' T "'^■^''• »t-What are the sources of „n. H'alL o^n T ''f ^*^*" ,»- replaced by in- in this use ^ L uZt ' T^'"'' ^^^^ b- ^^., IV. 34.] What is the diflJr^t^ b :r"'" ' ^''^"^^^"« l-Hs a prefix of negation ? What oZ , """ "'' ""- *»d ■l of negation ? "*'''' ^""^^^1 "«« 1^'^« «h- besides I -Miry, .ilCiir,36,.„,..j^4j^., ^,,^1 f 's the co.niiJ7,n notion ^ iVf,,.. • ^^"^ ^'^'^^^ ! led word. '^'"••^' "•'' '" ^^-''^-trooper, is also a [75] if: THE TASK. same root as /iHM» m 5. Biseemfited. Analyze. _^I5^h. ^^^^'^''''rZtZ^on 'falling l«™o„». ,net.pl«, though »o,„o. Bar-erecting. See If. S. (.., iv. ^i- ._Stokiu VVliy? ^ rpoetic diction is c^'duii.. and ofte. gHj««d. Why not /.o).'-*' . 1^ ^ ^^ 41 3 .verse to the use of collo,uia -^ J^^ " See if. ^. 0., X.il 10. Way. What part of the sentence . L^ ^•^•^ • ^ M,. SToKR thinks this line faulty in styld NOTES. BOOK III. —Foiled is from E., App. 0. filling like lead: (Tord has come to ut_uf_iilijals cape.' mhleU; i.e., words logically the samt; falling,' and each ;e is from a word Latin form whilst ". S. G., I. 36, and [)t this verb should ;9). [SeeH.S.O., •rind,' 'skin,' ^r ■r.' Skeat. Hence] attribMtive, pmlio'- iphor, though aomo- ,11 onomatopoetic oti 3ed. A proleptic epithet."! is (WeW'-, and oftei| d'S., 40 and 41.] [See H. -S. «.,XlIlj [inc faulty in styl^^ f Imitative Harmonjj 77 suggesting ease of niovempnf A,.^ u ^u • , „ XVIII 7 1 TJ,„ , " '''^^'"^".*- Are both right? See H. S. G «"^ by way „f co^sth L?z;::r«*rf°%"' '■""'"'»• cities; luthi, moralizing haltif '° °' '"»■»» ""'1 limsoif, into :;if,;t£;T'' '""''■ "■™''"' ■'■ 'i''^ ll.e preriou, book tl e i, ', J" "."'""" ' '"'"'»' '"• ">» «■'<• "' tl.e main purM» „( ti I 5 '^r"'°" (i»'"««'«•' = lines lee^i^rr^-ioiiowiig, of b ' Ttu^f' T"' ^^' f^^^« the train of thoi irbtto whi,.J i • . ' '^^•^"j ' ''"''' Pursuing lOrought forth tlthts " "f ''"^"'l *»-' of mi'ui led Inn.: « i«z'a^:e:i;tr''' -^ "■ "-"■^ -' «■« -«»«- 14-15. Seat of academip fa ma t> <■ Pa.abridge (his brothpr T,T , R'^'^rring to th„ allusion to -mng in ge„e,^, ,,o .nbjei J^^^CZTl """ |l5^Aoadem.o. Derive. [See ,•£.£.. An,, T," "■ i.wrpo:!r;r.t jsr '- ■-''-- "-»« 78 THE TASK. ing complexity of our language. f^'^Z xvord. An excerpt in words, is a d.,ublet of .xc.ri,^ a vexy uncommon ^v ^^^^^^ .something that is -'^^^^ '^ '""'f'' ' ^^IJL to us from the the Latin e.^rytu. or e^a,p^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ . ^,^,^, ,,,; aame word, but through he f^''^'^"^ ^ jj, g. (?., 1. .culled,' 'select,' and therefore ra^e Con P ^^ ^^^^^ 45. And .carcel.,, winch first "^^^^ JJ/'i,, ^^.^ frequent 'scantily,' then 'barely,' and, finally, hardly, „.eaning at P--^ ^^ .^ ,,,,,„ee is an example 1-16. A-s-T^ie^-a* last. ^ ^^^„,tion." It is beyond of what is sometimes called \.^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ strict analysis. The ddhcul y. ^«^ 7' J^^,, ,^0 subject of "who"beinsertedafter;;or .n ^^^"^^^ ,„,,,,, ,„a H ^.cherups' --\ 7^^^ , i„tothe absolute phrase " his spxr^« "his spirits rise be cfiangeu u meaning remaining the rising," the analysis can be '^f'^^'J^^ev^ or" in line 4, «am:.as it is. It is a '^^-:^;;r^{:^ of beginning a Bhould not be changed tu and^ /clause having a relative comparison, or an '^^'ended sin i c wm i,,troduced by clause subordinate to it, and -"^^J^^^^^^^^^^ without con- co-ordinating conjunctions, or by ^^^^pen^^^ downwardn. Junctions, obtains in all gnrndiose P J^'ofTxegular construction. L, indeed, in ^^^X^^ ^^^^^^ ^^'^^''^ ^;:;:K;:t^:iv's translation of the O....:- Kweet as to swimmer,, the dry land appears, Whose bark Poseidon in the angry sea Strikes with a tempeHt, and m pieces tears, A dTJw swimmers from the white epfiee, ^;itJ lithTlt foam, and with tremulous knee Spring to the shore exulting; even 80 Sweet was her husband to Penelope, , .-^vnctinr ap'wars in the foUowin. NOTES. BOOK III. of the exceed- aur commonest An excerpt is a directly from to us from the na ' picked out, e H. 8. O., I. came to mean ,s most frequent ice is an example ^." It is beyond I lines 4-10. H ,de the subject of 5 omitted, and if hrase "his spiritu ug remainiivg thf . "or" in line 4, ce of beginning a e having a relativo uses introduced by auses without con- lomer downwards, igular construction, ines of the following I )t/ t/,ssci/ :— flee, 119 knee g tears to flow. ivrs ill the followin. >-4r)7), where (at* th. 79 editor of the Clarendon Press edition of T}.. T i • simile is very much like the oneTn the tit -- ^''"*' °"*^ '''' As one who, long in populous city pent. Where houses thick and sewers aLoy the air forth issuing on a summer's morn, to breathe A^ong the pleasant vUlages and farms Adjoined from each thing met conceives delight - The smell of grain, or tedded grass, or kine ' Or da.ry, each rural sight, each rural sou'd • n chance with nymph-like step fair virgin piss What pleasing seemed, for her now pleases morl She m t, and in her look sums all dellgT: "' Juch pleasure took the serpent to behold This flowery plat, the sweet recess of Eve Thus early, thus alone. Apposite illustrations of this loose cmaf,.., *• • may also be found in Orrr:rmmJ^2^, T"'T ^'^'"P^"««n«. ne^rtoH^Mlage, Une.^^^T^C^"::^ ^^^ '^'^^^ and in the in the use of it. But see /r J p '^-'^S^*'^ P°et« are chary Matthkw Arnou. r Homer 7' ^^^' ^^*' ^^"^« 14-17 usetheconstnict n^^^h^oTf:f "t'^' '''^^ '"^-'^ "^^-^ tion, or by a recapitulliyt "d r ^ir""^', '^ ' ^'"^^^^^ P»"^tua. '.eautifu, passage! ^o:!Z:tZ^:;Zm:''^ '\' '^""^""^' H..no«red usage, more anac^.luthic;^ ^a^tX'' '^ '"^^■ As when some hunter in the spring hath found A breeding eagle sitting on her nest, Upon the craggy isle of a hill-lake Ind f!^rt}u '"*'' **" '"•™^ ^« ^he rose. And followed her to find her where she fell *ar off ;-anon her mate comes winging back From hunting, and a great way o/descri^T H 8 huddlmg young left sole ; at that, he checks Circles above his eyry, ,vith loud screams Chiding his mate back to her nest ; but she L'os dying, with the arrow in her side In some far stony gorge out of his ken.' Sh!lZ'?r'f"'^ feather.-„ever more •Tnall inn Inlra ™1„ k J" • — jj.,,-„ }5„^^ fayjng over it ; ^^ "ver the black and dripping precipices 1 THE TASK, Echo her stormy Bcrear. -^^^^^J^^^Jrhis Iobb. A« that poor bird A^^^'^'^^Xb b^t «tood So RuBtum knew not his own Iobb, dw Over hiB dying son, and knew him ^''j^^^^^ ^^ Rustuvi. ., his x.uage, dwells upon it ja^ -^^ ^ -,,, i„ ^iew • a.«i far more details than are ^^'^^''^'l^^^ j^, ^et out, suddenly adopts ...getting the -nBtruction w^^ J^^^^^^^^^ ^.^ ,,. There . .J at variance w^th ^i but ^l^^^^^^,,,^,, constructions of the Uttle doubt but that in tins way the an ^^..^^ poets how- ancients are to be -^'=«""*'^f . ^^.^^ion or, perhaps, of affectation, ever, it is often a matter of "^^^ ;"'_^;.^«,,,i,„,u [See H. S. 0. 17. Cleanlier. Analys^e. Is the 111., 21.] to tread. The poet seems 17-18. A cleanlier ^^^f J-^^^^^e was often employed on un- to have been conscious that his mu U. S. a., Xin. 49 and 51.] ^^^^ ^^^^„, a to u, 1«. Befresbed. i^r«.s/..« a ue J. ^« ^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ » -:rtr^cr;^----^^^"^-^^''^^^ ''•'^ . 1 new Show that this sentence appropriately 18-20. I feel • • • ^^^"^ . ., first sentence, continues the comparison begun m the h ^^ ^ ^^ ^^^ 20 Awaits. What is the force o-^^^^^^^^^^ The ^:;KthroughtheF^c^a.J.«^ .'Christmas waits a ere ^^^^.^^ , g^^ o. £. J^., •*• . the H.otc/.mg of a dead body prio ^ New. IB this ^^^^:;'''f^^ ^ the inertness of spiritual ox. Since pvdpitB fail. ^^f^^^X the eighteenth centuvy life and the prevalence .t a..H^-^. . NOTES. BOOK III. 81 Sounding-boards. Once very common, especially in large churches and cathedrals ; now, owing to the greater attention paid |to acoustics in the construction of public edifices, but little used. Pulpits. Sounding-boards. What tigures of speech I [See \W. P. E., XXXIV.] Reflect. "The figure called in Greek Coiijt^cg^i^."— Storr. [Criticise. 21-'i2. And sounding-boards . . . sound. See H. S. leader, page 409, sentences 5-8. 22. Most Part. Before a superlative, the i« generally used. 3ee H. S. G., VII. 55. a. Why is it omitted in thiii phrase ! — ?ar8e "part." 23. Chance. Parse. So. Parse. [See H. S. (.'., XVII. lit.]— Why does .sr, as an (idverb modifying an adjective, or another adverb, rec^uire a com- plement ? 24. Nor. E(iuivalent to ami not, and so to be parsed. Manners. How can Cowper be said to have been ' ' not mni- fcersant with manners"? Mmuer (from the Latin vumiis 'hand') properly means 'the method of handlimj anything.' Show how !ie meaning of the word in the text is derived from this primitive leaning. 25. To purpose. We sliould now say "to .some purpose." i^hat is the force of '' to " here ? To the purpone means ' in accord- |nce with what is purponed, proposed, or intended ' ; but the phrase Jjjere seems to be u.sed, perhaps loosely, for 'to an effect,' or ' cffec- trelf. ' Better. What is the value of the -er here ? [See H. 8. G., M. 2«.J Better hope. Justify the comparative here. 26. Crack the satiric thong. LhA, whip, scounje, have all pen used metaphorically as instruments of Batiric punishment, pie ^(w/eWwxi, Horace's ' lorrihde Ji,Mdlvm," vf\\\c\\ the piif in his cfinvass ; but the nioney by which the votes were got was retiiined in their hands, ^'' tn'qtiestered," as it was said, till the votes were cast. Hence, neiiuedeifd means literally 'put into the hands of a secret trustee'; and so has come also to mean 'set apart. 'scrpfERttod,' 'secluded,' ' n^tirfd,' 'obscure.' Scenes. Show tlie ndation to n}uuh>a\ shame, xham ; alsn toescut'lienv, estiuire. [See C E. i!,, 515.] NOTES. HOOK MI. 83 ? the supreme effort contented with the ised to be connected tt> certain mythical lek satyric drama was ;he chorus was taken ch denoted * a poem Hies,' was originally irent in subject and I full with nunierouH podge,' 'ft medley.' •ast subjunctive and lauses [see H. S. G., y) a similar equiva- ii "it "here? [Sec SeeiZ./S. (?.,XVm. i [See H. 8. G., 11. mcured of and enam- jo this word. In old irtue of the votes of kvell now-a-days) that than reason. But as ■ruptly with the dec These ■«ere calle*' 7 followed him abtttif votes were got wa.s a said, till the votes ' 'put into the hanils to mean 'set apart." .shame, Hham ; alwi Wlmt part of the sentence is this ■i '2!t. Beneath elm or vine. i^hrnse 'i ^ ;50. Languid. Give otlier wunls derived from the root lag. f Limbs. The -b is ci)ithetic; as in rnnnb, fhumh, etc Sec H. S. G., IV. 45. e. (3). t Sears. Sv«^'^tion be expanded into a SinuleV [See .1. «(• -5., 8i, 8.{, 8(. ; but see also W. l\ A'., XXXVI.] Sef yT!vX r 45 "^'"'''" '" ""'"""° '''"' ''' '^""^^'* "W''vAh./.. Ofttimes. Is *ho -« a pliual or a genitive enilini; 'if [See 11. a. a, ix.n.f.] 40. Beyond. Analyze. [See C. E. E., 5)8.] Retrohi'Kctive.— 1-40. (1) Show clearly wliat ideas are compared in the opening scmtonce. Does the second sentence form any part i if the comparison i Sliow how " slough " and "smooth greensward are appropriate elements in the comparison. (2) Why should " Sofa " be written with a capital > (3) In what consists the appn-- priateness of the words "toil" and "dangers new," in line 20 ' (1) What is meant 1)y "sound " in line 22 V (5) Is one who is " not I conversant with r t ■ i . r manners much," the worse or better fitted,] by reason of th .s ■) vperience, to fill the part of public censor ! Show how Oov.j , . V- yvjxperience affected his judgment. (0) Whiitj is the danger of "■disLarbing Folly"? (7) Does the poet keep his | own counsel and rnt.ly "muse in silence"'/ (8) Give synonyms (irj synonymous ex])ressions for : " faithful to the foot "; " eulogium "; "enamoured of seipaestered scenes"; "when summer sears tlicj plains"; "muse"; " proof of wisdom"; "obstinate"; "cure be yond our reach." (0) What words in these lines have homonyms j 41. Domestic happiness. What is Apostrophe ? Only. Analyze. [See //. S. (I, VI. 66. b., and IV. 12.] Bliss. Is this word ever used as a verb ? [See Foudh lleaiUii page 205, stanza vii.]— iJ/iJf« literally meanahlithenesn. See C. E. i'.J 177. (ii). 43. Though few. What is the principal clause to which tliej clauses introduced by these words are subordinate ? T ftff* ** To taste originally meant ' to handle ' or ' to feel. ' Slim how the meaning in the text is derived from this primitive mean iiigj Compare also with the primitive and metaphorical meanings of tadl Unimpaired. Analyze. Is the adjective oMnhntim^ appt tiw, ov predicative f NOTKS. HOOK lit. 87 ii J itinate"; "cure Iwj es have homonynis;! 44. Tasting. A Latinism , an adverbial subordinate clause henig condensed into n participle apptK'.Jtively niodif yinir the subject Soi, 7/. ^V. ^'., XV. 22and 23. " 44-4propri,iteness ? Crystal cup. Is there Metonou.y here/ If „ot, what is the function of "ci^stal"'/ 48. Thou art the nurse of Virtue. Explain. Is any parti- cular virtue meant ! Sh<.w tlie interdependence of the Uomv and Mimdlty. In thine arms. Show tlu- appropriateness of this phrase Why not some such i>hra8es ,is "beside thee,' (.r "in thy com- 49. As. Construe. [See //. S. G., Vj. 04, also XIV. 14 c ] no. Heaven-born. " Poetry assiunes a cert-vin license of in- veutmg terse and euphonious compounds not allowed in prose " A. ,1' N. Compare If. S. G., IV. 25, and VII. 10. b. Destiofid to the skies again. Compare with :— Love is indestructible : Its holy flame forever burneth ; From Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth. SouTHEV.-nt Curse of Kehama. 51. Pleasure. In common with other moralizing poets of his age. Cowpor somewhat indiscriminatingly personifies the repre- hensible gratifications under "Pleasure," a term which usually refers to innocent enjoyments, and certainly always includes them it was not merely the lack of a suitable term which led to the udoption of this misleading appellative ; to the narrowness of imnd begotten by the religious asceticism of their sects some share of the reason for this hasly generalization must be ascribed m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // h t.^/s> /. fe fA 1.0 1.1 bi|2£ |2.j ■50 ""^" HI^H ^ 1^ mil 2.0 11:25 i 1.4 Li 1.6 Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 # V iV ^N -C^ •^\ \ „,,, ^ \ ^?<\ '•i^ U.. tmrnm^nBnt ammsimimi mam 88 THE TASK. A eupliemistic opprobrious epithet implying intoxication, and hence tihamelesHiiess, Tlie nnniial festivals of Dionysus, the ancient god of " pleasure," were attended by women, his priestesses, who by drinking wine were supposed to become inspired. "Keehng," "wandering eyes" and " leaning on the arms" of attendants, were evidenci^s of inspiration whose jiotency could scarcely have been gainsaid, even if its divinity might have been (questioned. With the zoufiless wist. Another opprobrious epithet. In classical Roman times the principal outer vestment worn by men, especially by those of the upper classes, was the ttxja, a sort of semi- circular garment which was wrapped around the body, extending from the shoulders to the feet. But instead of the toga, women wore the stola, which was fastened round the body by a girdle or " zone," and had attivched to it, at the bottom, a flounce by which the feet were hidden. But women of loose character, the meretrices and those convicted of adultery, were not allowed to wear the stola, but the toga only ; and so were called toyatw, being thus dlncinctw, nnyirdled, or "zoneless." Waist. Waid etymologically is ' tlmt part of the body which most twMct.f ; that is, grows in size and strength.' 53. Wandering. Wander, tvand, wind, wend, went, are all from the same root ; what is the common notion ? 54. Novelty. In a painting depicting this scene, should " Novelty " be represented by a male or by a female figure ? Pickle. Frail. Show the api)ropriateness of those epithets. 55. Meek, constant, hating change. Show that these words really express the antithesis intended, 55-56. Hating. Finding. Do these words ^/ca^!/ introduce ideas subordinate to, or co-ordinate with, those expressed by "meek " and "constant." [Compare H. S. (l, XV. 23, and XIV. 14. c] 50. Truth-tried. What is the meaning? Refer also to // S G IV. 25 and 31. ' ' 57. SiiQrniy. Antithetic to "calm"; ments with their necessary reactions. Raptures- Vnptnri' litemlly means Develop its secondary meaning. implying great excite- ' a bcing-carried-avvri)^ ' NOTES. BOOK III. 89 58. Forsaking. Formke liturally nioan,s ' to contend against,' andhenco, ' to oppo.so,' 'to renounce,' 'to desert.' In the phrase "for his sake," mke literally means ' contention,' ' suit at law,' and hence, 'cause,' 'account.' What shipwreck have we made. What is St. Paul's jihrase ? 58-61. What shipwreck . . . streets. See H. 8. Render, page 40!), last seutonco. See also (Jkeion'.s SImrt Uidonj, page 707,' sentences G and 7 (Chapter X., near beginning).* - is "prosthetic " [see E. S. G., IV. 45. e. (1).], or " unoriginal " [Skeat]. So also IS the w- of tvhoop ' to shout.' With wholesome compare hoi,,, which simply means 'whole' or 'perfect'; and for a derived word com- pare also haklmt or holilmt, ' a fish good for eating on hob, days ' -hnt meaning ' plaice, ' a sort of fish. Our commonest words nhi!p(i(je from which the parti- cipial form eqwlpiKjeil can be derivetl, its use here should, strictly speaking, be considered a ])oeti«il license. But the old rules respecting this matter are breaking down. See nf»to under line 96, above. Is. Justify the construction. [See //. S. G., XIII. 20 (2). a. (b). (1).] Ticket. From the old French etiquct which meant ' a little note or bill ntnek uj),' the root being the same as in dick; hence ' a little note, bill, card, or label.' Good enough. Is ^' good," lieva, redrirtive or )lencriptive? [See H. S. G., VII. 3, and XIII. 58.] How does emnKjh difforfrom most other adjectives and lulverbs in respect of collocation? 100. HvpQOria y. Literally ' playing a part on a stage ' ; a de- graded word. Detest. A very strong word, from Latin di>, an intensive prefix, and test-i 'to call to witness '; in its Latin form it meant 'to invoke tlie aid of deity in cursing.' Express a similar meaning by synonyms. For construction compare with "transgress," line 97. As. Ccmstrue. [See H. S. G., XVII. 11.] 101. Her. Why not '■'him"^ 102. That. Construe. For the origin of the conjunctive func- tion of that see H. S. G., XL 7. a. 103. Mimics. Show the appropriateness of this Word. [The origin istheLatin mimus 'an actor.' See note under line 100, above.] 104. Virtue. Applause. Construe. [See H. 8. G., XIII. 38 and 39.] Indirect. Explain. Applause. Literally 'noise made by clapping the hands,' a common meaning even now-a-days. Obtain the meaning in the text. 105. Bttrfie3ll«E-niask. The allusion is to the custom of Greek and Roman actors wearing a mask (covering the whole head) in nearly all dramatic representations. Hypocrisy, in our ordinary sense of the word, is first personified ; then the Greek origin of th^ NOTEM. ROOK ITI. 07 v., XIII. 20 (2). conjunctive func- H. S. G., XIII. wonl suK^osts an imago whicli soenis to bo prosont in the itoet's mind for somo time, as witness the terms, " mimics," "applause," "semblances." Of course, tlio imago is not adhered to in all its details, for wliile the wearing of the mask was a regular practice with all ancient actors, it is hero referred to as something adopted l)y "Hypocrisy" for the purpose of deception— the mask being discarded when the deception is thought no longer necessary. Here. Where ? 100. Where. See U. ti. a., IX. 5. g., and XI. 8.b. Allowance. Distinguish the meaning from its doublet ullDrntim, 107. Specious. Originally 'pleasing to the eye,' ' beautiful '; liut now degraded, and meaning 'showy,' 'plausible'; demonstrat- ing a very general belief in the moral of the proverb "all is not gold that glitters." Semblances. "In Hcmhlana; the idea is active, in Hnnilar'dy, a ch)8ely allied word, it is neuter. " Criticise. Rktrospbctive.— 41-107. (1) Is the apostrophe to Domestic Happiness (line 41) suggested by antecedent ideas / (2) If dimiflst ift happiness is the only bliss survived to us from the fall, how can we — how could Cowpor — account for all the other happinesses which we now enjoy? (3) To what is the poet referring in line 43? [Perhaps to mar riages „i„t out tlio metonymy here. Distinguish nhwle fnm. sl,'i.lnw. What are th.- seconchiry mcaninKs of .sl„i^le i To seek . . . shades. Ueforrint;, as before, t(. his retreat to th»^M»j44MH-iit St. Albans. 1 1.'}. Archers. I'..etical, for ' hunters,' or ' huntsmen,' carrying on tho mot^iphor begun in line 108. .hrA.r is fro<,uentIy used in Scripture inr hunter ; us for exam])lo in (,'nu:ii.',, xxi. 20. lia-114. In His side . . . scars. Notice the poetic art by which the metjvplior is sustained. 114. Cruel scars. What is meant by Transferred Epithet ? Scars. Literally, ' wounds made by b„rni,u,,' the root word meaning 'a hearth,' 'a Hreplace,' and hence, by Transfer, 'the marks left by any sort of wounds.' Not to bo confounded with scars rocks,' which literally mean ' parts sheared off' from the mainland,' and hence ' isolated rocks,' ' detached naked rocks. ' 115. Soliciting. A beautiful poetical use of the word. Solkit hteraly means 'to arouse wholly or thoroughly ' (compare Latin »olus^ whole'), hence ' to disturb,' 'to urge,' 'to induce.' 110. H«^di:a.W ... me live. "Cowper has given us a full account of lua recovery. It was brought about, as we can plainly see, by medical treatment wisely applied, but it came in the form of a burst of religious faith and hope. He rises one morning feeling better ; grows cheerful over his breakfast, takes up the Bible which in his fits of madness he always threw aside, and turns to a v-ers9 J^_the^pktU..4^:tl.^ftnTnB„s. ' ImmtwHately. I-recei ved s rength to believe, and tho ftOW^eams-^tho Snn of Rightaowsness shone upon me. I saw the sutticiency of the atonement He had made, my pardon in His blood, and the fulness and completeness of His justification. In a moment I believed and received the Gospel ' Cotton [Dr. Cotton, who was in charge of tho asylum] at first mis- trusted the sudden change, but he was at length satisfied, pro- uouncedhis patient cured, and discharged him from the asylum after a detention of eighteen months. "-GotnwiN Smith -in the Eugl,^ Mm. 0/ Letters SuHes. As a note to this passage, Mr. Smith also says : "Cowper thought for a moment of taking orders, but his m \i llfl; r : i 'S Ifc l?M tfrn^^ 100 THE TASK. i •r < dread of appoaring in public conspired with the good sense which lay beneath his excessive sensibility, to put a veto on the design." 117. Since. T^erT Parse.— "Then "is here used in correspon- dence to its original function ; that is, as accusative of the pronomi- nal that [compare /f. S. (r., IX. 5. g.],and "since" is prepositional. Pew. Distinguish from ^' a few." Compare also//. S. G., VII. 38. ^/dW associates. After the illness above described, the poet was taken by his brother (in 17G5) to Huntingdon, where he lived in great retirement, at first (juite alone, then merely with the Unwins, — father, wife, pm, and daughter. Two years later, Mr. Unwin was accidentally killed by a fall from hi^^ horse ; and her children having started in life for themselves, Mrs. Unwin thought it best to remove to OhlBy, and the poet accompanied her. Cowper remained an inmate of her house for many years — until her death in W t <6. At Olney, at least for a great portion of his stay there, his life was even more that of a recluse than it had been at Huntingdon. 117-118. In remote and silent woods I wander. A reminiscence of the foregoing metaphor. 119. Myjormer . . . scene. Referring to his life in XjOijdon previous to his illness. " Cowper at all events studied law by the genteel method ; he read it almost as little in the Temple as he had in the attorney's office. . . . His time was given to literature, and he became a member of a little circle of men of letters and journalists which had its social centre in the Nonsense Club, con- sisting of seven Westminster men who dined together every Thurs- day. In tlie set were Bonnell Thornton and Colman, twin wits, fellow-writers of the periodical essiiys which were the rage in that day, joint proprietors of the ;SV. Jumes's Chrunicle, contributors both of them to the 0(»h/io/.sshi<;', and translators, Colman of Terence, Bonnell Tliornton of Plautus, C(jlman being a dramatist besides. In the set was Lloyd, anotlier wit and essayist and a poet, with a character not of the ))est. On the edge of the set, but apparently not in it, was Churchill, who wastlien running a course which to many seemed meteoric, and of whose verse, sometimes strong but always turbid, Cowper conceived and retained an extravagant admiration. NOTES. BOOK III. 101 also as. ^t'„VII. lescribed, the poet I wander. A Cliurchill was a link to Wilkes; Hogarth, too, was an ally of Col- man. . . . The set was strictly confinedto Westminsters. Gray and Mason, being Etonians, were objects of its literary liostility and l>utts of Its satire. It is needless to say much about these literary companions of Cowper's youth ; his intercourse with them was totally broken off, and before he himself became a poet its effects had been obliterated by madness, entire change of mind, and the lapse of twenty years. "— Goldwin Smith. ^ 121. Ruminate. Literally ' t, chew the cud ' (Latin rmnen gullet ). It IS hardly possible tliat the metaplior was intended to be continued thus far ; but the collocation is, perhaps, unfortunate. As much I may. W^hat is the meaning of this jrbrase ? 122-123. Other, others. See H. 8. ff., VII. 29, , VI. GO. d. 122. With. What is the force of " with " here ? 121-123. Here much . . . life to come. In one of his letters Cowper says, referring to the religious cast <.f The Ta.sk •- ' Were I to write as many volumes as Lope de Vega or Voltaire, not one of them sliould be without this tincture. If the world like It not so much the worse for them. I make all the concessions I can, that I may please them, but I will not please them at the ex- pense of my conscience.- Upon which Goldwin Smith remarks — Tlie passages in The Task penned by conscience, taken together, torm a lamentably large proportion of the poem." 123. To come. What is the function of this infinitive <■ 124. Gone astray. What is the parallel expression in Imiah ? 125. Daluaions. -Bk«iu,Us_c>biective, 'that which we see, or rather, think we see, but which deceives us, being unreal.' JMrnum, IS subjective; it is a mental error, and may arise either from an illusion, or from a thing actually existing. Lost. ' Wholly absorbed. ' 120. Fancied. Explain. ^ Still Literally 'motionless,' the root being the same as in Ml a da^lnu, place,' dale ' that whicli lias doo.l too l.mg,' and so on Hence the adverb means 'fixedly remaining,' 'continually,' and so ever. But the word has various derived meanings, as for example 111 the next sentence. ' I!;,! \\\ !' I '* """J_i ' i iM 102 THE TASK. 124-129. hnwrr i": flteappointed. Th«^ illuaive^-iurtwre of human hopes is a favorite theme with poets. Compare with DuY- den's well-known lines : — When I consider life, 'tis all a clicat ; Yot, fooled with hope, nie^i favour the deceit ; Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay : To-morrow's falser than the former day ; Lies worse ; and, while it says, "We shall be blest With some new joys," cuts off what we iHJSsest. Aurcng-Zcbc, Act IV., sc. i., lines 33-38. And with : — All promise is poor dilatt)ry man. And that through every stage : when young, indeed, In full content we Rometimes nobly rest UnanxiouR for ourselves ; and only wish, As duteous sons, our fathers were more wise. At thirty man 8usi)ects himself a fool ; Knows it at forty and reforms his plan; At fifty chides his infamous delay. Pushes his jirudent purjKjBe to resolve ; Iti all the magnanimity of thouglit Kosolves ; and re-resolves ; then dies the same. YovUG.—mokt Thoughts, lines 412-422. And also with : — Where now, ye lying vanities of life ! Ye ever-tempting, ever-choating train ! Where are you now ? and what is your amount? Vexation, disapixujitment, and remorse : Sad, sickening thought ! and yet deluded man, A scene of crude, disjointed visions past, And broken slumbers, rises still resolved. With new-flushed hopes, to run the giddy round. Thomsoh.— Winter, lines 209-216. The same sentiment is also found in Pope's famous couplet [see H. (ijf. Reiuler, page 06, lines 19-20] : — Ht)pe springs eternal in the human breast : Man never is, but always to be, hhat.—Ensa.i/ on Man. 120. Rings. Criticise the position of the verb. See II. S. 0. , ;CVI1I. 6, iv. and v, NOTK.S. HOOK III. 103 litis, lines 412-422, i famous couplet 130-131. Sum. Add. The clauses introduced by these words are elliptical. The full meaning depends on lino 132. 133. Dreams, empty dreams. Compare with Hcdexiastes, i. 2, The million. See W. P. E., XXXV, 7, JPlit. Flit, float, fleet, flutter, are all allied words ; what is the common notion? See C. E. E., 378. 134, As if created. For some remarks on this construction, 8oe H. 8. G., XVII. 11 and 9, Like the fly. Compare H. 8. (l, XIII, 40, 135, Motley. Literally 'spotted' (hence the derivative mottled), but by specialization [see //. 8. G., IV. 40. a,] now meaning 'of several different colors, ' Eye of noon. "Eye of day" (compare with daixy) is a common metaphorical expression for ' sun ; ' the phrase here was, no doubt, suggested by it ; of course, it means • in the bright (or brightest) light of tho sun. ' 136. To sport. What is tho construction of tho infinitive here ? [See H. 8. G., XV, 12.] Season, The primitive is the Latin satio, satiun-em, i.e., 'sow- ing-time,' reminding us that agriculture is the industry of perma- nent and universal interest. 133-130, The million . , . no more. Mk. Stork refers very appositely to Cray's Ode on the 8priMj :— To Contemplation's sober eye Such is the race of Man : And they that creep, and they that fly, Shall end where they began. Alike the Busy and the Gay But flutter through life's little day, In Fortune's varying colors drest : Brushed by the hand of rougli Mischance, Or chilled by Age, their airy dance They leave, in dust to rest. Compare also with the graphic passage in Matthew Arnold's Hiujhi/ Chapel, beginning : — What is the course of life Of mortal men on the earth ? [Refer to H. 8. Reader, page 403, lines 16-29,] IM |{;i ifi 104 THE TASK. The rest. Who are " the million " 133-137. The million. ami who are " the rest "? lS7^-B6bep. From Latin «e 'apart,' that is 'not,' imd cbrivti 'drunken.' Sober dreamers. For a somewhat different appreciation of this class, compare the passage in Riufby CJmpel, beginning :— "And there are some—." [H. S. Reader, page 403.] Grave. Literally ' heavy,' and so, metaphorically, ' solemn.' •serious.' Grave. Wise. Ironically used ; as is also the next phrase. 138. Dieceveries. Distinguish from ioren^ioHs. [SeeC.E.E.,7.] 139-172. Some write a narrative ... be forgot ? It is hard to believe that he who conceived the beautiful images by which The Garden and The Winter Evening are made immortal, could possibly have been tlie victim, much less the exponent, of the narrow opini(ms and prejudices that find utterance in these lines. It should be remembered, however, that in Cowper's day, there was in England, among the aristrocratic classes at least,- ar«en©KtHii«Wce-^f-«en of science, who were, for the most part, either Scotchmen, as Black ; mixed up with republicanism, as Lavoisier ; altogether revolutionary, as Franklin ; or sufficiently unorthodox to merit mobbing and house-burning, as Priestley. The English universities, where one might suppose a scientific' spirit to have had some sufferance, rather prided themselves on being free from the influence of any such subversive ideas. 140-141. The rant a history. ^ollet'.s History wa« com- pleted in 1758 ; Hume's in 1762. Perl^aps^Cowper is thinking of both of these ; for both, for different reasons, however, must have been distasteful to him. GrBBtmliUiistory, too, had been completed only a few ye ars be fore these lines were written, and it is very *A most notable exception was" Lord Shelburne.lhe first Mai^s of Lansdowne and the ancestor of our preswit Governor-General ; but even his kmdly.-wid generous patronage of I^riestley had at last to be withdrawn (or at least be bestowed secretly) owing to the unix)pularity in which it t^s involving Imn Cavendish the discoverer of hydrogen, was the brother wi A^';J'"^.^'"''V^K^'' little with society of any sort, least of all probably with tlie members of hi., own order, to whon,, no doubt, he was much more remarkable for h.s enormous wealth than for his scientific attabmets^ tuil^Sig'^^l't:'"''' '''''''' *''^ "''^'^^ "°^ "- penny we^n?rS: ti_ NOTES. BOOK III. 105 ■e " the million " ' not,' and cbrivs ically, ' solemn, possible that ho had it also in view. In a letter written about the tnne The. To,k was begun (July, 1783) he says to Newton:— "I prefer your style, as an historian, to that of the two most renowned writers of history the present day has seen. ... I will tell you why. In your style I see no affectation. In every line of theirs I see nothing else. They disgust me always ; Robertson with his pomp and strut, and Gibbcm with his finical French manner." With Cowper it was always easy to see surpassing merit in a friend, and to pass harsh judgments upon those whom he did not know when their general sentiments happened not to agree with his. In after years, when the attentions he received as a famous poet, had somewhat mollified his aversion to "the world," ho was invited to meet Gibbon, and was much tempted to accept the invitation, but the bringing together of these two men, so unlike one another in their views of life, was finally abandoned, owing to the ijoet's ill- health. 144. As they. For this construction, see H. S. G., XVII. 11, 145. Puzzled. Fnzde is a fre(iuentjitive from pose, ' to peri)lex by a question. ' Skein. This word has usually the notion of entanglement asso- ciated with it, but not necessarily so. It simply means * a quantity of thread, m.mely that contained from break to break. '—What is the metaphorical meaning of the word in the text ? 14G. Obscurity. The origin is the Latin «/>-, and the root sku 'cover.' See 0. E. E., 515. Wrapped. Wrapped and lappe,! are doublets ; what is their common meaning ? 147. The-|*treads . . . design. Ironical. ' Threads. Thread is literally ' that which is thromi,' to throto ..rigiually meaning ' to twist. ' This force is still seen in the common technical word "silk-thrower," or "silk-throwster," i.e., 'silk- twister,' or ' silk-spinner.' PeHtic. Literally ' pertaining to a o7j/, that is, to the state' ; a word of variable meaning, sometimes used in a good sen.se, some- times in a bad. In what sense is it used here 1 Shrewd. On this word the late Archbishop Tkekch comments thus :— " We may trace a constant tendency— in too many cases it ■m 3 f,_ V lOG Thb: Task. has boon a HuocoHHful one-«c, on.pty wonls o.nploycl in the con bition wluch thoy onoo convoynl. Mon'n t,„. oasy t.,lo.Hf f lin, ... ool.I.noss of tJ.on- moral indignation uKainst it,, l.rinKal.out tha <»>o .In„,o winch word^ oxproKsc.l ..no., l.as in H..n.o..f then, hoc , o much weaker now than ..nco, has fr.>n. ..therH vaninhcl alt..,. 2" jU.iLm»Mm> tun,, was ..nco ' t.. do a ,«,HvW turn.' . lj„t a >^rar,lt„n, n..w whilo it in.pHoH a certain an...nnt ..f* sh.rn U hn^, nnphuM „„«ung nu.re ; and .ln:n,n.s. is ap.die.I t., n.o . » vther n. tho.r pra.so than in their dinpraine. An.l n..t .lnr„;l an.l .s/urW.,.xs ..nly, but a great n.any .>ther w.mln - I will ..nly inntaneo ^rt'' """■""'' ""'^'' '"•'■"•"'^'•^' •'--•'•' o.,nveye.lo„ra . uch nu.ro earnest nu.ral ..ensuro than n..w they.!,.."-/,',,,//,/, rast .,.,/ l'n.ent.-lu what sen.se is " slirewd " nsed here / ir.(). Having. Purse. [See Jl. S. (}, XIII. 58.] KUM50. Some write . . . concealed. We can scarcely beheve hat C..wper.na.le this indiotn.ont against the hist..rir..f day because h.sent.cal faculty rebelle.l against their uncritical me hods ; bec.vuse he depl,,red having been b..r„ bef.ne the age of Hal anj or of Stubbs, for ex.unple. This tirade, .« well as the .4ers which f.,1 ,>w .t ,8 pron.pted wholly by lack of sympathy with what he n.„st houghtful and earnest n,en of his age were engaged d.nng, a hu,k beg.>tten of his erroneous views respecting'the ," port^nco .,f .,ur present life, and the in.perativo duty „? our not e.nployn,g , ,dly ,n any sense, but of n.aking the m.,st of it Men a.-en.>t the less fitted f.,r "the life t.> ome,^' because thoy spend ogTn^'Il trelif m"; ""''"^-«^"-^<^^-^-- of their fellows in regard to the life that now ks ; nor are they the less fitted to enter u spu-.tual world because they endeavor t.. understand for them- f selves and t., unfoW^-M.fehers the grandeur of the 4aatexial world 150. Drill. Literally 'to b.,ro.' The root appears als., in 151. Strata. Refer to Tf. ,S'. G., V. 40. There. Refer to H. S. G., IX. 10. 1.52. Reg:i.ster. Literally ' something which , to us,' from Latin re ' back,' and wJiicii briiuiK tlie fact hack n>t>dlvf or nnirnjn- of a Hliip'; tlio saino root appoaiH in n/i/Wr 'M.moUiing for ...unj//,,;/,' and iii r<'//i 'tint cin\i'v\ji'r of tliK Mood." ir.()-ir,4. SoiJm-drill . . . its ago. of .ohihu, ail tliin iH said irmrrmUy ; l)nf. tiii^ aniniadvcrHJun Iohc'h its furcu! ulhin it is rmntiin- iM'ivd wliat, is till! tnio fnii.'tion of K«".loKy and what, aio Uu, inu; s(o|io and finicfi f lovtslation. Tlu, Ho-oalldd " ivvolation of itH dato to Mohoh" in a nmro gioHH of connniintatorH, wIioho opinioim in inK'ird tliuristo aro ovor two InuMlriid in nundiur and vary in rcHpoct of timo l.y ahoiifc ;{,f.(K) yoarn. In Cowpor'H day, liowovor, An'.hl)iHliop rHshor'H HyHtoni of cIironoloKy (wliich nHHiKHod tlio creation of tlio world to tlio dato 4004, W.V,.) wan alinoHt uni- voraally acooi)tod, onpooially l)y tlio dovout ; and an Honio of its rockoninga woro adopted in autliorizod editions of tlio Bihio, tlioy woio regarded m absolutely luiiiiipericliahle. On tho other hand, in the dofonco of the poet, it hIiouKI l.o Haid that geological Hcience prior to his era had boon largely a matter of speculation, at any rate there had been far more of theory than of fact in the current l.reaentation of it. It was not until The. Tank had been comi)leted that (in 1785) Jamea Hutton iiublishod his celebrated Tlicor>t of the. Emih, contending that geology must limit itsolf entirely to tho ntudy and interpretation of ohm-nMefarin, and that the history uipnd coHiiiical changes can bo understood oidy by fnlly comprehend ukj chuwjea iww actnnUy ijolmj on on the earth's surface, and so gave to the science (at least in England) its real beginning. ]5(». Contrive. Not often used transitively as here, unless with .some such word as "plan," or "scheme"; more frequently in- trajisitivoly with an infinitive. The etymology is disputed, but I>robably tho word is from tho Latin con, and the French trouver or from; ' to find,' as in "treasure-trove," 'money or plate that has been found.' 157. Peak. The root notion is also in pick, pike, peck, and pe^ ; what is it I Sublimest. ITsed here with something of both its senses, the literal and the metaphorical. r- It w n It it M J * il f la ii 13 .!n Iv*' ^^^^ajju^i" ION TFIK TASK. 0,% .'':,„ ; ■ "'«'"• *""" '■'-'" « ■'- "■» '-" m«t.H.l...ri- If* Whence tho Btara. ri.fe i„ //. n. ,; xiv 17 „ " '■•. '' y^LZ^u:t:zz:z;:::' "-"""» IMl First. INiiHo. :::.?:,:;;,:::: -"•« ■•-:;;:liMi:'"::^,r! Fountain. I^i^-r-illy 'Humotl.inK tl,a( ,„,„,„•. ^m ,., . . , ""J «-.'■'"""/ C<..ca.s(, metals'). ' ' ""'^•' ^'<' >"' M. .tiiiK Mii.it iiiiikus Mils aimnii(lvorHi,)ii all flw. ..„ .. i .U..0, >.v.,„ ,„ .,„,, „,„„., .,„„, „ :;i •" ;j;;'-;^';;; (nwpors, ,«, that, whatover may 1... ,s,ii,l ,f m '""' t'uU witl. >a,„ful „l»,.,.v„t,„„», ,„„1 „,„,l „l„lH„,,tc, nmt.l,„„,>lir r^ ..ngm,t„ m Buol, a ,v»y. „e .1,„11 i„ tl.at way ..J" ,,, H, . notkh. it(»(»K iir. 10!) i« lino motupliori- Tii tliiH wiiy Iio juHt,i(i,.(l IiiH caciI.mt.Ml Tluu.ry of VorticoH (which HiiiMiiK (.M„.r thiiiKH uHHCM'ttMl tJuit, Ml., ..(irUi in ciiiTi.!.! n.un.l Uio huh ill th.> Hiil.Uo iiiaU.ir nf u nwni v..il,..x, wlirr., it, lioH in o.|iiilil,num), .111.1 as it wiiH Hindi attack.Ml ,i,i.l inm^li .Iof„n.h..l (liiiiiiK t,h.M>iiHiiinf) .■(•iitiiry, it limy li„ th.it Ouwiht {h Iut., ii..iln t.. it. It \h '''" '""i'''^' f'"i'' <'"' l'"<>t .illu.Iim („ the Ih.M.n.m hr„a.:h...l in Swim1(»iiIw.|'k'h l'hil,,s„,>hm,l E.,;,l,„„ili„„, „f llir Kl,u„nl,ir„ fl'„d,l (I7;»4), aii.l in hm AVm,/ r>i „f Ihr. Untrms (17r.5), .iltii..i,..h th.'H.. w.rkH wiiro ni.t lik.ily t... h.iv., l.i.on iiiiioh r.,a.l in KiiKhiiul in hin tiiiio. Kil. Learned. Soo If. s. a., XV. 20. 1«1-1(J2. Much learned . . . combatants. Ex|.an.l tho iii(!tai.h(.r into a Hiniilu. l(;i-l<;:{. Great contest . . . both. Woro tho dov.tooH of Hcionco t.. i»r..Hocuto thoir invcHtiuationH in accnlanco with a Iruo Hciontitic Hi,int-pr..clainiinj/ n-.thinw tf. l.o a fact till itn verity ho oHtal.liHJio.l hy irrofragal.lo ovidonco, and Hutting n(.tliinK forward aa a " hiw " until it Iuih boon f..und that it and it alono will explain ovory fact that can p..H8ibly bo placed under it - thoro w..ul(J-Hw«r be any ..octtHion f..r tho uttBXau«*-<^-imnh~iw«*Hin as thoBo lineH C(.ntani. But unfortunately, science Iuih often been little oIho than Ho-called "philo8..phy" dirrrtwt- *rn«rnr patlm ; and especial ly in C.wper's day was thoro niuch cutest between tho uphol.lors .,f opposing tlio..rie8,-the old habit of tlmught by which invostigat..rs felt that they must first establish a "law" before they had examined tho facts which camo under tho hiw, having too firm a h..M up..n tho minds of thinkers to be shaken ..ft' easily. Tho well-kn..wn VI. .lent disputes botwoon tho " N*»}*Un««ts " and the " Vukanists " of ge..l..gy, aro probably the "contests" .igainst which tho poet is aiming Ins shafts ..f-srrtire here ; and there may als.. bo an allusi<.n to tho rancrmr with which tho phl..giston theoiy in chemistry was l>omg opposed and dofoudod at the voiy time those lines were in writing. 104. Wiek. Literally ' a bit ..f noft stuff'; tho root appears also in weak. ■ III ( 110 Tiffe TASK. Life 8 poor shal ow lamp. '•La,..,, of life" ,« a poetical phnvsu .r .lurafon o ...u h lifo ' in of .roat, a„ti,„ity, U.L, itn on«i„ a ho nnu of tl.o ol.i (J.-ocian torclM-acos ; in tl.oHe. each n.n„o.. as 1.0 tuuHho.1 h,H part of thu cou.ho, pasHo.! his torch over to tho next who also ha.l to keep it i.un.i,,,, a.ul pans it ovor to his successor .once tJ.e connnon phrase " tnnlnr I,,,,,/,.,./,, rit,,," ' to han.l one's -..P "f l.fo ..ver, that is, ' to .lie.' " Shallow " is partly an orna- ntal ep,thet here an.l partly essential. All ancient hunp„ were Imllow, hut frou. the transitoriness of hun.an life, tho poe is .lis- pose.1 to speak o the •' huup of Hfo - as hein^ especially 'shallow. - Krrilne H7 ""''''''""''^■'^' o.xpression is use,! in 77,.,. De.rt.l l«r,. Jlaymg tricks with nature. ' Experiu.entation.' l«.r,-ir,., In playing . . . their own. l«H«aLy was a Uni- tamn, and looked upon as no Letter than an athltTthe scientiHc cotono of E.hnl>ur.h, of which Black, tlu- .liscovercr of " fixe.l ai " was a .l..st,n«u,she.l u.en.her, a.lu.itte.l 11^^, to its fellowship; i.^ and other on.inent scientists on the continent were free- Uunkers ; and P^nlcllu ha,l been a deist ;-the latitudinarianisn. which would have adn.itte.l that any opinions worthy of credence hose Cowpor would have scoute.l as being in itself a surrender to u hdehty. I must not bo forgotten, however, that tho deistic and athe,st.c tende„c.es of the day were largely a result of the spiritual doadness and .noral apathy which the church for two centuries had been condonmg, and against which also Cowper's own narrow, but well meant and earnost-hearted, c.ngelicalisn., was a reaction 107 Tickling. What sort of a wonl is tickle .^-N<,tico the art or nvthor tricksy spn-it, with which the ills which he allots to these mon aro nnnnni/ed. Tickling rheums. What is tho moaning of ",/,«,«„« ".^ Why IS tins word preferred to such an one as caUarh, say, which has much the same meaning ? [Compare A. d- S., 4G. (1).] 108. Blear. Why not "(V/hi".? 109. Oraales From its original moaning show tho appz^priate- nessnithouse of th.s word here. The>:c.i*..„Hmncal LtlthosL imphed m this sentence ; between wliat words does it exist i Pity. Parse. Notes. JjooK ill. Ill 170. Ei«S©nts. To iiHoortilin tlio oloiimHtnl coimtitncnts of iniittor IiiiH Ih'oii ii piohlisin of hiiiiiiin Hiiociilatioii uvor hjiicu Thftlen pronoimcud irofir to l)o tlio original i)riiH;ii)lo of nil tliiiigH, and ,\Mrt»iHM*tMw tlioiinlil, it to lu! (*//•. A |)o|>uliirclii,HHiticatioii of thu i^loniontH, imiviirHfil, iiud rnmiint,' buck into aiitiiinity, at KsaHt as far aH to Arnrttitli!, in nlr, <'iulli,Jirc, and init,r. The alclit-uiiHtH of tlio niidillii agiiH, and tlic oarlior clioiniHtH, had many indntiniti! claHHitical tionH, as for uxaniidi) tliat of Van Hoi nt (ir)77-l(»44), who thought wdti'r to lio tho tnu! piinciplo of allthings (though ho conooivod air alHo to bo an oloinont), Imt that Hoparato niatorial things do|)ondod for thoir individuality upon thi! <(rrli,iiiH, soniothing without form and indo|)ondont of tlu; idomonts, which drow tiio individual things out of wator! titaliL (1<»<>0-17:{4) tho foundor of tho phlogiston thoory, who for many considorations may bo said to havo boon tho fathor of modorn uhemistry, liolil-*t*4mj?.«k!monts, n^nfer, arid, itirth, and pliloijiston. [Phlogiston may bo doscribod as tho nogativo or opi>osito of oxygon.] Tho Stahlian thoory in ono form or anothor was in voguo until tho writing of Tlw Tnxk, and it is vory j)088iblo that it is to it that tho poot alludos in this passage; although, too, lio may rofor more gonorally to tho systom of cosmogony put forth by-IU»aiiuitos, or to tho systoms of world formation advancod by tho oarlior geologists. — Wiiat is tho modern thoory in regard to tho olomonts of matter ^ 171. Thousand. Sy n uc d ofc -h o a n '^'^f'"". I. - ■" ",ivi,,. lawK f„ aiHtnut, woH.lH" |hi„ pl.ntrf r l.ul ) loH [a ...>,.ho,„mt,. .xp,vsHi..n for -.u,rnal .l.-ath "1; tluMV- fo.0, t,lu.s.. nuM. Khali havo "h„l.l,k,H," that is, "otornal ,uih " for ^::;r;r'- .""^ :f:-y ^^-^ "-^ - - hi... that t;;!! ,.' no anU.ntly ,.v„„, tho.r nun.ls „p „. th.. pursuit of scioutific truth, tlu,y „,ay „,, also he equally zealous in the pursuit of n.oral an, s,..ntual truth; and second, in supposing that the investigation .. the laws an.l facts of nature is in itself rejueliensihle. 17<;-177. Sueb-gmnes played. The in.a«e is that of a but'Iilrie" '"' '" "" ' ""■"' "'"''■ "' '"""' *='"' "•>•' '"'" 177-179. Power . is the i)oet alhulinfif? 180. Seeming wisdom. What is meant ? 180-182. When I weigh ... so false. The poot moans when I aseortam l.y my stu.ly of the Scriptures, that in respect of the result winch w.ll certainly come to it, this seen.ing wisdon. wdl be so unreal, so false to all the hopes that have been placed upcm it — I vv . 182-183. Heart dissolve. For construction, sec H. S G XY 4. d., and 14. • •» . 183. Account. What is the obsolete doublet of this word 1' Jr.iiJico what is its primary meaning ? teamed Is tliis word to be "pronounced here as a dissyllablo or a monosyllable !* '' 184. Deceived. Parse. 180-184. And when . . . deceived. There isnodou- Mm^ m Cowper this commiseration was an unaffected feeling ; and there- fore, while we may lament Insprejudices we cannot but feel pleasure m contemplating tlie simplicity of his character and the candour of 1U3 P<."..Hiture of it.-Why should he reckon " tlie learned, mo4 NoTK.s. HOOK 111. 11*) 38 in tho Bil)Io 185. Alarm. Litomlly 'I., mum.' So« C. hJ. H., 2r.;{. IHii\ hence it moans ' hvhor expended in iiuUimj or tiitfijimf; hut other etyinolo- yists differ. 1H!»-1!>0. ©raroppWlg . . . nothing up. Tlieso lines have always heoii iiiueh admired for tlieir epiyraimiiatic point and neat- ness. An uitkiud mitir niiglit remark, however, that f(»r some .sentences haok the poet has heeii employt'd in a like vain hxinn: RetkohI'Ectivk. -108-1 !K). (I) Does tiiis passai,'e hcKin ahruptly, oris it a natural .seijuel t(. the preceding .' (2) What is meant hy "tlio herd," line 108/ (.'{) What is meant hy "many an arrow," lino 10!> t (4) Has " panting," lino 1 10, any motajdiorical signilicance '( (5) Discuss the value of the inHuenco of Mr. Niiwton on Cowper's life. (0) Criticise tho literary otl'ectivoness of line I'M. (7) Is "motley," in line l.'}5, an essential or an ornamental epithet? (8) L.stingui.sl) Lrlween wjh re Hil faculty of keen obsurvati<,n enables hin. to l.^l. 7Z , f' l-rotensions and follies which e Is B u , rT7' ''' ''" «-orlcl without are of the poorest tid H t""' "^'"" ''^'^ at the geologist and the astronon.er For the Lv, "'"'''^''''°'*' " "^^ 5 is nothing but eontenipt. It would brha,^ t «' T'^"'''"^' '^'''' and nuschievous piece of rant han Lt . V^-" '""'"'' ^""''^'» lines 150-100 Wnf, , ^^ contanied in r/ic (/arrfen, mt,r» I,„„, „.igl,t ju.t » fairly i„ „„„„„„ ,„ ™;^ *", , '"" e». ,„n„co„t .h„„ i;r„wi„g c„c„„,l,„„ „, ,„,^ " - 1', 'M ", " It 1. Blrango that h, ,U,1 m,t ,eo that hi, v,u„7,7 . . ''■ tag l«oc of ,„i,„I failed in ,,;, Z,lZ h" '""''«'"'»«'■••■ of others for ,eeki„« ha„„i„.„ ^ ^ , "l H,: ""''" '""^ happy' tC«wp,rV,„„ wo^-uflTlio « 7". ■''''™'r'^ ""• the text. • UDtaui the meanings in 192. Aquiline. The origin is the Utin «,,.7„ s.,„i, - ^,. IS «ie moaning of the w<,rd here/ Justify its use '" Tembly . . . nose. Construe. hing up. The NOTES. BOOK III. 116 ^^^^193. Impending. Literally 'hangingover'(Latmpenrf,..e 'to 1!»1-15.3. One sage . . . brows. What does the poet intend ni this description What siil>i,.,.H-,rn > . iv • , • ""''^"" ■ ., * ^^"'^'^ subjective wjndition in liim does it 194. Were. Could. Parse and construe. Permit. Derive the present meaning of this word from its l)iimary meaning. See also V. E. E., 211 World " The literal sense is ''the age of man,' or ' course of uansMe hence 'a life-time,' ' course of life.' ' experience of Tf: akin to ultl). See also G. E. E., 15. (i). ° ' 197. As sweet as charity.' Cowper's references to his mother are always most affectionate and reverential. "She died when -.upleted my sixth year, yet I remember her well. I reinlmber -. a inultitude of the maternal tendernesses which I r c ^ J rom her and^vlndi ,.ve endeared her memory to me beyon/t^ ! «>"n. Of his father he speaks but little 198. Articulate. For 'speak.' To articulate is literally 'to ,)-t Latin urt.nlns 'a joint'), that is, metaphorically, ''. 1 e ementary sounds together so as to produce intelligiW words ' Hence, even so long ago as in Homer's time, civilised men we e .^sonbed as " articulately-speaking," in contradistinction t. avZ wim were thought to speak only in rude, disjointed cries and g n ' A ^eri ed and very common meaning of the word is 'to utter ./ -' fn.f^y, that IS to utter a word so that its separate syllaber joints may be distinctly heard. ' ^ 199 Functions. F.nrflon is a word of many significations • - but one specially instructed could guess at'its meanin: . i' ...tl einatzcs; and its latest use to denote 'a reception, or drawln" ."o.n, or other important solemnity, under the auspices of somr"^ ' 'f exalted rank, ' :s almost e.pially recondite. 201. Each other. Refer to if. S. <}., VI G8 ^ 202 Crinison. Crimson and -vo^uue' are* doiiblets. They are ucmatives of .e,.,.e„, a Persian word, the name given to a dye stuff |H:|cle from the bodies of the females of certain insects tad ^ anous species of oak round the Mediterranean. See Puhlir ZZ <'^'Waphy, page 132, under "Portugal " and "Greece " M f- -I,tf^'>i>l mii-!^^ v>,M!Wi<» ,.^^m«m,>.,,«m>^,: ■mn IIG THE TASK. Meandering. Tho Meander (Latin Maander, Greek Malan- ilros), vfiis a rivor in Pluygia (Asia Minor) proverbial for its wind- ings. Tho name gave rise to a noun and an adjective in Greek and Latin ; in English wo have, in iu.lditii)n, a verb. 203. Caen„.ents made by Dr. Franklin in PhiladoU^^na 17^ ^T V.y wh.ch he showed tliat lightning and electricity are one and, n .rZ J-ov. was cabled to devise conductors, by whlh in thunder's":! he c.rth. Although h.s announcements an.l inventions were at vidx'rrr "'T" *" '^"^''""'' "' '^'™'^'^' ^''«y — received th great favor, and soon they were accepted as authoritative hroughout all Europe ; while the Royal Society of England made haste to apologue for its previous ren.issness and indifference. A t^he t,me of the wntu,g of these lines Dr. Franklin was perhaps the nu s a.nous man n, the world. Although in his youth he had been ■i deist and at no time professe.l to be more than an adherent of tlie general y accepted forms of religion, yet it was to Cowper a source ttrubliSl' ^^^^^ "•""'"" " ''''''-'' '-' ^"^"-' "- shall bo spelled with an ,^or a . is a matter of much uncertiintv -uul disinitation. English authority an.l usage now i • e'" f^; " methods. Consult EAK,,K'sP/H7./.,,,,,310:.'n2 and .m-347 Analyse the air. Referring to the pneumatic discoveries an.l mvestigations by which this period was distinguished; I I pe haps, specihcally. to Lavoisier's analysis of atm... spheric ai i n m!" . r-r ''-'''^'^ ""•■• ^''''''''y '-'^ ''■-'-red oxygen n 1774, and nitric ..xide 1,1 1772, an.l had also discovered sulphutu acid g... and carbon monoxide; in 1772, also, Rutherford Lr covered nitrogen ; Cavendish h.-ul in 1760, disovere.l hydrogen r inflammable air"; and ten years earlier. Black, of EdinC; had begun this wonderful series of pneumatic discoveries by obtlli ! 'i wm It 1 At % 'tH H n^ uH ^ rtf JK t" 1 jj. ■It ■5 1 i' ■it \ \ '^ : \l, ■ Hi • ^ "■ ',4 I ■■■■'■ 1 ^5 :■. ■ ■ 118 THE TASK. ing carl)on dioxide (wliicli ho railed " (ixod fiii'") from linieHtdiio, As thcHe gaaea wore all known l>y the eoinnioti name of "air" (the names by which they aro now known not heinj; then invented), and as they wore all the subject of nuich invest.ij^^ation and experiment , it is most probable that the poet refers gonorally to thosubjocfc, and not spocifically to Lavoisier's analysis. 215. "P fl f fl llP- T - A technical astronomical term, moaning oithoi (I) ' the angle subtended at any heavenly body by the radius of the earth which passes through the observer's position', in this case called (linrnal or geocentric pamlldx; or (2) 'the angle subtended by that radius of the earth's orbit which is at right angles to the line joining the heavenly body and the centre of the earth', called uhhimI or heliocentric parallax. To obtain accurately the parallivx (geocentric) of the sun is one of the noblest problems in astronomy, as it is by means of it alone that the sun's distance from the earth can bo reckoned. It cannot bo obtjiined by direct observation, and must indirectly be found by observations taken during the fow-and-far- betwoen transits of Venus. The transit of 17<5n had been especially Uiken advantage i>f for this puri)ose by the astronomers of tho day (for example, Captain Cook went out to the South Pacific with one party of observers), and no doubt, tho poet had heard it much talked of. The next transit of Venus did not occur till 1874. Of yonder luminous point. This evidently is intended to refer to the Jjxfldi. stars ; but though the parallaxes of the moon (as long ago iis by the illustrious Hipparchns, about 130, B.C.,) of sonic of tho planets, and of tho sun, had by this time been ascertained, the parallax of any of the fixed shirs was still unknown. Ntme uf the fixed stars have any appreciable ijeoceidric parallax ; and it 1ms only boon with the utmost refinement of modem methods that tlio aninial i)arallax of a few have been arrived at, tho first being obtjiiniil in 1840, by Bessel, Hence the poet is anticii)ating somewhat. 210. Quenched. Immense. Abyss. Show that these words are peculiarly appropriate here. 215-216. Yonder . . . immense abyss. The i)oet, in theso two lines, unconsciously pays a tribute to astroimmical science; ;it inlosophy, rather than with ScienJ Science (that is, science properly so-callendon,J .•£toui/m.ic^' ' «thor.' See ja. o. tr. , lA. o. e. NOTES. HOOK III. 121 230-232. That brings . . . worlds. A year or two before tlio tiitiiij,' of thoBO linos (tliat is in 1781) Sir Willinni Herecliol (tlien llain Mr. Herschol, and only an amateur astroiKinier), had, with reflecting telescope made by himself, discovered the planet jinimis. As all the major planets of the solar system had been Inown for thousands of years, and as no new body (save comets) Ld been added to it since the discovery of a third moon to Saturn learly a hundred years before, Herschel's announcement excited |liuost universal curiosity and enthusiasm. Tiie poet, with (as it eeins to us) his mistaken notions of wiiat is to be understood by I' doing God service," found this enthusiasm hard to brook. 234. Mortal. For some curious relationships, see ('. E. E., 277 Ind 276. 233-235. Such a veil . . . divine. What part of the sentence I this clause ? 236. Wajrward. Etymologically, for umtvward. The BufHx Xmml is the same as in forward, froward, onvard, toward. Intellect. Literally 'the faculty that clnnms between thinga.' ^wC.E. E., 2r.r>andl29. 23()-237. The more. More. " More " is for " the more." ^ee 11. S. G., VII. 49, and IX. 5. g. 237. Her. See //. S. 0., VI. 24. (2). Author. The root notion appears in awjment, auction, anx il iary, \md awjud ; what is it ? 238. Instrumental causes. What are these \ Proud. Construe. 23!». Retrograde. Literally ' going backward.' The meaning here is uncertain, but it seems to me that the word is used in the Isense of 'derogatory,' and so signifies ' detracting from God's great- liiess. ' Mad mistake. The meaning here is also somewhat uncertain. I As it is, " mistake " is grammatically governed by "proud to draw." I This seems" to be an instance of that sort of ellipsis (connnon enough itin) called Zemma. I would suggest this .i.^ the explanation, so understand before "mad" some such phrase as "thus I making. " :sam..i 122 THE TASK. 240. Once. See H. S. (!., IX. 5. o.-The word is used here einplmtically as an uiiuivalent for " but once." 240-241. Shoot . . . chambers. Translate this metaphorical languago into plain proso. 241. Heart's. Why should ImiH be coninionly used to represt-ni the scat of mental and moral action > What is the usual limitation of the usoof the word in this respect/ Chambers. From the Latin camn-u ; see C. E E.,70. (i). 242. Undiscerned. For 'undiscurnible,' or 'that cannot bo discerned.' But. Parse. 24;{. Baptized. Wlmt is the primitive meaning of this word ! Its secondary meaning ? Its meaning here i 244. Fountain. .Justify the use of this word here. Of. What is the fiorce of "of " here ( Does it introduce a snh- jei'tiPc possexsiiv or an appositioe puiiKensice!f Refer to H S G XIII. (J3. (a)and(c). " ' ' Eternal. What is the literal meaning of this word 1 Which is the str.inger term eternal ,.r em-lmtinijf What distinction is com- monly made between them ? 245. Has eyes indeed. To what expression is this antithetical >. 24(>. As meant. For construction refer to It. S. G., XVII. 11 (at the beginning). 247. gQCfeits. Forfeit (the noun) is 'something lost by a mi.s- deed,' from which tlie meaning of the verb is easily derived. Tiie word literally moans 'something ilone he ijoml what is lawful,' tlio Latin /<)/•/*• (from which tho f„r- comes) meaning 'out-of-doors,' that is, ' outside,' or 'beyond.' See C. E. E., 442. 248. In other days. The old delusion, tliat the times of our ancestors were purer and more reverential than our own. 248-249. Learning . . . branches. The image is " the troo of knowledge. " [Genesis, ii. 9.] 250. Prayer. A moncwyllable, and to be distinguished from pray-cr, '^ one who prays. ' The primitive word is the Lathi precar-i, ' to pray. ' Hence what does precarious mean ? 251. Wet wi^L^astftUe-n dews. A metaphorical expression modifyuig "lips," which is used metonymically for "minds."-- ing of thifl word >. NOTES. HOOK III. 123 CfiHtalia was a fountain on Mount PariifuisuH in Oroeco, held sacred to Apollo, the god of song and immic, and to the Muses, tlu; inspir- ing goddoBSos of music, poetry, art, and science. "Lips wet with Cftstalian dews" then moans 'lips that have drunk of tlie Castalian fountain,' that is, 'minds inspired by the divinities of poetry, science, and art, that is, ' minds of eminent poets, artists, and men of science.' We have thus an illustration of Iiow very greatly a poetical expression exceeds in beauty and impressiveness one of plain prose. 252. Such. What is the full moaning of this word here ? 252-253. Newton ... of God. Sir Jaaac Newton (1G42- 1727), incomparably the greatest of natural pliil()soi)her8, is of course referred to. His many discoveries, both in laws governing natural phenomena, and in i)ure mathematics, were the subject of iiuich rancorous opposition, occasicmed partly by the incredulity, iuid partly by the jealousy, of would-be rivals. Tlie urbanity and modesty with which he defended himself in the attacks thus made upon him, gained for him at last a roi)utation for humble-minded- ness that would seem mythical were it not substantiated by incon- trovertible evidence. The epithet "child-like" here used, may possibly have been suggested by some of the wonderful stories told of Newton's extreme simplicity of character, or it may refer more 8j)ecifically to the well-known words which he uttered a short time before his death :— "I know not what the world may think of my labours ; but to myself I seem to have been only like a child playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a . smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all unexplored before me." 253. Sagacious . . . God. The greatness of Newton's dis- covery of the law of gravitation lay in this, that, in so far as the knowledge of the time permitted him, he proved it ifn/w,'w/, that is t<. apply to the earth, the moon, and all the planets of the solar system. It was reserved to Herachol, and to the many eminent Hstronomers from Herschel's day to our own, to show that the law IS equally interpretative of world-systems beyond our solar family Tims it is that Newton was the first to establish that which is now reckoned as the basis of »U scientific investigation-<7),c oneness of natural law. I ;| It- ■ 'I 1 J i t! Bf 3 ; i* i; 124 THE TASK. 254. And in His word sagacious. Nowton from an oarl period of liiH lift! |)/ii(l jrreiit iittontioii to t,lioolojj[ic(il Htiidics, ,u\ Hovonvl troiitiscs on prophecy, oliinch liistoiy, ancldivmity, wore let holiind liiin in nmnuHcript ; some of tlieso wore ftfterwards publislii An endoiivor ImH been made to establish tiiat these were the ]>ri, ductiona of his dotage ; but this has been disproved. Sagacious. Tlie root, wliich signifies • to be sharp or ki'in, is not tlie same as in untie, although from modem usage the Wfirdi would seem to be allied. 2r)r»-25(). Whose genius . . . manna. Descriptive of the rd gious nature and spiritual significance of Milton's poetry. U'li Slmkespeare has done for English history, Milton has done fi theology— that is, he lias imposed upon it a conventional charact that has overshadowed the reality beneath. — The metaphor these lines is, no doubt, suggested by the primary meaning "genius," that is, 'a tutelary or protecting spirit.' 25(). Manna. Manna is generally supposed to be derived fn the Ho])rew man 1m, 'what is it'? ^ee Exodns^wi. 15, whe however, "It is manna" should read " What ia tl is?"— In whi sense is the word used here ? 257. Themis. Themis, a fabled goddess, was, in the Hoinerij poems, ' the personification of the order of things established by In custom, and eciuity.' Here, as elsewhere fre(|uently, the word used to denote 'the personification of justice.' 258. Immortal Hale. SUUJIajttlifiHLJiale (1609-1676), wl is referred to, is pronounced by Lord Campbell in his Liven ufi Chief Jiistices, as "certainly the most eminent judge who ever the office [of chief baron]. " He was a man of great learning, ii only in law, in respect of which he seems to have read all that li ever been put into English print, but also in mathematics, and all the sciences that were then studied. He kept strictly uL from the political parties of the time, and was honored with offio both by the commonwealth and by King Charles. He disclirugi his duties as judge with such resolute independence that his nam has beccjiue, like that of his early predeoessor. Gascuif ne, a liousohol word for impartiality, to all time. He was an intimate friend .: most eminent divines of his day, both of the Established CI NDTES. HOOK III. 125 h4. Celebrate. Litomlly •toiroincrowdfi td,' that is, 'to honor with friMiiieiit (uid largo attomlaiicu ' ; a Latin ilorivative. Must find. ExproHH in otJior words. Tomb. A (lirtbrontiated and "appreciated" word, originally (ill (}ruok)iiioaiiing 'nlieop or tiKinml iiiado up of the ashes of a dead body that lia!. Graves. Connect in meaning with entjmue and groove.— Note the contrast lioro between " tomb " and "graves." 2(J(i. General. Litemlly, 'common to the wee, that is to the trhuk race,' as here, and so ecjuivalent to the usual meaning of uaherml ; but more fre(iuently used in a weakened sense. 2(i8. AnjargLBthine. Poetical for 'fadeless.' Amarantos vraa a term ajiplicd by Pliny as descriptive of a sort of "everlasting" flower, the word literally meaning 'not-fading.' Hence Milton uses amarant and amarantine, the true forms ; as in : Immortal amarant ! a flower which once In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, Began to bloom ; but soon for man's offence. To heaven removed, where first it jfrew. —Paradise Lost, Book III. But the word soon had all -h attached to it, in confusion (as Skeat suggests) with the Greek anihos 'flower' [see H. S. 0., IV. 40], and it also became a common word with the poets to denote (as in the lines above) 'an imaginary flower which never fades.' The name is now-a-days popularly given to several kinds of flowers with so-calle d "everlasting" blossoms: as the cock's-comb, the prince's-feather, the love-lies-bleeding, and the globe-amaranth. 270. 'Twas Pilot's question. Refer to John, xviii. 38. 271. Truth itself. Refer to John, xiv. 6. That. Criticise the use ol " 54 and 55.] here. [See H. S. 0., VI. NOTES. BOOK 111. 127 t)B Ht'u iiiu stute- I noun, and thiH 1 yrouve. — Note Deigned. l>.'„'^ i^ P-.-rily, 'to think .-o.%.' The root a^earB in 275. Uncandid. C:2 12S THE TASK. 280-282. That makes . . renroaph ti ]• i. 18; also, r23-2t ^-ntlnans. Refer to /. Corinthians, 283. That. Parse. God's account. Refer to Bevelation, xx. 12 ol'ttitw °""- '"^ '^^ ^"^ ^^- — ^'' ^'^^t i«^ 'in our For the w.dso:„ of this world is foolishness .with God ■ 28f ^t ^^^'^ • • ■ ^''^- ^""^l'^^*^^ ^^'th Ma«/.., xiii. 46 287' niy 7- r '"*^^'" -'' *" '^Pl-Priateness of „«; here. 287. Despised. Despise is hterally «to look down unon ' T»,« agent or doer. Compare with Isak^h, liii 3 ^' ' modifies the object. ' "^ ''^ '=""''«« »' Rktrosi-kutive. — 261-28<> (^\o,.i*^i„■ i.i v«nit,»(Hno,2co.207)M3,^Le™x«.p:;re::,:e:':," 290. Oh. «' In practice authors do not always preserve a distinn tion between th s narticlo Frt K,r ,i„« v , J'"l"«s«rveadistnic. eace ? In nothing does the character of a man or of a nation discover itself more clearly than in the answer given to this question. Arch- bishop Trench has well compared the national temper of the Hebrew and the Greek by this criterion. « The innermost distinc- tion between the (Jreek mind and the Hebrew reveals itself in the several salutations of each; the "Rejoice" [chu-re] of the first, the "Peace" [sMlom] of the second. The clear, cheerful, world- enioying temper of th6 Greek embodies itself in the first ; he could desire nothing better or higher for himself, and thus could not wish it for his friend, than to have joy in his life. But the Hebrew had a deeper longing within him, and one which finds utterance in his ' ' Peace ' " ' This explains to us why the Hebrew race cherished the homa^d family life, as that which best secured to them the happi- ness of peace. And in this respect o urownn ation has had a closer aftinity to the Hebrew than to the Greek mind. We have clung to the sanctities of domestic life, because wo have sought our happi- ,ii: il 1 lit ^1 •A ; i i »1 * , r f , ■ "l < _ *-•«•% 130 THE TASK. noss in that pence which is «meek and consent, hating chan«o ' rather tlian m i)loa8uro .—Ploasuro, *' ' That reeling gmlden^, with the /...neleHH waist And wandering eyes, Htill leaning on the ami Of Novelty, her fickle, frail support. 294. Affect. Here used in a depreciated sense ; . th<^plov^tandiu<, nnde,,^ of which all properties, such as shape, color, size etc .i! niereb. accidents Hence suMa,,i,a is 'permanently enduring.' In what deprecKtted sense is .mhsfnntiaUn sometimes used ? Transient. See (I E. E 195 296-300. But foolish . . . transient joy. Express the meaning of the simile in plain prose. ^ 301 Ssenes. &.«. (Greek .s/,r,,,.) meant primarily ' a covered place' [compare CE. E., 515] ; but the word was early appli^ reference to the old Greek theatres to represent the wdl at the back o the stage, which as it were corercd It /., ;-there was no roof either over the stage itself or over the theatrum or auditorium On this ,..iii, ovoccnc, was depicted the background, or "scenery " ■M«M* NOTES. HOOK III, 131 IB WO sliould say, appropriato to tho play. Honce the word was soon incfcaplioriciilly usocl to donoto any 'prospect'; and thenco by tnnsfcronce it became to bo synonymous with 'locality,' 'place' aid so on. ' i » Nurse. Criticise as to appropriateness of use here. 303. Image. Literally 'a likeness,' ' a resemblance '; tho root notion is seen in Imitnte. ■ r04. Reflections. Develop from tho root notion the meaning in the text. Meliorate. Literally ' make better ' ; from a Latin verb formed from vidiar 'better.' 305. Passions. Literally, ' suflferings ' ; thenco 'deep feelini-s akin to sufferings.' Develop from this tho meaning in tho text. 304-305. The heart ... the mind. Distinguish between '^ heart," " passions," and " mind," as here used. Do tho distinc- tions correspond to real physiological differences ? 301-305. Scenes ... the mind. Particularize the ways in which the "scones" referred to by the poet, produce tho effects iloacribod in these lines. 30()-307. 'Tis his . . . with blood. What degree of truth is tliere in this statement '! 308. Ckmtftgion. 'Disease which spreads In, tunrhinn, that is, l>\l mnmct: See C. E. E., 337. 300. Annihilate. Analyze, 310. Dale. Akin to drll. [A curious bit of word history may ho pardoned hero :-The Oerinau form of ,l<,lr is thai, from which CHIOS thnkr, an abbreviation for Jonchim's-tliakr, a coin first made 111 Joachim's-Thal, in Bohemia, in 1518. And from thaler comes our familiar word dollar, the two being of almost identical prcmun- elation. See Imperial Dictioimry.] 311. Rapt away from. Criticise these words as to appro- jiriatoness of expression. 312. Game-fowl. What is the usual application of this word ? What is its use hero? What birds are "game-fowls," as the word IS hero employed l [Notk.— Some annotators restrict " game-fowl" here to its oixlinaiy moaning, and Hui)i)u»e tlio poet is referring to cock-tighting, a very common amusement of the last century. I do ^^ i^' J 'T 1 ' p SI : ; i,r ^ ' ! 1' « V : li ( j ■ t 1 , 1 ;!i If ,M k.v lUk *V Ej! ; f» : \ 11 \\l .1 ^1 :||fli| m .•| i ! 1 ^¥1*? 182 THE TASK. not think, liDwever, that this is what he meant, as this sport akays hnd more vogue in the town than in the country.] Hatch. Distinguish this word from its homonyms. 314. Page antry. Pageant originally meant 'a scaffold or stage built or impacted of movable parts,' on which the old "mysfcries" were exhibited ; hence, derivatively, ' an exhibition,' ' a shov,' ' a spectacle.' The root appears in pad, 'something put togrthor"; hence, derivatively, 'a contract,' 'an agreement.' 315. Quelled. To qudl is, primarily, the causal form of U qimil. 316. Self-deluded. How so? Nymphs. Nym>fi' is literally 'a veiled one,' that is, '.i bride' (the root appears in the Latin mihS-re 'to marry,' that is literally ' to veil one's self for the bridegroom ') ; but the word, for the most part, was used among the Greeks and Romans to denote one of a numerous class of inferior divinities, imagined to be beautiful maidens, not immortal, but yet endowed with perpetual youth. Nymph was for a long time a favourite word with English writers, especially with those who took their inspiration from the classics, aa a poetical expression for ' maiden,' ' young woman,' and especially for ' beautiful maiden,' ' beautiful young woman.' Sscsins. SuKiin, on the other hand, is an old Saxon word, meaning 'servant-boy,' 'servant'; but it early enlarged its mean- ing and came to indicate ' a young man dwelling in the country '; and then through the influence of pastoral poetry, 'a country lover'; and finally it came to be used as the correlative of nymph, as above. 317. Dream. Discuss as to appropriateness of use here. Qrovea. Orove is akin to the verb grave, and primarily means ' a passage-way cut out, that is, tjraven throvyh, a thick forest.' 318. Spleen. Used here, and often elsewhere, as almost equivalent to our adopted French word e?MW(i ; but more frequently it means ' melancholy,' or * ill-humor.' The word was in very com- mon use in the last century, but is now rarely heard except as a synonym for spite. The term spleen really refers to 'a spongy glandular organ situated in the upper part of the abdomen,' which the ancients thought to be the soivt of m<'la?ioholy. Coiniwrc with the literal and metaphorical meanings of heart. NOTES. HOOK iir. 133 this sport al/vays [ form of to quaU. ai9. The town, of course ' London,' in particular, as the chief I seat of society and fashion. ;{08 319. Should some . . . the town! Point out the words ni these lines that are used in a sense that would not usually be attached to them in plain prose ; also the words that are used as poetical substitutes for other words ; also the metonymies and metaphors. 320. They. They is justly called a demonstrative pronoun ; but in most instances of its use, especially in plain narrative, it refers so evidently to some antecedent, expressed or understood, that "pointing out," or " monstration, " to use an old word, is a scarcely perceptible action of the mind ; in fact the employment o<" the word to indicate an antecedent is now its normal use ; and so distinctively enclitic, as a rule, is its meaning, that in reading it the voice passes over it almost without accent. But in the case before us "they" is assigned a clearly demonstrative function : its grammatical antecedent is its own consequent, and in reading it the voice ] Diiturally gives to it a marked accent. 321. Their. Used with an anticipatoiy meaning, like " they " ill the previous line. Its silence and its shade. In what measure do " silence " I and " shade " really typify tlie delights of the country ? 322. Delights which who would leave ? For some remarks concerning dependent interrogative clauses, see H. S. 0., XVI. 12. This clause has also an exclamatory force. 323. Pity. SeeC.E.E., 40. ■ 324. Cultured. Criticise as to composition. 325, All. Express fully the nieaning of this word here. Savage. Literally * iiertaining to the forest.' The word comes to us, through the French, from a derivative of the Latin siha ■'forest.' 326. Sport. By AphRsresis for dL^poH (from the Latin ^f sympathetic saunds, much less of words or language befitting human beings. Joyjfl l. A term (Latin JovialU) that arose in the old days of astrology to denote a happy or j(jyous temperament, because those who were said to be born under the influence of the planet Jupiter (or Jove) were supposed to be of that disposition. Here evidently used in the sense of ' rollicking,' ' merry to the degree of indifFerence.' ' selfishly indulgent in amusements.' Compare witli satiw^He and lunxciidcd. '5 f fi f TO our kin, cf ;va witUL'HS NOTES. BOOK III. 136 334. Safe. Through the Frencli suuf, from the Latin mlvun (whonue salvation) 'Biife.' One sheltered hare. His own Push. It nmgt not be for- gotten that Cowpcr's keoff-^interost in donieHtic animals was ';i: >l f 1 . lii :tl-' .'w i.: i ;«illll^^ 136 THE TASK. .Un. Familiar. l>,ul,al,ly nnvd l,«ro with soinothing of its prmiury inouning of ' boIciiKiii- (.. tlio hou8ohol(l „r family ' 840 Instinctive. DiHtinguish l.utweon in^tindive impulBes, ami tlu.80 l„i«o.l on .-.rpn-lnur. Acc.unt fur the "instinctive dread" winch tlio haro fools in rognrd to man. ;{4l. Like. Mine. Parse. 342. Bread. IVohahly 'that which is />»<■„•.,/ or fermented.' J*J. ECQlic. An importation from the Dutch ; literally it means 'to bo .,laHik,;' the word heiny originally an adjective (Old Dutch /w 'glad,' or 'merry'). Thou mayst floor. The hare, though instinctively possessed of a. pocnliar dread of n.an and of the dog, yet under knid domestication becomes .p.ite as much at home in a house as a cat. Instances have boon known of cats that have lost their own young tftkuig possession of young hares and becoming their foster- inotheri, and thus securing for them all the freedom of action wo are accustomed to allow to our feline pets. 344. Retire. Literally 'to draw (or pull) back,' but now generally used rertexivoly. The root appears in tear, which is 'to dravf or pull apart.' 845. Straw. Literally ' that which is strawn or strvwn.' Couch. SiM a E. E., 118-120. Slumber. Refer to H. A (;., IV. 45. e. (2). 340. Pledged. The literal meaning of to pledge is 'to give something as security for,' being nearly the same as in the modern Use of to «.(»ft,-i(uoto(l pjiamigu of f/ic IVintvr Walk at Nnon (linoa nCO-OHO) boginning with : — I won id not eiitwr on my list of friiindH (TlioiiRh graciui witli poHhIumI nianniTH and finc^ HcnHH, Yet wanting HeiiHiliility) tlic man Who noHdl()asly setH foot upon a worm— and ending with :— Ye, thoroforf, who love mercy, ttsach yotir Hons To love it too. A friond writes :—" Note on the other hand the absurd lengths to which the love of animals, when it becomes a mere fashionable affectation, carries people. Dainties and needless comforts are lavished upon these pampered pets, wliilo many helpless ones of our own race, children and aged people, suffer and are in want," Retrospective. 2!K)-35l. (1) In what way can domestic life "passed in rural leisure " be more conducive " to thought, to virtue, and to peace," tlian domestic life passed in towns and cities 1 (2) How far can " leisure " be said to be an essential characteristic of " rural life"? (3) How do "many affi-rt to understand and choose" "domestic life in rural leisure passed" "for their own"? (4) Explain the parenthetical clause of lines 25)8-29!). (6) What are the "substantial happiness" and "transient joy," of line 300? (6) How may rural scenes cause reflections which "meliorate the heart"? (7) To wliat phase of English social life do lines 314- 315 refer? (8) What delights did "silence" and the "shade," of line 321, typify in the poet's mind ? (9) What special sports is the poet animailverting upon in lines 325-333? (10) How far is the poet's view of field-sports a just one ? 11 I !,'l .iiii l|i'l# 352, His. Anticipatory in its use also. Refer to Note on "they," line 320, Employments, For the root see C. E. E. , 377 ; thence develop the ordinary meaning. World. From the primary meaning of the word develop the meaning in the text. ]"'■] I ■P?'?**^*r^?*^-'it^'*' 188 THE TASK. 354. Esteems. See C E. K, 70. (ii), and App. B. 355. Friends. Parse. 357. Nature. Parso. Trim. Literally, ' firmly fixed order,' from an old verb ineaninR to strengthen,' ' to set in order.' 358. Dressed. To one who has given no thought to the origins of English words it will seem odd Miat dress and direct should be doublets ; but so they are. Refer to C. JE. E., 397 . ^aI''^', ^'*'™"^ '''" ^"''*'^'' ^>"'* '«' 'breadth-wise' or width-wise ; that is, 'on either hand.' Does " abroad " hero refer to the "Garden" merely, or Im it a wider significance ? 355-358. Friends . . . abroad. Point out clearly the anti- thesis expressed by these lines. Does "in her cultivated trim " interfere with the antithesis ? 357-35^ And Nature ... abroad. Cowper, althougli the Poet of Nature, as his lovers justly call him, is not like Words- worth, the poet of Nature unadorned. " Assistant Art " is always recognized by him as capable of contributing to her sister's beauty 360. Much. Express in detail the elements of this greatness 365-360. Friends ... to enjoy? What is Erotesis ? 361. Me. Parse. of^d^S3' ^^^^ ''^''^ '" ^^^ ''^'''""'*' '"""'^ ^^*^'" dndiosm) Laborious ease. Oxymoron is a favorite rhetorical figure with the older writers. 362. Slothful. Sloth is for slowth, from slot,, as growth is rrom grow. Deceive the time. That is, 'to employ the time so that it passes by unnoticed' ; a pure Latinism (compare with Ovid's decipere diem). This whole sentence seems to be constructed on a Latin model. 363. Waste. Literally ' to turn into a waste, that is, into a desert. 364. Use. Here used in its rare sense of 'interest' ; but per haps either of the ordin.arj- meanings 'using,' or ' service, ' may also be taken. ^ 365. When He shall caU. Refer to II. Timothy, iv. 1. NOTES. BOOK III. 139 1. 1 ' ■ ' '! -1 ■f 370. Impeded. See 0. J?. J?. , 366. 871. Diwilged. Tliat is ' made vulijar or commini to all people.' {hntin vulgitu, ' tho common people.') In vain. Here used as oquivalent to ' idly,' in a snhjedive sense, that is, 'in levity,' 'without fit consideration'; as also in EmhIim, XX, 7 :— "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy (lod in vain." Generally the words are to be taken in an objective sense, as equivalent to ' to no purpose,' 'ineffectively,' 3(;9-371. Though slack . . . in vain. Alluding pathetically, yet with dignity and in perfect taste, to his tendency to melan- cholia. It will be remembered that ho had already suffered two loiif^ lapses into insanity. 372. Point. A word of many secondary meanings, the origin of some of them being hard to see into ; here used in the sense of 'aim,' 'purpose,' as in the sentence :—" You will gain your point if you persist." The service of mankind. Cowper's ideal of " service to mankind " was not perhaps an exalted one ; but considering the exceeding sensitiveness of his nature, the somewhat narrow ideas of the sect amidst which circumstances seemed to place him, and considering moreover his inability to engage in any more public employment of his gifts than that which fate and choice united to P'.cure for him, there can be no doubt that he most nobly lived up to his ideal. And surely " visiting the poor, ministering to the sick, and praying at tlie bedside of the dying," in which occu- pation, he is described as spending much of his time, are no mean employment even of the most brilliant talents ; though it may well be doubted whether Newton's influence in requiring him to lead public devotions, when such services caused him hours of mental trepidation before each occasion of their performance, was a provocation to good works sufficiently well considered. 373. Attends to his interior self. Comprehensive of the two explanatory clauses following, of which "heart" and "mind" are the leading words. 370. Dissipated. Literally ' thrown or swept asunder,' that , 'dispersed in worthless fragments.' 373-377. He that . . . has business. It is not often that there is to be met with so just an appreciation of what the busi- is ; 1 H ^1 \l H ■\%\ n * 1 life ( 1... ^ii i u ii mm^^^^WT^^^in "W. 140 THE TASK. neas of life ought to bo. Should wo all make this conception of life our idoiil, and tlion strive to win our ideal, our lives would be fur from ))oing spout in viiin ; iind, moreover, they would be whole- Homo, hnppy lives. 377. ^ngaged. Litomlly 'bc.und by a pledge,' (jcuje being 'a pledge.' "" Achieve. See C. E. E., 314. 37!>. Turbulence. Derive. 380. To be praised. Parse. Is tins phrase snhdantive or udjedhe in character i Refer to //. .V. G., VIII. 35. 2. a. 381. "Wisdom is a pearl. The comj)arison of wisdom with precious metals and stones is a frequent rhetorical artifice. Com- pare with Joh, xxviii. 12-11), and Prooerbn, viii. 11. 383. Storms. Tlic root notion appears in dir and drew; what i.s it? 384. Dives. The root notion appears in deep and dip; what is it? 382-384. Water. Clear. Storms. Dives. Brings up. Justify the use of those words. 381-385. But wisdom . . . prize. The artificiality of this metaphor, its entire strangeness to anything of which the poet could have liad experience, is exceptional in his writing, especially in The Tank. Cowper was eminently a natural poet (idiosyncratic, one might say); and perhaps would have been so to a degree beyond that which he reached, had it not been for the excessive artificiality of his contemporaries and predecessors, whose witings, though he professed to ignore them , must liave had an influeroe upon him, though it may have been an unconscious one. " I reckon it," he once wrote, " among my principal advantages as a composer of verses, tliat I have read no English poet these thirteen years, and but one these twenty years. Imitaticm, even of the best models, is my aversion ; it is servile and mechanical— a trick that has enabled many to usurp the name of an author, who could not have written at all, Iiad the)" mrt written upon tlic i;attcrii of aoraebody indeed original. But when the ear and the taste have been much on NOTES. IKJOK III. 141 accustomed to the manner of otliors, it is almost impoHsiMo to avoid it; and wo imitate in spite (.f ourselves, just in proportion as we ftdmire." Rktrohi'Rctivk.- ;J52-;wr). (I) Wliat is Cowpor's justification in esteeming "the busy w..rld" "an idler 'W (2) What does the pas- »igo in linos 355-300 reveal to us in respect of the breadth of Cuwpor'B.vjmpuflnr.'tf When writing of happiness, enjoyment, and the like, in what degree do his Hymi)athie8 extend below the social class to which ho belongs I (3) In wliat remarkable passage in the Bible is tlie doctrine of life, contained in lines 3()3-;j(J5, speci. fically taught / (4) In what ways (besides those referred to in the Notfi on line 372) had the poet hithert.. employod his mind for " the service of mankind"? (5) To what extent is the sentiment of linos 379-385 a true one? 38(i. Self-sequestered. How far is tliis epithet essential to the drift of the poet's argument ! 387. Intend. Refer to //. S. (/., XVI. 10. 388, Inclement. Recommend. Though Cowpir had read but few English poets, those that he had read and admired— Milton, Thomson, Churchill— everywherf display, d much of that fondness for Latinisms and words of l,atin derivation which was 80 prominent a feature of English style in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ; and althougli he was tlie first to set going the reaction in i-.ivor of a style more racy of English soil, he natur- ally fell in with, and adopted in no small degree, the phraseology which for so long a time had b on looked upon l)y English writers as classic ; for, as he himself has said, "perhaps there may be an apparent resemblance [tlsat w, to the style of his preilecessors], for, although I have imitated nobody, I have not affectedly .iitfered." 391. Converse. In its sense here, almost confined to poetry. Lymph. Long supposed to be allied to nymph ; now thought to bt allied to UmpuL In its classical use it meant ' clear, pure spring-m< 142 THE TASK. tip 'hating company.' As human character degrades or ameliorates, words that describe it may, also, degrade or ameliorate in their meaning. Perused. Analyze. 394. In selfish silence. Making clearer the image expressed by "sullenly." Imparted. Parse. 395. Aught. Literally ' a whit,' as nanaht means * not a whit. ' Whit, primarily wild, meant first a 'person,' then a 'thing,' a 'bit.' SoeH.S. G.,yi. 66. b. To hear. Parse. [Refer to H. S. G., XV. 12 (page 347, near end).] 396. Turn. Parse. Digested. Refer to H. S. G., XV. 23. 398. Repaid. What word in the sentence does " repaid " Ivrjl- colly modify? Attends. By poetical usage for 'attends to.' 399. Welcome. Literally 'well come.' [Note.— Though this etymology has been disputed, Skeat, in his .latest work, agrees with it.] 397-399. Or if . . . call. Point out the personal metaphor in these lines. 400. Xiubbard. From lubber, 'a clumsy awkward fellow,' a term of reproach or derision. Sailors use lubber to denote 'one who does not know seamanship.' Liibbard was probably coined by the poet after the analogy of dwjgard ; at all events, it is a rare word. 401. Loitering. Loiter by some etymologists is thought to be allied to late, as limjer is connected with lomj. Skeat, however, considers the word from which it is derived to signify 'to delay,' 'to deceive,' ' to vacillate.' "The original sense was 'to keep on stooping or sneaking about,' 'to act like a hmt,'" that is, like 'a stooping fellow.' Either conclusion presents a clear image to the mind, but the former agrees more nearly with tlie modern use of the word, which implie.H m innral delinquency, only ladnesa. 402. Unskilful. Analyze. — For the strange family relation- ships which this word may claim, refer to 0. E. E., 518, imeliorates, ite in their e expressed not a whit. ' ng,'a 'bit,' ;e 347, near paid " lorji hough this ork, agrees letaphor in fellow,' a enote ' one ' coined by t is a rare light to be ', however, ' to delay,' to keep on is, like 'a iiage to the iern use of lesa. f relation- NOTES. BOOK III. 143 386-402. The morning . . . strength. This is another anacoluthic sentonco [refer to Note on linos 1-16] ; and the punc- tuation by "full stops" increases tlio (Utticulty of analysis. For the sentences introduced by " whetlier," line 388, and "or," line 397, refer to H. S. G., XIV. 16. f. (page 328, at end) ; but it is uncertain whether these sentences should be considered as noun sentences in apposition with "task," line 387, or as noun sentences used adverbially, and modifying the concessive clause "intend what task he may." In line 392, after " then," some such word as "passing," "hurrying," "betaking himself," may be supplied; and, in prose construction, "well chosen" would need to be pre- iixed by some such words as "which is always," and "sullenly perused" by "is not," and "imparted oft" by "is." 403. Govern. See C. E. K, mi. 404. Performs. See ('. E. E., 382. Works. Parse. 405. Tough. How were English words ending in -oi/;//i formerly pronounced f [See H. 8. (l, IV. 43. b,, and C. E. E., 64.] To toil. Parse. Does the meaning depend upon the parsing ? 406. Employ. Refer to 2Vo' - --;-> -^ 410 With pleasure . . . afford. The training of the bnxnches along the garden walls is work in which great skill and ta te as well as deep knowledge of the manner of growth of trees can be most advantageously employed. 411. Himself. Does this refer to the logical subiect of the ZT''%''^v:tr'''''''''' '"•^"'" "- •'"'' - i« ifuBed g : erally and indefinitely, introducing a comparison ? 412. Peculiar. Literally 'one's own.' • Refer to 0. E E 357 413 Discipline. The root meaning appears in disdpl. (Latin chsnpnU^) 'a learner'; from this develop the meaning in the text Jt M^ety-- ""^^^"^ ^'--'^' ^" ^^-I'— nt,' Prolific. Refer to 0. E. E., 256 and 189. Jit l^^f^'^f: ^T''' '^' "^•^^"'"'^ "^y - ''^^^- ^-/'^"> means literally, 'to make worse ' (Latin /m-, with intensive force, Anapeior 'worse. ' Unrelenting. What image is suggested by this word ? 417. Dooms. Domi, the noun, is literally 'something dove, sot. or decided o„> ; and hence ' a judgment.' The root appears in iro, ficed, and deem. Knife. The root appears in m> and «/6Wc, the ;t- being dropped m these words. Refer to C. E. E., 58. (a). aropped 418. Suooulent '.Tuicy.' The "similarity of sru^culent and ..c^ IS not accidental ; they have a common, though far-off, origin. Giant. RefertoO. JS^. ^.,389,and58.(a). • quinces, i' A.lluding to tho ig gardens witli . shelter and an decrease of 7° for the produc- rees are trained ume any design word, meaninj,' r rani])art, and raining of thu great skill and lowth of trees, lubject of the is it used gen- a E. E., 357. disciple (Latin Ig in the text. temperament,' luse. Impair tensive force, vord ? fiething dmif, »ot appears in eing dropped itccuUnt and ir-off, origin. NOTES. BOOK III. 145 419. Neighbouring. Neighbour is literally * a ni*fh boor'; " boor" being 'a husbandman,' 'a farmer,' — the same word as the Dutch hom' or boer (for example, the Boers of South Africa). Twigs. The root notion appears in tim, twain, tmitie; henco twigs are ' the little branches made by the dividing of the larger branches into tioos.' 420. Studded. A word originating in the old practice of orna- menting doors, gates, trunk lids, and other coverings which needed to be strengthened by nails, with a superfluity of sbtds, — a " stud " being literally a • prop,' but used also to denote 'a nail with a large head.' Hence we speak of the sky as " studded with stars." 421. Gems. Used here in its literal sense of ' buds.' Account for its metaphorical employment to denote ' precious stones when cut and polished.' Best. Refur to 0. E. E., •?; - and 139.— Distinguish from its homonym. 412-426, Tlies«-th«pefc.\ . , . swelling buds. To appre- hend the force of these lines it must be remembered that, in England, the cultivation of fruit trees — apples, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, (juinces, nectarines, and peaches — by protecting them with walls, against which they are trained, is pursued with an art and an interest uf which we in Canada have no conception. The trees are made to assume the most beautiful patterns, of which, however, a few, such as the horizontal and the fan styles, are more common than others. Pruning is, of course, the ars artium in all these matters. 427. Hence. Justify as to use here. Autumn. Refer to C. E. K, 399.* 428. Winter. Primarily, 'the wet season'; perhaps, also, the word is allied to ^vind. Withered. Literally ' weathered,' and so very appropriate here. fVeather is related to wind. 429. Blushing. Although blush is related to blaze, it literally means only that evanescent ^re-6ia^e, which is bright for a moment and then fades away. With blushing . . . not his own. A beautiful line, which, though tho poet attributes it to Virgil, is sutficiently original to render such an ascription unnecessary. m p f 1 ^;^ Wl I 146 fi^ if I THE TASK. 430. Recompense. Parse. Bestowed. Literally, ' stowed away,' and used here almost in that sense. 431. Precaution. Refer to C. E. E., 315. 432 dune. A poetical word. What other poetical words are to be found m this passage (lines 38G-445) f ^liffi^^SO rude. The poet's home was at Olney, in north Buckinghamshire, in the basin of the Onse, where not only is the winter fitful and ften inclement, but where also chilling wet wmds in spring, blowing from the North Sea, make successful horticulture, or even agriculture, a matter of great uncertainty 433. Churlish. Refer to i/. S. U., IV. 40. d.,alsotolV. 43. b Froward. Literally, fmm.-xmnl (fro 'from'); hence 'the opposite of toward'; that js ' 7,>,toward,' ' perverse,' ' disagreeable ' 434 Discovering. Here used almost in its literal sense ; refer to 0. E. E., 7. Tej»per. "Theories, too, which long since were utterly renounced, have yet left their traces behind them. Thus the words (looil humor, had humor, humor,, and, strangest contradiction of all DRY humor, rest altogether on a now exploded, but a very old ami widely extended, theory of medicine ; according to which there were four principaLmowtures or '/.„/«,;,«' in the natural body on the due proportion and combination of which the disp..8ition alike of body and of mind depended. And temper, as used by us now has Its origin in the same theory; the due admixture, or rinht tempenrnj, of these, gave what was called the happy temper "or mixture, which, thus existing inwardly, manifested itself also out- wardly. In the same manner distemper, which we still employ in the sense of sickness, was that evil frame, either of a man's body or of hia mind (for it was used alike of both), which had its risb in an unsuitable mingling of these humors. Li these instances, as in many more, the great streams of thought and feeling have chaDged their course, and now flow in quite other channels from those which once they filled, but have left these words as lasting memorials of the channels in which once they ran."— The.vcu.— 0;t th,: m>'.hi of tVords. ' 435. Her. Why the feminine form 'I [Refer to H. S a VI 24. (2).] . . ., VI. ro almost in al words aro y, in noriJi ; only is the ihilling wet i successful ftainty, ;o IV. 43. b. hence ' the aagreeable. ' ense ; refer iro utterly s the words 3tion of all, Bry old and hich there il body, on sition alike by us now, a, or rifiM temper, 4)r !f also out- employ in I's body or I risb in an ices, as in 'e changed rom those memorials S. Cr., VI. NOTES. liOOK iir. 147 430. Had reversed its course. Explain. 437. Infants. Primarily 'those that do not speak.' Refer to C.£:.}ped English gardens, tem- porary copings aro, in spring, attached to tiie tops of the inner sides of the walls, and to the edges of these again screens of thin canviw are fastened, to be lowered (when occasion may require) toward even- ing and lifted again in the morning. 441. Plenteous. Refer to C. E. K., 37(!. Blast, lilant, blow, hlain (as in "chilblain"), /,/„-,., hlider, hliiafer, aro all akin ; what is the common notion i 442. Garlands. Garland (etymology uncertain) generally im- plies the notion of wrmtUmj or plaitiHu, as of flowers, leaves, or twigs.— Criticise as to the appropriateness of its use here. 442-443. As. As. Mild. Parse. 444. Perjoe. An abbreviation for (Irfmre; here used in its primary and general sense of 'guard,' 'protection.' Beam. Hmm literally means 'a .straight, strong piece of timber, as a post, a tree,' the root appearing also in Imom, : i)ut it has ))ecome speciali:-39() give evidence of ! (4) What inferences may bo drawn from the passage, in lines 404-445, respecting (a.) the poet's love of nature ; (/>) his skill in investing descriptions of the affan-s of every-day life with something of poetic charm ? [Notk.— One way of testing Ixow far a passage like this is poetical, is to re-writ (5 a i\i ■Hi M i ' it * s ! 1 t 1 ■iS#»l«s*ffei^ 148 THE TASK. it, setting forth precisely the same ideas, but using prose methods of construction, awl substituting for all poetical expressions their prose substitutes. For example, one of the sentences in the lines I referred to may ho thus expressed :- " All parts that ehow signs of I weakness or disease, and those that are too old to lioiu-, he thoroughly I prunes away ; and, moreover, such soft, sappy branches, as by their I luxuriant growth give promise of producing nothing but wood ad I leaves, ho removes also since these are thrifty at the expense of I others which, though they may be loss showy, are yet thick with ■ buds that will in time ripen into fruit."] 446-565. To raise the prickly .... when produced. This passage has been a sort of stumbling-block to critics, jn that they have not been able to reconcile its grandiose phraseology v Ji the commonplace subject of which it treats. There is no doubt that the choice of the subject was due to the poet's fondness fin- his horticultural recreations, but the dignified treatment which he bestowed upon it, was, in large part, the outcome of his sense of humor,— his good taste led him to assume the mock- heroic style as the only one suitable. 446. Gourd. The name of the family of plants, of which the melon, the pumpkin, and the cucumber, ar6 members. Here used, of course, representatively, for ' cucumber.' 448-449. Else base . .' . vulgar merely. Jocular, and slightly satiric. 450. Toiling ages. Continuing the mock-heroic vein. Matured. Scarcely true, as the poet would have learned, perhaps with some little mortification, had he lived till now, when cucumbers are raised in edifices no more resembling his simple hot-bed than a modern railway train resembles an eighteenth century .stage-coach ; and so specialized has our age become that if no further " iissays in song " have been ventured upon the subject of "the prickly and green-coated gourd," it may claim at least a literature of its own in prose. 451 . Unassayed. Assay and essay are identical in origin and often used as synonymous in meaning, though now more com- WMf^ prose methods pressions their J8 in the lines show signs ol ho thoroughly 108, as by their but wood ad he expense of et thick with 1 produced. ck to critics, its grandiose ich it treats, fas due to the the dignified t, the outcome ime the mock- , of which the . Here used, Jocular, and vein. lave learned, ill now, when ig his simple n eighteenth )ecome that if n the subject aim at least a in origin and w more com- N0TE8. HOOK llf. I4d monly the two words are Bjjecialized. Compare with //. >S', n, like formed, is it which is 3 growth of jceive their from it ? NOTfiS. noOK* itT. 161 4(!7. Deciduous. Account for the application of this word as liero used. Now. Justify as to use. November. Explain as to derivation. 408. Checks. C/iwA: is literally 'king'; account for its present use. [It is a corruption of the Persian word shah 'king.' In chess, a very ancient game, when the king of an o))ponent is in danger, the assailant cries out "check," that is, 'shuh,' or 'king.' Hence '' tu check a i)erson " is ' to put him in some danger,' ' to stop lus progress,' * to defeat his intention.' [See C. E. E., 52.] Plant. Explain fully the use of this word here. Plate, plane (the treo),2>lace, plant, plaster, plafeav, jdatlna, platitude, all have a conunon notion ; show its force in each case. 4(58. Checks . . . plant. How ? 470. Warily. What words are cognate in derivation I Prudent. Kefer to C. E. E., 417. 471. He. "What is the grammatical antecedent ? Favoured. Criticise as to appropriateness of use here. 472. Agg lome rated. The root appears in the Latin f/iomiw, (jlomer-ls, 'a ball of yarn '; also in ^io6e.— Show the appropriateness in the use of the word here. 473. Meridian. See V. E. E., 410, and //. 8. G., [V. 43. b. and d. 476. Impervious. Analyze. Bids spread. Refer to H. S. G., XV. 4. d. How does the present phrase come under the rule 'I 470. Pem. The word, perhaps, primarily meant ' feather.' Littered. Litter is primarily 'a portable bed'; obtain from this the meaning in the text. I mbib e. Why not " absorb " ? 477. Ascending. Analyze. 475-477. First he . . . damps. Explain how the "littered straw" covld imbibe the " ascending damps." 477. The ascending damps. Why should the "ascending damps " be prejudicial to the purposes of the hot-bed I Moisture ia essential to fermentation ; it cannot go on without it. :'■ i :lpi I I' If if 152 THE TASK. 477-478. Leisurely. Lightly. Why "leisurely"? Why " liglitly " / [Tlio latter, to Hocuro a supply of air in the interstices of the "saturated straw," by which the rapidity of the fermenta- tion is increased.] 478. Shaking. Parse. [fJrannnatically and logically it must motlify the omitted subject of "spread," line 475, and "impose." line 477. Constructions such as this are rare.] Agile. What rhetorical touch is there in the use <.f this word i Why not " skilful " or " rapid " I 480. What longest binds the closest, forms secure. This IS an awkward sentence. In all the annotations 1 have seen "what longest" is taken as e(|uivalent to "what is longest"; this, it seems to nie, would imply an unwarrantable ellipsis of thJ verb, and would also imply another unwarrantable ellipsis of a coordinating conjunction before "forms secure"; and, moreover, it would join a general statement to a particular one. The only solution that occurs to me, and an unsatisfactory one at that, is to take " longest " as an adverb of time, and the whole clause " what longest binds the closest" as the subject of "forms." Secure. In what sense is "secure ' used here / 482. By just degrees. Explain. 483. Sheltering. Parse. Projected. Why is the pant participle used ? Eaves. Refer to //. S. G., V. 44. 485. Clear. Translucent. Are the ^-»v, epithets necessary ? 486. Settles. Settle is not a freciuentative verb, as might be supposed from its lorm ; it means literally ' to seat one's self ' hence 'to adjust,' 'to fix.' ' 487. Sharp. What is the meaning here / Secure. Parse and explain. 488. Dashed. How far does the proleptic use of the word add to the poetic element in the statement I Deluge. Literally, ' a washing away, or asunder, ' See CEE 273. ■' 489. And the first labour ends. This clause .-xnd tbf» next are classical reminiscences; the epic style is continued with unflagging gusto. NOTKS. HOOK III 153 y " ? Why interstices B fernienta- illy it must "impose," tliis word ? 8 secure. have seen ^ longest"; il>si8 of the llipsis of a loroover, it The only that, is to luse " what necessary ? might be one's self,' word add eeC.E.E:, d the next lued with 4!>0. Voluble. A IranHlution of the Latin )o/if/»(:/!i,s, 'turning,' ' whirling.' What is the present uso of tho word ? 491. Axle. This word, whidi is now used as i'(|uiviilont to the Latin uxin, originally meant 'tho siioukler,' or 'the shoulder- joint.' Wherein consists tlie rohitionsiiip > Warmth. What causes it > 492. Gathering, Not often used in tiiis sonse. lUfer to Lt. S. (1., VIIJ. 3., near end. Square. See ('. E. E., 333. Has "wiuaro" any poetical value here ? Mass. The root meaning api)car.s also in micemti; viacnnmi, and m(w;i7iar;/ ('pertaining to the jaw-bone') ; what is it/ 4!)4. Peatilfiat. Corrosive. Used here for the sake of effect, with some exaggeratifm of their literal meaning. 495. Gross. Trace tho relationship to (jrocer. Fog Boeotian. I take the liberty of reproducing the follow- ing note from Mk. Shaw'.s excellent edition of The Garden. :— " The atmosphere of B(jeotia was moist and thick, and the Athenians [the literary people of fJreece] used to attribute the dulness of the B(uotian8 to their heavy atmosphere, , . . Notwithstanding its reputation for dulness Bojotia produced many very celebrated persons : Hesiod, Pindar, Corinna, Epaminondas, Pelopidas Plutarch, etc." Fast. The development oi font 'quick,' hom fad 'firm' (as in mc-dfad) is very curious. Skeat traces it through the meanings 'close,' 'urgent,' thus.— 'firm,' 'close,' 'urgent,' 'quick.' 496. Dewy. In what way is this word aitpropriate here/ 497. Asks egress. Of what value is the personal metiiphor here .' Which. Parse. 498. Drenched. Conservatory. use of these words. 499. Dgjik. Literally ' dewy.' Dank is a nasalized form of a Swedish word dacjg 'dew,' whence our datjijle ' to -moisten.' The word is now almost restricted to poetry. Refer to H. S. G., VIIL 7. c. Breathes. Show the art employed in tho '■ :*t ^i 154 TIIK TAHK. l\ 5tM). Purified. Pursu. RpioiceB. Show tho iipin >|)riatoiio88 t.f fchJN word horu. To have lost. Parso. [lU-for to //. .S. (,'., XV. 12., at oml | 502. Fervour. SIk.w otymoloxiciilly tho litmm« of this word here. For Homo oiirioiiH roliUionsliipH, ,soo C K. E., 414. 603. Reeking. Litorally, Himply 'oinittiiiH viiiK.iir ' ; tho word is now 1,'oiiorally UHod witli tliis im'aiiiiif,' j^-routly iiitoiisiliod. 504. Discreet. Coiiii)aro witii, and diHtinguish from, itn douhlot ,'od it to a uumma.] 507. Prompt. Derive ; also dovolo'p from tho primitive moan- ing tho moaning in tho toxt. Catch. .Show tho otymologioal rolationship of rotrh to duiKr. 508. A liSpic ioUB. Among tho Romans from the very oarliost times the belief prevailed that tho flights of l)ii(l8 g^vo intimation of tho will of tho gods. Hence the (iiiyufs (Latin aiKjmr.i) or 'bird-cry noters' (sometimes called aiiqiirfu or 'l)ird watchers') [see 0. E. E,, 5«in], were of great social and religious importance ; and as they wore careful not to pretend to toll ivhat wm yohig to h(ii>j»'ii, but only what men ought lo ,in, or our,ht not to ,lo, their art was rarely brought into discredit, for there could l)e no way of proving that their opinions were not correct. The observations which they took of the actions of tho binis were called (niHpicin (literally ' bird-watchings '), and the signs or omens which they professed to deduce therefrom were also called (utxplria. Henco anything was ompicatus, that is, 'fortunate,' 'favorable,' or 'auspicious,' when it was done in accordance with favorable omens {nmpiriii), or "auspices," as we say. Our word nmpirimin comes from our word umpur, and the latter is the Latin word (irnqyicinm (the plural of which is nmpirw, as above) shortened by passing through a French phase. SOS-.'JlO. Tempered heat. Vital motion. Soft fermenta- tion. Show the appropriateness and correctness of these phrases . [It is the re-awakening of the vitality of the embryo, and the SteS--; ore. 2., al uiid. 1 ihJH word ; tlio word iud. from, it,H ill lllofor itiiiii " 1 ;t)d it, ti. a itivo iiioaii- Ui c/iUKr. cry oarliest iiitiiiiutioii iiiijrircn) «»r watchers') nportaiice ; VM (Jl)i)l{) to o, their art no way of bservatioiis 3d nnkpkid vhich tJiey a. Hence arable,' or vble omens mis comes niijqncinm jy passing irmexita- e phrases. , and the NoTJSM. IIOOK lir. 155 flwellin^ and fermentation of the alhumimiUB nutritive matter of the seed stored within or aliout the t!iid)ryo, that are the first steps in the proct-HH of germination. Tiicsi) actionw will not take placf? except nndor favorable conditions of heat and moisture. See Macokn it Si'iitton's liofiiini, 12 and 158.) MO. Invite the seed. Strictly speaking, what is it that is invited I 611-r.l2. Plump. Smooth. Glossy. In what degree are these esMential epitiiets ( nu. Treasured long. Oood earth is alway •' truit r.-ed" by the careful gardener, '.'sing much rarer than ib ,'e'u mlly -aught. [What are the essential qualitiis of good earth I] Bio. And drunk . . . clouds, of thefertih.'Rty«or;i,ituents of good earth the most itni)ortant are perhapn tl.. organic salts (tJic numate and the ulmate) into which ammonia enters as a compound. Iti tliis condition the ammonia ia non- volatile, but on the other hand it is exceedingly easily washed out by water. 51t).517. The warm ... it all. The spreading of the earth over the manure is told by inference, only. What is the rhetorical (or poetical) value of this artifice I Manure. Here used with the accent on the first syllable ; perhaps purposely bo, in order to give to the word a novel or strange sound, and thus relieve it of its repugnant associations. — The verb mannrf nwdiia literally 'to work by the hand,' tiiat is, 'to till.' The word is a contraction of nui nif.ii.nr, which once meant ' to work by the band,' being derived from a noun form meaning 'aw()rking by the hand'; the latter word came to us through the French from the Latin intiauopnn {nuiiiii.t ' luuuV and opera 'a working') a word of the same meaning. 518. As time subdues. How I 5iy. Rage. See V. K. A'., 70. (iv). Plunges. Parse, 620. Medium. Show in what way this word is appropriate here. r)21. Tender. Derive. [See C. E. E., 58. (c).] 522. Spongy lobes. Immediately after the vitalization of the embryo begins, the cotyledons expand (by a sort of fermentation), I' l|: i ' 1 f ' ■' H' ■"if I 1 .;■.!, S'^fS***^ ii5G The task* and the inifritivo matter which (in the case of tjie cucumber) they contain is thus proparod for the sustenance of tlio plant's life. 523. Pale. From Latin pdlllihiH ' pale ' ; refer to ('. A'. E., 70. (i). Wan. In what sense docs iran dilt'er from pair I Livid. lAhmlUj ' bluish ' ; is tiiis meaning appropriate here / 524. Balmy. How far is this word approi)riato here I Nutritious air. How can it bo said that the air affords " nutriment " to the " spongy lobes" ? 525. Strained . . . mats. Explain. [When the hot-bed is iully formed, and tho seeds have germinated, there must be opened in the sashes imtiMors, both to admit fresh air, and to keep the air within at a sufficiently low temperature to ensure a not too rapid growth. To prevent this access of air from being too severe (for it will be remembered that the i^et's operations are referred to an inclement season), vuits, of coarsely woven material, are some- times placed over the openings.] Vivid. Literally, almost the same as vihd ; develop the meta- phorical meaning. A vivid green. Is it true that the " air " causes the " vivid green " of the lobes ? [The green coloring matter of plants is due to tho presence of chlorophyll, which is normally present in the superficial cells of all leaves ; but it owes its development to the action of smdujht rather than of air.] ^^ 520. Two leaves . . . leaves. Explain. Justify the use of "rough" and "indented" here.— In what sense are the "spongy h)bes " not true leaves / 527. Second. In what sense is "second " appropriate here ? 528. A pimple. What is this ? Sprout. Sprout, spurt, spout, are all allied ; refer to H. S. G., IV. 43. a. (for spurt), and to C. E. E., 58. (a), (for spout). 530. Branches. Primarily 'arms' (Latin />r<(t;/u« 'the arms'). —Why should a b'nuu:hed stalk be preferred to one of natural growth/ [In practice it is usual -.repeat the "pinching" with the bram-hes, and even with the sub-branches.] 531. Harbingers. Refer to C. E. E., IGf. 536. Blown . . . apparent frui$. The "fruit" of the cucumbar is a true botanioftl fruit, being simply an expanded "'0M iuinber) they t's life. KK,:0.{i). riato hero .' ! air affords hot-bed is jt bo oponod to kt'ep tho a not too g too severe i referred to 1, are soiue- [) the nieta- the "vivid •lants is due sent in the inent to the r the use of le "spongy ite here ? H. s. a., ). the anus '). of natural ling" with t" of the expanded NOTES. HOOK III. 157 ovary whoso wall is thickened, tho rind being hard, but tho interior juicy and lioshy. Tho flowers of the cucumber are " imper- fect," that is, some are "pistillate," and some are "staminate"; but being " monrocious," both sorts are to be seen together on the same plant. On tho pistillate blossoms tho rudimentary fruit, or developing ovary, may be seen before tho petals of the corolla drop off; these are the "golden flowers" at tho "summit of tho apparent fruit." For an account of tho blossoming of the cucumber, see Maooun & SroTTON',s Botany, 52-55. 537. Theflg have their sexes. Referring to the "staminate flowers" and "pistillate flowers" described in the previous Notr,. 538. The fertilizing meal. ' The polkn.' Pollen is Latin for ' meal ' or ' flour.' 538-540 The bee . . . appointed use. Tho pollen of the staminate blossoms is convoyed by bees and other insects, or by the wind, to the stigmas of tho other sort of blossoms ; hence the fertilization of the latter seems to bo more or less accidental, but nature takes advantage of many such caHualties in the working of licr economy. 542. OflBce. Here employed with something of its technical significance of 'business,' '8acrei NOTES. HOOK III. 159 insuitability uent style, usual collo- l especially ind phrases " Gru-dge, re base," — i"? ;heir corres- one mvay ' ans ' work E. E., 529. H. E., 373. ppropriate. ct ' ; hence for protec- ioii, stores, 'obably the 1 from the e develop- adjective, lily, as the ise rarely), here. t divide ' ; 3Xt. 30? 501. Devises. What is the force of tie- here ? [Refer to 0. E, E., 124 and 122.] 562. Learned. Here (as also in line 183) pronounced as a monosyllable ; but usually in this sense pronounced as a dissyllable. 563. Sarcastic . "But seek, I would further urge you, to attain a consciousness of the multitude of words which there are, that, however now used only in a figurative sense, did ye* Mriginally rest on some fact of the outward world, vividly i^resentiug itself to the imagination ; a fact wliich the wf>rd has incorporated for ever, having become the indestructible vesture of a tlunight. If I may judge from my own experience, there are few intelligent boys in your schools who would not feel that they had gotten something, when you had shown them that to i insult means i)roperly ' to lettp as on the prostrate body of a foe ' ; to affront, ' to strike him on the face ' ; that to succor means ' by rn)miu as to mean and hence ficent. ' words with little oddly, 38 of other shrub bear- around the zed for the the mildest ry at feasts IS of flowers sed for this ;le depends id studded ppearance. A'riting to- day use these words with propriety in the sense in which they are here used ? 673. Ruddier. Paler. Justify the comparative forms. Lime. Perhaps used hei-e for "?e?nou," the words being etymo- logically the same. The orange, the lemon, and the lime, are all viirietips of the citron ; the lime is much smaller than either the orange or the lemon. 574. Polished. Refer to C. E. E., 189. Polished foliage. Explain. 570-575. The spiry myr vie . . . fear. Reaxlers of these lines will be instantly reminded of Mignon's song : — Kennst dn das Land wo die Citionen bllihn, Im dunkeln Laub die Goldorangen gliihn, Ein sanfter Wind voir, blauen Himmel weht, Die Myrthe still und hoch der Lorbeer steht ? Kennst du es wohl ? Dahin ! Dahin ! Mocht' ich mit dir, (j mein Geliebter, ziehn. To attempt a translation would be to spoil the rhythm, .and upon their rhythm much of the beauty of these lines depends. 576. Amomum. ^'^oiiilUH' (literally ' the /(ed^iu;/ plant') is a general name for a genus of plants remarkable for the pungency and aromatic properties of their seeds, and belonging to an order of which the ginger plant and the tumeric plant may be taken as representatives. They have been much cultivated in English hot- houses on account of their beautiful flowers. 677. Geranium. The Bdmufoiiinm is perhaps here meant, since all the rarer varieties of the Geranium cultivated in hot-houses are of the order Pelargonium. The Pelar gonium was first introduced into England from South Africa, where it grows abundantly as a native. [See Public School Geography, page 151.] The modern parti-colored pelargoniums are the result of long years of skilful cultivation ; in the poet's time their blossoms were doubtless unvariegated,. ,578-.579, The spangled beau, Pisoides. This probably refers to the Icfizplajit, which is remarkable ''for the watery vescicles which cover its surface and which have the appearance of granules ri:li|] fte I MMULUIlffiBBaaBgi 1^ Si^ i I k 102 of ioo (iiid Hpaiklo in t,| THE TASK. „. ., „, fH»,s.iinoi,ia,morint,ho8un." Tho cultiva-..,' J.c..Hl..M.al havo floshy loav.H, a.ul h.umo ..f Munu l.avo hoautif.! """oir,; ],ko tlio i.daiKom,„„„, t,l,..y, f„„, ^anu. fr,..a South Afri. . fKSO. Of every leaf. .hiHtify -leaf ' hero. , ^f;- ^^""i'l' l'.i.na,ilv 't,ho ,...„Mtry .,f tho Ansunos'; ,mod fy flu. l{,M..aiis as a (...otioal nai.u. for Jt.ilv, ai.<.'{. Levantine regions. Tho /^^,< oo.nprim... the uiaritir-o r^'MU.n. |y,„^ an.,nu! tho .a.sforn porti,,,, of tho Mc;(iito,ranoHn~ bm.a^ urkoy, Asia xMi.ui. (Syria, Egypt,; tho na.no iu> ,:.M,bt on,,,nnat,«.l with ih. .arly Genoeno and Vonotian nav.gatura, ,.,in.., t<, thon. the«o pa.-: wo.r > th. rogionn of tho risin,, sun' (Itahan lemnti; hforally, vising',, r.8.i. Jes_samine. .^....h.-r funn for j„.vm/.,«, perhapn l.y "nuB- akonana..gy ^e (, ^?. ^^, 7.'.; tho word comos to us fhm.gh ho K ronch fro,, th. r. rsian. M.-st of tho species of j,us„.ineH L ^.und ni tro,,K>al Ania. Imt some few are found in South Afnc , The j,i«,u„,e must cultrvato.1 is an evergreen shrnb bearing whiui flowei-s, reumrkabk, and higidy priml for their .lelieious perfume 584-585. Remote Caffi-aria. Although the Dutch were at the time of the wnt.ugof tjii^oem in possession .,f most of the territory now known .-is Cape Coh.ny, Caftraria nas still unannexod, and, >L also for a long tnno subse-piently, alt.- ther too dangerous ground f..i .•olom.at.on. It w,us thus "rouu.te" indeed to tlie pe,T,.le of Bnt un. hnuuHliatoly upon .liscovory, the native tlowers of South Afnca, remarkable alike for thei.^ abun.hu.ee and their beauty greatly n.torested the Dutch (who for centuries have been noted fo.- then-xeul m Horal cultivation), and n.any varieties were by them so(.n introduced to tlio rest of Europe. 585. Foreigners. Pa.-se. -See also V. h'. A' , 710 ; also 7G 58(i. Social shade. Explain. 587. Summons. Refer to //. ,Sf. (/., v. 44. By magic . . . Orphean lyre. An allusion to Oji-heus, a -ujtlucal pc^onage, supposed to be a poet of an age before tht~time of Homer. He is said lo have been presented with a lyre bv Apoilo, and to have been instructed in its use by the Muses Hi. na.s.0 was so enchanting that not only were wild beasts attracted b, NOTEH. HOOK HI. 163 'ho cultivatt'i! iivo Iwautift! SuKih Afri. I. HUIUIH ' ; UHod liuri) ill t\n> bhe Mdirifciijsu itoniiiKMui — tltl'H, .'.illCH to un' (Italian l»s by "mis- US tillMiigll fusininoH are utli Africw, »ring whi«t< porfume. were at the lio territory fd, and, aa >U8 ground l>oo]ilo of ■s of Houtli iir beauty, 1 noted for 13 by them iilso 7(5. [Jlih«us, a i the time I lyre hy ma. Hif racted b^ it., but 111.'. treoH of Mount Olympus, and tho rocks tut well, moved from tiutir places to follow him abotit as be played. Tho story of uuphii I: ih almost identical witli the Orpheus myth, and for a very pretty ptutical rendering of it, reiul Tknnyson's poem l>eginning: — My filthier left a park ti> inc, Hut it wuH wild and burron. Off,') Ju3t. Is this word used in this sense now-a-days? RH'-}. Master's. Explain fully. ~Mk Gay. How near to its literal sense is this wor Albjon. An ancient name for Britain, the origin and first api)li. aition of which are uncertain. It was first used in literature by Ptolemy tho Geographer, and by Pliny. It was probably applied by the early Colts of Gaul to describe the 'country of the white hlh,' the chalk cliffs of Dover, as seen by them from across the channel. The word is no doubt connected with the La tin alb ,ts 'white,' and the root appoai-s in alp 'a height or hill,' as the Alp, of Switzerland, and in Alb(my ( probably ' the hilly land'), an old name for Scotland, now like Albion,, used only poetically. 599-GOO. Fearing each . . . lips. Garrick's wonderful popularity, early won and never lost, was, no doubt, due to the perfect naturalness of his representations, and to the unequalled vivacity of his "manner and the versatility of his conceptions,— all of which was opposed to tho «tyle of stately and sonorous (though graceful) declamation which had been in vogue with actors prior to his time ; as Goldsmith puts it : — On the stage he was natural, simple, affecting ; 'Twas only, that when he was off, he was acting. 601. And covetous . . . seer Garrick was the most suc- cessful theatrical manager of the last century ; and hi.s exalted position in his profession enabled him to do great service to the British sUge by ptirifying it of much of tho grossness which it had NOTES. HOOK III. 105 10. iiisli Roscius. i>f fortune in cess. When i»8t inij)<)8ing 3 of all ranks, of the (lay — :ho gayety of I pleasures " ; vith j)orhaps timi ; and of t, and many d first ai)])li. iterature by ibly applied af the white 1 across the La tin cUbi iti as the Alps md'), an old y. i wonderful due to the unequalled iptions,— all •ous (though actors prior 3 most 8UC- hi."! exalted vice to the rhich it had inherited from the later Stuart period, and had until his day retained. Another service wliich he rendered was his restoraticm to popularity of the plays of Shakespeare ; of tlieso no less than twfiulyifour wore produced under his nuinageniont at Drury Lane, seventeen important parts being taken by himself. 602. In every flash . . . eye. Although Garrick's stature, in respect of size alone, had not tliat commanding ajipearanco which (.ctors so much prize, his_eye ampl> atoned for this deficiency, and Wfts an object of universal admii'ation. 598-602. And so, while Garrick . . . eye. It seems some- what strange that Cowper should go out of his way to write these comidimentiiry phrases in honor of Garrick, one who had been a chief ornament of that "world" which the poet never ceased to rail at. But when Cowper was a young hiwycr at the Temple, and a member of the Nonsense Club, one of his fellow-members and intimate friends wasi-CoUuan (now known as Colman the Elder), a dnimatist and theatrical manager. Colman was an associate of Oarrick's, and the author of one of the great actor's most brilliant part.s. There cjin be little doubt that the future poet must have frecjuently mct-fliWHPkk, and have gone to see him on the stage, as Carrick was then in the full plentitude of his powers, and the talk of the whole city ; and Cowi)er having intuitively a discernment for what was pure and simple, no doubt conceived a fcmdness for (larrick's impersonations, and such a just estimate of their worth as he never afterwards lost. It may be, too, that Cowpev's old-time friendship for Churchill, and his admiration of that poet's verse [see Tahh Talk, lines 070-069], had something to do with his appre- ciation ; for in Churchill's best work, The. Itimclad, a reckless, though amusing and very successful satire on the actors of the day — Yates, Foote, Quin, and the rest (Jarrick is made to stand pre- eminent ; for, as he thus apobtrophizeti him : — ■ He Who is pleased with Nature must be pleased with thee. 004. Marshalled An appreciated word; see C. E. E., 92, 607. And. Parse. 608. Injured. Parse, h ! .J ; -I I •»! : . Pi i i ' \- ■ i ■ • i. • ■ Mjiiaii'Bii eaifc— 'f^^' :em 166 600. Soil. Hy its . , iim' ■-_. connect this word with soj^ ' tho unrler side of tlio foot and with pxilr ; hImo with .We (tlie fish). 609-010. Often ^-ashed . . . salts. I'.ofor t.. JV,>^: o„ lino 515. 012. Close interwoven. That is, by beinpr "p'^^-bound." 615. Detached. T}»e root is the sanro :„ ui uicl., attach, "Hack See also C. F. E., 60. 010. Swept. Tlie root notion of sweep appears also in awoop and swift • ,vlmt is it / Swept Breeding. Parse. 617. Contagion. Disseminating. Show that these w.uds are her used with scientific api»ropriateness. 019. Spare. The adjective uparc literally means 'frugal' (th 3 rootbein^r ,,.ak scatter). Develop the meaning of the word as used in the text. 020. They. What is the antecedent '/ Beward. Retrurd and rcf/ard are loublots ; show how their meanings correspond. Refer also to C. E. E.,bl. 021. Scent. "A false spelling for «•«<."— Skeat. The root appears in seiue, com, nt, resent, etc. Retbospectivk.-566-(>23. (1) Make a poetical analysis of this passage, showing what embellishments of trope, of arran-cmejit and of allusion, characterize it. (2) Exj ross a judgment upon tliis passage in respect of the poetic merits of its sentiment., m distinct from its phraseology. 020. Wheel of time. The "wneel" has long been used, among moderns, as the symbol of tli^^ which recurs again and .gain. Among the Romans, in theiv later history, tau goddess fortune was rei)re8ented with a wheel, to signify tiie inconst.incy of her moods, though in their earlier history the p- , :,o\ waa a hall. With this compare Enid's song, in Tennv ^on's (/-raiHe a*../ ^hW beginning : — ' Turn, Fortime, turn thy wheel and 1- , tht md ; Turn thy wild wheel through sunshiin- storm, and cloud ; Thy wheel and thee we neither love nor hafie. 0C3. NOTES. HOOK III. 167 with w)j[r, ' thi' (tho lish). r to Not*', on '*--lMiuml." atUich, Hack also in auHiup 1 these wi.itls 'frugal' (ty-i tho word as )w how thoir T. The root i,lysi.s f)f this irraiif^'ement, Jilt upon this ts ;i8 distinct used, among I and igain. less fortune ;.incy of her was a ball. d au,l Enui, 3ud ; 627. Still ending . . . still. What is tho force of "still" liuro I Ex I ,,tin tliis phrase. 628. Deck. Litomlly 'to c.iver,' tliat is, ' U> Ihfitrh' ; iliafrh, and ili'rk are doublets. Compare with Note on "garnish," line 551. 629. Swelled. Is this tho partieijjlo of the fransitive or of tho Intransitire verb 't How doe.s swdled differ from nivollen in use I 630. Lawn. Primarily laniiil, the -'/ havii\g been drop])ed, and (probably) the name word as the French lamle, ' a wild, untilled, grassy, or shrubby plain ' [see PiMic School Oeoiimphij, page 119, first column]; if so, then related to land. 631. EJmerging. Show the appropriateness of th iso of this word iiere. 632. Asks. Refer to H. S. «., IV. 43. a. 6i^3. "W'^ll-matched . Match and matearo doublets, each moan- ing primarily ' something that is iniitaUe or made suitable'; the root notion apjjears also in make. 637. OompOo'. What is the doublet of co?H^o,f< .*' 638. Bleganc. This word is here used with perfect appro- ])riatone8s. Slcyaiu. is 'the beauty which results from forethought and design' ; wliere tin e things that are suited to produce agree- ablo sensations have ' t .)> inch I oiit or t/io.w/i (Latin e 'out of,' and Irye-re, 'to pick,' 'to choose,' md retained, and where everything that is disagreeable has been ived. Chief. For relationships reior to (". E. E., 314. 639. Most attractive. Should not this be " tlie most attrac- tive"? it' so, why ? Pair. In wliat .sense is this word here used ? 640. Creature. Polished. Justify the use of these words here. 641. Gothic^ Here used in the sense of 'barbarous'; that is, 'rude,' 'uncouth'; an infrecjiu ut and (at present, at all ovents) scarcely justifiable use, since the word has attained a high degree of dignity from its employment to designate the grand style of pointed architecture which prevailed in Europe from the twelfth century to the sixteenth. It is true that the term was at first used in this way as one oi contempt and scorn, bat so much has taste changed .! ■■• •I S| IGS THE TASK. i '• n :Ei » I m w.i in this rospoct that it, now doiiotes with honor thftt which is uni vorsally rognrdod .is ono "f thu noblest and complotest styles ..i architocturo over invonteil. 042. Insipid. Hero usiul in n transferrod sonso, and nioanin- ' wanting ,rHth,tic taste.' What i», tho usual Honso, and also the usual nietapht)rical sonHo, in which this word is used I i a, ftiid inoHiiiiiL' (I iilso t)iu usual so ' i\ tloBort ' J hoath phinf,' did wlioro tlu' 'liny uiioucu lushus.' to imy i)()j)uljir ilK suggests, to 111 London, hiis [onors, since it of tho niotro- Itodo or resort idHteclo down mgc, here. odd in Rofor ifcrring to tlio d in tlie latter 1 shrubs were I, as the poet in somewhat sely placed or I the older or t freedom of transforming iference be to fttering place, 1 resorted to, AS Were then accumulate. NoTftH. HOOK III. 10!) '(/ii,.H iif thf ZDiliar, l)earing tho immes (for tho most i)art of animals) "Aries," "Taurus," "\ uoij being a Middle English word for ' annoyance.' Our word aniiui/ is derived from the Latin phrase in of^/o, that is, 'in hatred.' JVo/wwir, therefore, is pretty much the same as ' hateful .' 672. Impoverished earth. How far does the figure made use of here enhance the beauty of the expression V 673-674. That, like . . . true worth. Show wherein this simile is appropriate or inapp^opiiate. Ketr-jshective.- 024-074^ This passage is perhaps one of the best in The Ganlen, marred by fewest faults, and exhibiting must ally from its for one's self,' to grip'; what ihis statement ling the niean- with scrub ; is liis word here, n what way is md hence ' a ! and cop. ^ Refer also aid to be one poetic merits li that rvachex Llistinguished y with rimj, belong I Idle English )m the Latin ire, is pretty are made use wherein this I one of the biting most NOTES. BOOK III. 171 uniformly Cowper's excellences as a poet : ma':e an analysis of it, showing what are its faults of sentiment or of diction, and what are its merits. 675. Jarring. What does the poet intend by this epithet ? What is the etymological origin of ./«'■ .*" ()7(). Thus. How ? Explain fully. Retreat. Explain. ()77. Man. In what two senses (ditteiing in extent of application) may this word bo understood here I Show h(jw the logical use of "guilty " will vary as the one or the other of these two senses is taken. 678. Innocence. How far is innocence a characteristic of virtue \ Canc el. This word has a curious pedigree. It comes to us through the French, from the Latin vanvfllnre, which meant ' to can- cel a document by drawing lines across it, thus making a hatchmeid or ifnitiufi'; and so was derived from the Latin canceUus 'grating,' or (in the plural) canceMi. ' lattice-work.' And this word mnceUi, is said to have been a diminutive form of caurri, the plural of ameer 'a crab.' But how cancri 'crabs' came to have thi.s meaning of 'lattice- work,' is not apparent, it should be stated, however, that although Skeat refers vat'cd, chancel ('that which was fenced off by a lattice '), clmneellor (' the officer who stood near the lattked serecn before the judgment-seat'), chaiircnj, and so on. to cancer 'crab,' other etymologists do not go so far, preferring to consilor the Latin cancri. ' lattico-wck,' an indepenilent word. 680. Assault. See G. E. E., 220. 682. Custom. What is the meaning of tho word here I By vicious . . . uncontrolled. Is "raging uncontrolled'" u.st'd with " vicious customs," Uniitinijhi or lienrrtptirelyi Express by paraphrases the differences of meaning which follow according as the limitimj or the clcxeriptirc sense is understood. 683. Desolating. To desolate is literally 'to leave utterly,' from Latin 7^ ' fully,' a.nd mlare ' to make lonely' (solv.-s -alone'). 676-683. Retreat . . . public life. Express the poet's mean- ing in simple prose . ':' 1*1 I. i- i ;!* Si I i'-i 'i «l I lini' i" 172 THE TASK. 684. Temptation. For the etymological family lelationships of tcmj>taii<,H, see (■. E. E., 339. Seconded. Here used with somewhat of its primary sense of • followed.' Refer to C. E. E., 225 ; also to H. S. G., VII. 45. «86. Tempered. Show the appropriateness of this word here G84-.i88. When fierce ... is safe. What is the difference between Personal Metaphor and Personification? Which ,s employed here .' What image is conceived by the poet in this passage? Of what nature is the value of "throbbing- to the passatre, lotjical or rhetorkal'i What are meant by th^" darts" which are said to be " tempered in hell" I To what is the allusion in the expres,sion "success may croum us"? What is the ethical value of the conclusion to which the poet conies ? G89. Good. Referring to H. S. G., V. 71. a., it will be seen that the examples of adjectives used as abstract nouns are all accom- panied by the deanite article ; why is the definite article omitted (or unnecessary) in the present instance ? G91 . Health . Etymologically speaking, what is health '/ Means to improve. What is the syntactical relation of fche.«e words ? Friendship. What is the force of -nhip in composition t fSee H. ,S. a., IV. 12.] ■ ^ G92. Wiaaton. Primarily 'not educated'; from wan-, an old negative prefix, and the Anglo-Saxon f.oweii ' educated.' Muse. The Muses, in ancient mythology, were the inspirmg goddesses of song. Lyric poetry, c<.medy, tragedy, the chonis, erotic poetry, the epic, and the sublime hymn, each had its own l)re8idino diety. Thus from the earliest times down to the present day, poets have been accustomed to speak of their work as " inspired," and to ascribe their success or failure in their art to the favor or disfavor (oftentimes the " willingness " or " unwillingness") of that particular deity whom ah^ne they have feigned could be the source of their inspiration, and without whose aid ♦hey could sini; or say nothing. No loose . . . wandering muse. Put this met.anhnri..i language into simple prose so as to express its meaning clearly What does the poet mean by saying that his muse is "wandering"/ relationships mary sense of , VII. 45. lis word here . the difference ? Which IS poet in this nng " to the the "darts", s the allusion is the ethical will be seen arealliicconi- 'ticle omitted alth 'i tion of these jition ? [See w«»i-, an old ;he inspiruig the chorus, had its own the present 3ir work as eir art to the I'illingness") could be the ' could sing netanhnripnl ling clearly ^ slandering"? Notes, book hi. 173 Was he justified in saying this?— With respect to " hwseness" and "wantonness," it should be said that these (pialities are very far removed from Cowper's poetry. Whatever disparaging criticisms may be pronounced upon his work, he will ever merit at least this praise, that as a poet of the afl'ections he is as pure as the human heart is capable of being. The excpiisite lines, to his life-long com- panion and friend, entitled To Mary, will continue as long as English literature shall endure, one of the sweetest and tendere.st poems of pure affection in the language. (393. And constant . . . care. It was scarcely true that he iiad no care, as his income was at this time very slight, ani depended for its amount upon the kindness of relatives ; but when on his favorite theme — the delights f>t rural life— Cowper is always opti- mistic. Yet so far from being a generally attainable realizationi which the poet seems to imply it might be, constant and congenial occupation without care, is as Utopian a prescription for securing human happiness as most others that have been put forward. 094. Blest. Bliss. Put here in antithetical positions as if there were some correspondence of meaoing between them. There is such a correspondence, but the words are not etymologically related. BUi^a is literally ' blitheness,' and hence 'happiness.' To blesH is literally ' to consecrate by blooil ' (the root of the word being the sauie as that in Idooil), hence ' to make holy,' ami so ' to pronounce a solemn benediction upon,' and thus by transference, ' to make happy.' 095. Dissipated. Probably used here in the sense of 'frittered away in pursuit of trivialities'; the word literally means 'scattered,' ' thrown apr.rt.' 090. Prpfiig ate. Literally 'struck down,' 'routed,' 'ruined' (Latin «)(», intensively used, and^iy;^ ' to strike ') now always used in the i)roleptic sense ' given up to a course which will result in ruin,' that is, niordl ruin. Abusers. No doubt employed here in its original sense of ' mis- users.' 097. Much. Parse. 098. Joys, Refer to C. E. E., jiage 174, near bottom. 099. Allured. Literally, 'enticed by bait,' lure meaning 'bait' or ' decoy.' ¥ ■K*.' ,,: ^h;,: '')c ll - i. In X If 174 TftE TASK. 700. That . . . prize. A peculiarly inverted order ; the mean- ing is ' that they must neglect the prize at the cost of self-con- demnation'; that is, ' that they shall be self-coudemhed if they neglect the prize.' 702-704. What we ... it too. How far uoes this statement agree with general experience ? 706. Disgust. That is ' dist.i.ste ' or ' disrelish,' which is much nearer the primary meaning than ' loathing,' 'repugnance,' 'strong dislike,' the sense in which the word is generally understood.— The student will, by this time, have noticed how frequently the poet 'BiSIl^^t words shall be understood in their original significations : this use of root meanings is, of course, not peculiar to Cowper- it is one of the ways by which poetic diction is distinguished from prose diction. Poetry demands simplici^-; without commonplaceness ; and when a word is used in its primary signification, it is generally freed from the vulgar and commonplace associations which other- wise would attach to it.— It will thus be seen how essential some knowledge of etymology is to. a just appreciation of poetic worth. Unless one has actiuired the habit of closely scrutinizing words and ascertaining exactly the precise shades of meanings in which they are understood, and by this means lias obtained the power of seeing quickly and, as it were, without effort, the exact forces which words have when variously used, one cannot be said to be educated sufficiently well to be able to read poetry with ease. 707-708. Piety. Truth. V^;tue. Distinguish clearly these words as to nieahing, sliowing their relations to character and con- duct. Are they mutually exclusive ? 708-709. Those scenes . . . them most. This, like other statements by otlier enthusiasts, nmst not be accepted as categorically tl-ue ; It IS the exaggeration which accompanies the expression of all profound belief that is based on conviction rather than on proof. But those who believe that modem civilization— witli its city-massed millions and its general inappreciation of tlie beauties .and felicities of rural life— is inimical to social well-being, are by no means absent from us, and in their Ruskin have found an exponent equally ehniuent with Cowpcr and posbcssod of a far more widely reiichin" voice. ° 3r ; the mean" t of self-con- nhed if tliey his statement rhich is much mce,' 'strong rstood. — The iitly the poet ignifications : to Cowper — guished from lonplaceness ; t is generally which other- ssential some 3oetic worth . ig words and I which they ver of seeing which words be educated ilearly thesi- er and con- , like other lategurically •ession of all n on proof, city-massed I felicities of eans absent ent equally 3iy reiiching NOTES. BOOK 111. 175 712-713. Pure is . . . extol. The image is that of one singing the praises of some fair maiden, pure and joy-inspiring — the friend of all, the lover of none. Nature is of course this beneficent, self- abnegating being. The image seems to me to be unfortunately chosen ; and it shows what influence tiie erotic jioetry of the ancients has had in determining the tjistes and modelling the forms of expression of the poets of all succeeding ages. Cowper was as little likely to be influenced in this way as anyone, and yet time and again he shows unccmsciously that he has been so inlluenced. 714-710. JJotas . . . pavilion. Hoe Thi' Book of Edher, i. 11. 7ir» Vainglorious. Analyze, and thus fully set forth the meaning of this word. 71(5. Pav ilion. Ynnn the L-Atin papilla, papUhH-em. 'butterfly,' from its shape being thought to be like that of th** wingn of a butter- rty when spread out. In what way is the word specialized from te)tt — 'tent' being its original meaning? 717. Peculiar. Show from its etymology the appropriateness of this word here. What is its common meaning now-a-days t Com- pare Note on line 706. 718. Envy. Refer to C. E. E., 417. Partake . For part-take . 719. Alone. Composed of all and one. Refer to H. S. G., VI. 06. b. — Pai-se "alone." Sweets. Parse. 720. Bitters. The root notion of hiiter appears also in hite, bait, beetle (the insect), and hit (a curb for a horse); what is it? Show its force in the meanings of all these wcjrds. 719-720. Sweets. Bitters. Refer to H. S. G., V. 71. c 721 Enchanting. To enchant, as implied here, i leans 'to delig!»t in a high degree,' that is, ' to charm ' ; this latter meaning is from H primary use of the word by which it meant 'to sing smiga or iucanUitioHs over, as in sorceiy,' a use which came t(j us, through tiie French enchanier, from the Latin in-cantare, and thus from cantare ' to sing.' Allied vs'ords are chunt, cant, recant, accent, canticle, r.inii-. ar.d pirxminr ; .jhow the force of the root notioii in the jueuning of each of these. Jm 17G TaE TASK. 722. Lineaments. ' Tlie lines l,y which the features of the face are characterized ' (Latin linca ' line '). 721-723. In whose form . . . errs not. What image is implied in this statement ? How far is it true that the scenes which nature presents to us are artistically perfect ? 723. Rigiptures. Obtain the meaning of the word as used here from its primary meaning. Still. Renewed. Show the force of each of those words as u«od here. 724-727. Is free . , . she finds. As to the imagery, nuL by any means the sentiment, of these lines, see Nutv. on lines 712-713 above. 727. Meaner objects. VVluit are tliese ? 728. Her leaves, and flowers. That is, those that adorn nature, and so are the result, in part at least, of vidtmttion and taste. 728-729. StEJgped . . . influence. It will be noticed again that when Cowper sings of nature, it is not the nature of Burns or of Wordsworth that he sings— mountain, moorland, liill, forest, river, brook, daisy, prinn-ose, sncnv-drop, laverock, cuckoo, sky-lark, "and all things wild and uncontined " ; -it is simply the nature that a contemplative and reflecting gentlemaidy cultivator of a garden plot, who lives in a flat dull country, and has few real sympathies with the employments or recreations of the hardier and rougher people about him-— it is the nature that such an one miglit be supposed to delight in, that he takes most interest in i)urtraying. And yet, within his limitations, Cowper is just as faithful, just as simple and unaflected, in liis portraiture, as eitlier one of tlxise two nuich greater poets with whom we have compared iiim ; wliile in these qualities of simplicity and fidelity he is infinitely superior to those other poets, his predecessors and ccmtemporaries, winme artificialities both of description and of characterization, it was his good fortune largely to bring into disrepute. The foUowing critical comparison of Cowper with Tht)maon, by Goldwin S.mith, amply supports this statement ; — "The writer of The !ra,sA: also deserves the crown wliich he has himsrlf clain-M'd as a clysc^ol-'server and ti-athfui painter of naiure. In this respect, he challenges c(jmpari8on with Thomson. The range tures of the lat image is scenes which m used here se words as s,'ery, j.ui by iiies 712-713 that adorn on and taste. oticed again f Burns or of orest, river, -lark, "and iture that a garden plot, )athies with gher people supposed to . And yet, I simple and inch greater se qualities tlKJse other ialities both jod fortune comparison ipports this licli he has ' of iuiiure. The range NOTES. BOOK III. 177 of Thomson is far wider ; he paints nature in all her moods— Cowper only in a few alid those tlie gentlest. . . . The great waters ho had not seen for many years ; he had never, so far as we know, seen mountains, hardly even high hills ; his only landscape was the flat cain, and pnninlnn.('nt. 731. As. Unworthy. Parse. 734. Unharmonious. What is the force of tlie un- here? 732-730. But are not ... to smoke. The poet is now con- tending that nature, even when " stripped of her ornaments, her leaves, and flowers," is preferable to the town ; but his description of nature thus unadorned is a purely negative one — airs i/*(,per- fumed by roses, suns scarcely felt, groves ii/diarnKmious — and lacks entirely that exuberance of- feeling which overcomes the heart of Wordsworth for example, positively revelling oven as a boy, in every one of nature's moods, and every one of her delights ; as in this fine reminiscence of his ycnith : — All shod with steel, We hissed along the polislied ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chase And woodland pleasures, — the resounding horn. The pack loud-chiming, and the hunted har«. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle : with tlie din Smitten, the precipices rang aloud ; f \k i ■:-i M ■Hi;' w if 1 11 1 ' L W' f ■..■ 178 THE TASK. The leafless trees and every icy crag Tinkled like iron ; while far distant hills . Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. ,,.,,. —Influence of Natural Ohjectn. Or m this :— And HO I dare to hoix;, Thougli changed, no doubt, from what I was when first I came among these hills ; when like a roc; I bounded o'er the mountains, by tlie sides Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams, Wherever nature led. * * * * * * For nature then ********* To me was all in all.— I cannot paint Wiiat then I was. ' The sounding cataract Haunted me like a passion : the tall rock. The motmtain, and the deep and gloomy wof)d, Their colours and their forms, were then to me An appetite ; a feeling and a love, That had no need of a remoter charm. By thought supplied, nor any interest Unborrowed from the eye. --Lines compnaed above Tintern Abhe/i. 7m. Eclipse. Literally '!i failure : what is the meaning here ? 7;i7. Metropolitan volcanoes, ./ustify the expression. 738. ^^^ian. The .idjective form of tlie noun Stiix (root /S'(ij/f/-). The Styx, according to ancient mythology, wa,s the principal river surrounding the nether world, "the region of the darknrs.s of u iyht," this being the place of departed spirits, and fahled t 743. Ho 744. Un ' to entice ( 744-746. before, the memorial i strange and mind the "Say not t than these euiiuire c(h 746. Ho Mansio: is, 'a dwell specialized 746-747. satirically i 747. Hir *a domestii cance, ' a j the poet us but it la 1 Labour " (li 7 NOTES. BOOK III. m and " thundering."— Mjii-vellous to nil people as was the size of the metropolitan city of Britain in Oowper's time, it had then perhaps not more than TOQ^OOft in population, while its poj)ijlation to-day is over seven times that number ! On the other hand mai-vellously large as is the connuerce of to-day, yet effected as it is by steam- transportation and along routes exoiusively controlled by itself, it does not e.vcite the interest and wonder that were inseparably associated with pra!-loc<»motivo trade. Through one little village of England, before railways were established, 500_ stage coaches passed daily, whose passengers and drivers alwaysalighted there for rest and refreshment ; a much Lirger railway traffic now luisses tlirough the same place, but unnoticed and unnoticeable. 741-742. Madness . . . heart. Show that "madness" is correctly associated with " head," and "folly" with "heart." 74;{. Hospitable. Analyze. Refer to C. E. E. , 483. 744. Undebauched. To debauch is supposed to be, literally, ' to entice one away from his irorkshop.' 744-74G. But we . . . pleasures. As has been remarked before, the decay of the good old times has been from time im- memorial a favorite lamentation of moralists. In regard to this strange and persistent delusion it would bo well if we all bore in mind the injunction of The Preacher, pronounced long ago :— " Sfty not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these ? For it is not the part of wisdom that thou should'st cnfjuire cdncerning this." 740. Honest. Literally 'honorable' ; refer to H. S. G., IV. 40. a, Mansions. MiniHiDn is literally 'a place for remaining in,' that is, 'a dwelling-place ' (Latin manerc 'to remain'); account for its spocialized use, as here. 746-747. Mansions . . . masters. What social evil does this satirically refer to ? 747. Hin^. Hiiul primarily meant ' an inmate of one's house,' 'a domestic'; now it means, and with some depreciatory signifi- cance, 'a peasant,' 'an agricultural laborer.' It is possible that the poet used the wortl here as intending its nrimitivfi moanin" • - ijj , but it is more probable that "laborious hind," like "lubbard Labour" (line 400), is <«ne ot those semi-contemptuous expressions 1 f ■St / ^^^^^^M^M&MMMi'K ^^»mm-^''«'"^''^*'lli»<'f»^' 180 THE TASK. which people who happen to be born of aristocratic parentage, and othera who affect to ho so considered — good, and devout, and kindly disposed, and refined, as perhaps* they may be — yet tind it easy (an Cowper found it) to apply to others, their fellow human beings, who happen to be less fortunate than themselves in respect of birth and wealth. Whatever faults our century may have in its account, it has at all events this merit over its predecessors, that it is the only one of the nineteen that have elapsed since the advent of Christ in which the principle of the brotherhood of man promulgated by him, has received anythi g like universal practical recognition. 749. Legitimate and rightful. Tautology. 750. Transient. Analyze. Refer to C. E. E., 195 and 145. 761. Supplanted. Is the metaphor, b^gun in the previous line, sustained by this word ? 752. Cast its leaf. Express in prose form. 751-753. He that saw . . . scantling. The meaning is not clear, but it seems to be, 'ho that has hut seen,' or 'he that has only just seen,' etc.; that is, 'he that has been in possession of his estate only long en.'i ;j!> to see the first falling of the leaves on his trees, cuts down a>; xh*'.'- timber possible, and immediately sells it.' The timber woui '■ . i. '.t in the winter, " when the sap is down," as the phrase is. 753. Scantling. Vv'hat is the force of the -Knjf in this word '] Is it the same as in duckling, for example ? 754. Ere it buds again. Justify. 755. Estates. Refer to If. /S. (?., IV. 45. e. (1.). Landscape. As nearly as possible, landscape literally means ' something shaped like the land,' that is, ' a picture representing land, or rural scenery,' Refer to H. 8. G., IV. 12. Estates are landscapes. Is this a metaphor? Awhile. That is, a and while; refer to H. S. G., IX. 5. f. 756. Advertised. With regard to the use of -se or -s? in word.? similar to this, it may be said that the practice in England is becoming almost universal to use -se in every case. Lexicons differ very much in regard to the matter, but where they do not give -se constantly, they follow no definite or ascertainable rule. In this country the printers prefer to use the form -ze for all except a verj- NOTES. BOOK III. 181 irontage, and it, and kindly id it easy (aH 1 beings, who of birth and ^s account, it it is the only t of Clirist in mulgated by ognitiun, 5 and 145. the previous ianing is not 'he that has lession of his leaves on his itely sells it.' > is down," as n this word ^ erally means representing [X. 5. f. : -«8 in words L England is exicons differ o not give -se ule. In this jxcept a veiy few of the words in question. In the United States the form -ze is also the more common ; but the form -se is also largely found, especially in rjprints of English books. See also Note on lino 214. Auctioneered. Analyze; show also the force of the root in tlie i)resent meaning of the word. Refer to C. E. E., liW. 758. Surfeited. Refer to C. E. E., 144 and 442. Lewd. A much depreciated word ; refer to C. E. E., 91. Her. Justify the feminine form. Her fair dues. ' That which justly behmgs to the country.' 759. By a just . . . themselves. " Strip and starve them- selves," implies activity, volition, Iroo-will ; " by a great judgment" implies passivity, obligation, necessity ; how are these two oppwsites to be reconciled ? 7G0. The wings . . . our riches. Tlic emphasis is on "our"; the allusion is to Prom-hn, xxiii. 5. 7<51. Gamester's. For the origin of tho suffix -stcr, see H.S. (?., I. 37. (2). Elbows. Elboiv is literally ?y'' ' i iF W >w i)p;i. g w- - ,.mM i .er.e and the French boicrse are the tr; TT ' ""* ^'"''"^ ^'*^'"g ^««» "^^d« fron. skins. - 7^8; ys^nous f7..,,.j/, from use, meant primarily nothing more - a using (Latm nsus ' use.l ') ; develop from this the modern ting. he«t ?!f^f f ■ r*"" 'V° ''^'"' '""^ "' *'» -"-^ - "'"i nere ? *or the etymology, refer to C. E. E., 458 800. Managed. Trace the root notion'of this word through the meanings of the following cognates:-^....,, amanue^Z, ma^u^cle, mamfesto, mampulate, manner, manufacture, mmmre TedTer? ""'^^•^^^^^^-^'^^* - ^he exact force' of th'e word a^ hafvelT^"*' ^""'"^"^ ' ^'''''''^'' '' '"''' ^"^^"^"^ -«^-"g ' to 801. Oh innocent ... like these. Cowper's political opinions, though not advanced, were thoroughly on the s'de^ uprightness and purity i„ government, and against all usurpat on either by king or lords or commona, of rights that he believed had %. ill ii Ik., -".ll t 11 ■;!ti I '■■■ '■n I'l.i .( y.-i9* jj P 9 f m^ '^'^!^^^ "'^^'fi^^mmM^: ai^i^i^ 186 THE TASK. 11 I i \ been enjoyed by their possessors iiuiiRMnorially and tlierefore were not to bo disturbed. He (lesoHbeaJtiniself as " an old Wiiig, as his father was before him, and an enemy of all tyrannical impositions." And again he says:— "There is im. true Whig who wishes to have all pi»wer in the hands of his own party. The divisioix of it which the lawyers call tripartite, is exactly what we desire ; and we should have neither king, lords, nor commons, unequally trusted, or in the smallest degree predominant. Such a Whig am I, and such Whi<'8 are the true friends of the Constitution." See also his reference to the dispute (of 1784) between the king and the commons, in //. S. Header, page 158, lines 12-16. Though he mixed little with men of the world, Cowper kept himself well informed on all matters of public polity, and held and expressed strong opinions thereon ; and while it must be said that his p(ditical insight was not acute, and that his judgments respecting the trend of political forces were often astray, yet his innate sense of what was honest, just, and right, made him a severe critic of the political immorality by which his age was disgraced. 802-803. CljaP© • • • temples! Referring to the "arts" of the highwaymen of the period. Highway robbery may be said to have enjoyed in England, from the very earliest times, the dignity almost of a profession ; and it is noticeable that in almost all old plays and novels they are alluded to with very much more respect than is shown to other criminals. The superior humanity as well as gallantry of English highwaymen to "those of other nations" is always referred to with much pride by the insular narrator ; and in English books (as for example in CHAMbERs' Booh of Days) the°barbarity and cruelty of French robbers are frequently animad- verted upon. The ft)llowing paragraphs from Moritz's Travels in England (1782) are apposite, affording as they do a picture of the rogue life of the period, drawn by an observant and impartial foreigner : — ^^ " The man who was with us in the coach pointed out to us the country seats of the lords and the great people by which we passed ; and entertained us with all kinds of stories of robberies which had been committed on travellers hereabouts ; so that the ladies at last began to be rather afraid ; on which he began to stand up for the superior honour of the English robbers, when compared with the of " NOtES. BOOK III. 187 refore were Hiig, US his positions." to iiavu all . which the we should }ted, oi* in [, and such ice also his t) commons, lixod littlo mod on all ig opinions nsight was of political vas hon,ost, innnorality "arts" of be said to the dignity lost all old ore respect nity as well 3r nations " ator ; and in >k of Days) itly aniniad- ? Travels in ture of the d impartial it to us the I we passed ; 3 which had adies at last . up for the ed with the French : the former he said robbed only, tlie latter botji robbed and murdered. "Notwithstanding this there are in England another species of villains, who also murder, and that oftentimes for the merest triHe, of which they rol) the person murdered. These are called foot- pads, and are the lowest class of English rogues ; amongst wliom in general there reigns something like some regard to character. " The highest order of thieves are the pickpockets or cutpurses, whom you find everywhere; and sometimes even in the best com- panies. They are generally well and handsomely dressed, so tliat you take them to be persons of rank ; as, indeed, may sometimes be the case : persons who by extravagance and excesses have reduced themselves to want, and find themselves obliged at last to have recourse to pilfering and thieving. " Next to them come tlio highwaymen, who rob on horseback ; and often, they say, even with unloaded pistols, they terrify travellers, in order to put themselves in possession of their purses. Among these persons, however, there are instances of true greatness of soul ; there are numberless instances of their returning a part of their booty, where the party rc^hbed has appeared to be particularly distressed ; and they are seldom guilty of murder. "Then comes the third and lowest, and worst of all thieves and rogues, the footpads before mentioned ; who are on foot, and often murder in the most inhuman manner, for the sake of only a few shillings, any unfortunate people who happen to fall in their way. Of this several mournful instances may be read almost daily in the English papers. Probably they murder, because they cannot, like highwaymen, aided by their horses, make a rapid flight ; and, therefore, such pests are frequently pretty easily pursued and taken, if the person robbed gives information of his robbery in time." Notwithstanding the general respect in which highwaymen were held, the laws against them were very severe, highway robbery being a capital offence. Their carcasses were always left exposed on the gibbets on which they were hanged, and the place of execution was selected so as to be as near as possible to the scene of their depredations. Hounslow Common, always a favorite resort of "gentlemen of the road," was usually horribly garnished by a dozen dangling bodies of those whom the law had fallen foul upon. f M n:i m A ,4 U Ik.: I ,, .§ ,1 i 11 i f 188 THE TASK. 802. Crape. The stiff, dark gauze, out of which the highway- men's masks wore made. Pistol. See 0. E. Kf App. A., page 149. 'Whistling. An imitative word. Give other examples. 803. Traveller's. Travel (the noun) once meant ' toil, ' * labor,'— precisely the present meaning of its doublet travail. The primary meaning was ' obstruction,' ' impediment,' perhaps from its appli- cation to denote * a bar or beam used to restrain a vicious horse ' (Latin ti'ohs^ ' beam '). The present meaning of the word is derived from the obstructions and toil incident to travel in early times. 80(5. So. For ' provided that.' In honest rags. That is, ' in rags even, so long as they are honest.' 803-807. He that finds . . . gasp. A noble sentiment, the very essence of the heroic element in Christian character, but not very lucidly set forth in words. 807. Gasp. The root is the same as in gape. The word is no doubt from an old but unfound word gapsa, and so should be gapse, but by metathesis it has become gasp. See H. S. G., IV. 43. a. But could not. That is, ' but such a one could not.' 808. DiEty- Proleptically used. Dependent. A transferred epithet. 809. From pools . . . commonwealth. Satirically des- criptive of the baseness of bribery. Those officials who thus wrong- fully use the treasury of the commonwealth to purchase corrupt support, are but the "pools and ditches," that is, the 'meanest appendages,' of the political structure. 810. Sordid. Here used in its primary and now obsolete sense of ' filthy.' Sordid. Sickening. Modifying grammatically the subject of "couUnot . . . fish," but of course proleptically so. 807-810. But could not . . . success. Matthew Arnold and other modern critics agree in describing Cowper's versification as oftentimes "a lumbering movement "; if by this is meant a want of lucidity, as well as a cerfciin jerkinesa of phraseology, these linos are an evident example of the fault. And this is the more to be NOTES. BOOK III. 189 high way - 3S. 'labor,'— e primary its appli- U8 horse ' is derived times, ( they are ment, the ', but not '^ord is no be gapse, . 43. a. ally des- us wrong- le corrupt ' meanest lete sense subject of Arnold rsification nt a want 4csc. Urt03 lore to be pitied, as the sentiment is "an apple of gold" well worth the Betting in a " picture of silver." Retrospective.— 675-810. (1) Express in prose form the poet's statements in lines 675-688. (2) Wbatfallapy is implied in lines 684- 688 ? (3) How far may the poet's ideal conditions of happiness (as stated in lines 691-693) be considered as generally accessible to those desiring them ? (4) How far does the poet's implication (in lines 742-744) that his was an age of moral and social deterioratitm, agree with the teachings of history ? (5) Discuss the question whether the poetic temperament necessarily implies in its possessor partiality in judgments. In particular, state what are the causes of Cowper's misreadings of social phenomena ; are they attributivble to the poetic temperament ? or to the bias of his mind in religious matters ? or to his want of intercourse with the world ? or to a deficiency of educa- tion ? or to what else ? 811. Ambition. " Let me suggest some further exercises in this region of words, which I will venture to promise that you will find profitable as ministering to the activity of your own ininds and as helping to call out a like activity in those of others. Do not, I would say then once more, suffer words to pass you by, which at once provoke and promise to reward inquiry, by the readiness with which they will evidently yield up the secret of their birth or of their use, if duly interrogated by us. Many we must all be content to leave, which will defy all efforts to dissipate the mystery which hangs over them, but many also announce that their explanations cannot be very far to seek. I would instance such a word as cundi- phantn,' and Holland : — * The poor man that hath nought to lose, is not afraid of the aycophtnt,' But it has not kept this meaning ; a * sycophant ' is now a fawnintr lia tjerer ; not one who speaks ill of you behind your back ; rather one who speaks good of you before your face, but good which he does not in his heart believe. Yet how true a moral instinct has presided over the changed signitication of the word. The calumniator and the flatterer, although they seem so opposed to one another, how closely united they really are. They grow out of the same root. The same baseness of spirit which shall lead one to speak evil of you behind your back, will lead him to fawn on you and flatter you before your face, — out of a sense of which the Italians have a proverb : — ' Who Hatters me before, spatters me behind.' "—TiiF.tum.—EiirjIhh, rast and Pnnait, page 105. There the sycophant. Of one of the types of character intended by this phrase, the following is an excellent description : — " Selwyn has a chaplain and parasite, one Dr. Wanier, than whom Plautus or Ben Jonson or Hogarth, never painted a better character. In letter after letter he adds fresh strokes to the portrait of himself, and completes a portrait not a little curious to look at now that the man has passed away : all the foul pleasures and gambols in which he revelled, played out ; all the rouged faces into which he leered, worms and skulls ; all the fine gentlemen whose shoe' i.kles he kissed, laid in their coffins. This worthy clergyman take? care to tell us that he does not believe in his religion, though, thank heaven, he is not so great a rogue as a lawyer. He goes on Mr. u Selwyn's errands, any errands, and is proud, he says, to be that gentleman's proveditor. He waits upon the Duke of Queensbury old Q. — and exchanges pretty stories with that aristocrat. He comes home 'after a hard day's christening,' as he says, and writes to his patron before sitting down to whist and partridges for supper. He revels in the thoughts of ox-cheek and burgundy — he is a boister- ous, uproarious parasite, licks his master's shoes with explosions o I •m i ^ a' I 'ft ' .■«*k«i«ffltr;.»ia»i 192 THE TASK. laughter and cunning Hniack and guHto, and likes the taste of that blacking as much as tlio best claret in old Q.'a collar. Ho has Rabelais and Horace at his greasy Hngers' ends. He is inexpressibly moan, curiously jolly ; kindly and good-natured in secret — a tender- hearted knave, not a venomous lick-spittle." — Tiiackkray.— T/i*' -foitr Georges, 820. Jail. For the strange family relationships of jail, its kinship to cave and ciKjf, for example, see G. K. E., 002. 821. Groat. A gnnit is literally ' a (jreat coin,' since the first groats were (jreatcr tha\i oth»'r coi)por coins previously used. The word and the coin were both originally Dutch. If his patron ftown. The want of independence among the middle classes of England — authors, politicians, artists, as well as tradespeople — in the last centuiy,— -their subserviency to their so- I called social superioi's — seems inexplicable in our self-dependent age. That there was any abasement in this servility seems scarcely to have been dreamed of. As Thackeray says : — "At the accession of George III., the patricians were yet at the height of their good fortune. Society recognized their 8ui)eriority, which they themselves pretty calmly took for granted." As indirectly illustrative of the spirit and character of the patronage which, in the days of Cowper, the patri- cians extended to those who looked to them for favors, the famous letter of Doctor Johnson to Lord Chesterfield may be (juoted ; but it must be remembered that in those days mtn of Johnson's innate nobility of character and sturdy independence of act and thought, were indeed rare. The letter was written in 1755 : — " My LoBi),— I have been lately informed by the proprietor of tlie Worhl, that two pajKirs, in which my Dictionary is recommended to the pubhc, were written by your Lordship. To be so distinguished is an honour which, being very little accustomed to favours from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what teniis co acknowledge. " When, upon some slight encouragement, I first visited your Lordship, I was overpowered, like the rest of mankind, by the enchantment of your address ; and could not forbear to wish that I might boast myself, Ic vain- queur du vainqucur dc la terre — that I might obtain that regard for which I saw the world contending ; but I found my attendance so little encour- aged that neither pride nor modesty would suffer me to continue it. When I had once addressed your Lordship in public, I had exhausted all the arts NOTES. nOOK III. 103 of pleaHing wiiieli a retirod iind iincoiirtly Hclioliir can |M)HHeHH. I had dona all that [ could; and no man Ih w«>11 pliuiHcd to liavii hiH all negloctLnl, Ini it ev«r MO little. "Seven years, my Lord, have now pasHod, Hince T waitod in yonr oiit- ward rooniM and waH repulNed from your door; diirinp^ which tinio I have been puHhing on my work through diHicultieB of which it is nHeiesH to complain, and have brought it at last tn tlie verge of |)u))lication without one act of aHxiHtance, one word of encouragement, and one Huiile of favour. Stich treatment I did not expect, fo? I never had a patron Infore. " The Hhepherd in Virgil grew at laHt accpiainted with liovo, i;nd found him a native of tlie rookn. " Ih not a i)atr()n, my Lord, one who lookH with imconcern on a imn Htruggling for life in tlie water, and when he haw reached the ground eiu;mub>rH him with help? The notice which you have Ix'en pleaHed to take of my labours, had it been early, had been kind ; but it has been delayed till I am indiflferent, and cannot enjoy it ; till I am Rolitary, and cannot impart it ; till I am known, and do not want it. I hope it is no very cynical asperity not to cipular harangue" ; and who, in the "tart reply"/ What orators of this period were remarkable for " logic " for -wisdom," or for -wit"? [While the terms are to some extent general in their use, tliere can be no doubt tliat there are special allusions. The words are extrenjely applicable to the discussions of that tune and would not be ai)propriate to the debates of to-day A PftJ^k^aitaiJiatjLfitrugglo led by Fox, Burke, Sheridan, North, and Ewkine, on the one side, and by Pitt, Thurlow, Dundas, and Lord Eldon, on the other, would amply deserve the description given in these lines.] 31. Harangue. The word literally sigi.ifies 'an address spoke in a ntu/ or ranA; of people.' 34. Imprisoned. What is the prison referred to ? Wranglers. This word is connected by. derivatic^i with winy west, wrench, and wro>uf. What idea is common to all ? 36. Voice and utterance. Distinguish the meanings of voice and utterance. 36. Now. What is the signification of this word here ? In what other senses is it sometimes used ? Refer to Earle's I'lulo- l^y, 235. -The liveliness imparted to this and the following verso by the succession of short, imperative clauses, is very pleasing and appropriate. . - t n Shutters. Shut, from which this word is derived, is akin to >dwot; to yut the door" meaning originally ' to fasten it by shootim forward the bolt.' •' ^ Past. This word haa now three distinct meanings : (1) 'firm ' fixed'; (2) 'to abstain from food'; (3) 'quick,' 'speedy.' Of these (1) 18 the primitive ; (2) very early diflferentiated from (1) with the meaning 'to make firm,' ' to be strict '; while (3) has developed trom (1) through the meanings ' close,' ' urgent.' 37. Let fall. What was the original syntactical connection of ■ tl NOTES. HOOK IV. 203 Ourtains. GuHaia orif^inally ineiint 'a small court'; hence 'a wall 8urrouiidinj< a court ' ; honco ' anything aeiving for an unclosure or ])r4>tecti<>n.' Name any «>ther wurda that have undergone similar changes in meaning. Kee (\ K. E., 85)-y3. Sofa, liefer to //. S. (i., I. 54. Wheel the sofa round. Why shouM the scifa be moved / 38. Bubbling. A comparatively new word. It is probably to bo attributed to hloh ' a blister,' of which it is a diminutive, the I being oniittod, as in hnhldc from l>l;J2. also 70, (iv).] 49. Placemen. Aten )i. Wing positions in the ^'iftol it'in crown. For some account, of the corny)tion (if tho llritish I'arlianiont under George III., boo Green's Shoit llidunj <>f the JCmjlixh rarpk-, pago 732, and f(»ll<)wing. Tranquillity and smiles. Parse tlioso words.— Tlio contrast between this verse and tho preceding is very efloctivo in illustrating the results of political failure and success. Smiles. Smile, .Htnirk, (ulmire, and w/crrc/e, arc all connected with the root .smi, * to smile.' Show the existence of this notion in the meaning of the last three words. 50. Polio. Shortened by the omission of tho prep(Jsition //( from the Latin in folio ' in a leaf.' '^^ges For the difference in the origin of pa ye and its homonym, scv^ c'. E. , Appendix C. Polie offourpages. "A sort of Oxymoron."— Storb. The oxymoron has no existence now that "page" means not the leaf of a book,' but 'one side of a leaf,' though, to one remembering the original signification, tho oxymoron is evident, it being impos- sible for a " folio " to have four leaves, 51. Critics criticize. Cowper's first published volume of poems had been very severely handled by the Critical Reviaw and he shows plainly by these words that he had not forgotten tho attack. The use of " happy," in the preceding hne, is, therefore, exceedingly appropriate Holds. Express the meaning by another word. 52. Inquisitive. Whether is the relation attribntiir or pre- dicative ? 63. Past bound. What is the syntactical relation of "bound " I [Attributive to "I,"] Chains. Derived froi>i +he Latin through the French.— What other word comes direct fro tb-o sjime Latin root l See GEE 70. (iii). ■ ■' itii I 207 ti wlioM society NOTES. HOOK IV. Fair, Rofeniu},', mi in coUo- iertaining ensurable 88 gently lid (I am 3 apology. [)le public irmth the the case lilies were hat made I under- ;he use of uses one I it is that g some of NOTES. BOOK IV. 211 our nineteenth century journals. Explain the ret'erencos in ' ' roses " "lilies," "teeth," etc. 81. Ringlets for the bald. Cowper was not abo\e noticing these advertisements, indeed he seems even to have taken a special interest in them. Writing to Lady Hesketh in 1786, he says:— " As for me, I am a voiy smart youth for my years ; I am not indeed grown grey so much as I am grown bald. No matter ; there was more hair in thg world than ever had the honor to belong to me. Accordingly, having found just enough to curl a little at my ears, and to intermix with a little of my own that still hangs behind, I appear, if you see me in an afternoon, to have a very decent head- dress, not easily distinguished from my natural growth, which being worn with a small bag and a black ribbon about my neck, continues to me the charms of my youth, even on the verge of age." Bald. The wornt, should lie country ivour was, epends for laily,* and y acif/-er.' 119. Runs the great circuit. What is alluded to ? Compare with lines 304-307. Retrohpeotivk.— 88-119. "The poet's paramount aim in that work [The Tasl] is perlwps didactic. " Examine this passage care- fully, point out any didactic element, and criticise its effect. 120. Ruler. This reminds the reader of the introduction to Thom.son's Winter:^"- See Winter comes to rule the varied year." Inverted. Referring, as it w )re, to the supremacy of winter in inverting the natural order of things, by overthrowing summer. There may, perhaps, be an allusion to the revolution of the earth and phmets. T^homson had previously written : — " And fierce Acjuarius stains the inverted year" ; but as this was translated from Hoka(;e it is likely that both rendered into English a line that was well known, in a day when the study of the Latin poets formed the essential part of a gentleman's education. However this may be, Cowper informs us distinctly that in writing The Task, he imitated nobody. 121-143. O Winter! . . .know. The description of winter— a subject well fitted for poetical treatment— is forcibly and consist- ently carried out. By personification, life and energy are gained ; While by apostrophe the effect is heightened. It is dangerous to NOTES. HOOK IV. g to share I means of by much • i? Show ore, shear J the Latin i's cape or ito prose. mj. )d instead ate? The Compare a in that 3ago care- t. uction to ed year." winter in summer, the earth lid fierce ited from tliat was rmed the i may be, imitated winter — i consist- gained ; jernus to 217 entur into debiila in norsonilicstion h.it p and yet in no wav mJ. ti!. , „ ''°'' " '1"''° »?"«!«<= beauty and co^S" fTe et?' C"' "f "" '"""" "" ">" different spirit, compare T„„r;:Vf;;,, .:-!'"'"'' '"'"""" "' » Throned in his pahice of cerulean ice Here Winter holds his unrejoicing court ; And through his airy hall the loud misrule Of drivmg tempest is forever heard • Here the grim tyrant meditates his wrath Here arms his winds with all-subduing fn'.st ; Witt thich r" '"^' *"' ^^^^«"^«« "»' ^- -"- With which he now oppresses half the globe !«, which „a. no doubt <,„ite i^^^Vt^t^' ' """• FUled. Explain the meaning of this word here. 122. Breath. Parse. Lips^ The Up is < tjiat which lap, or sucks up ■ 'curled ends of threads ■ Thl """l ""^ Epenthcsis came Ji,nhri„. "f-einpro:„*S;„n. le ff rClvTr' ^"' ""^ ^'^ Beard. Is this word correctly used here ? Snows. Is this word metonyniically used here / Age. Explain the way in which this word has acouirorl u« . the mean n-r ' oM aap ' n..^.;. -^i .. "^""*'s acquired, as here, or worth." ° ^'"'^'"'' ^''^^ ^ "^^" '^f -^^«-^"««oe, ..ca^^/i 124. Wrapt in clouds. Compare Thomsons WMer- J^:^JZ^ If- 'T'' '-''^ --^^ ^" '^-^ a y^ioim, aot, ana clod, are forms of one word \vu„*. • the common notion I '• ^^"**<^ ^^ .^/rp2eS::i-n;Sir''r~;^ dcscnpfon „f natural objects, unlike many of our modem ,«ld not .p.„tualise his pictures, nor read info .he^raTy':;!^: 218 THE TASK. firaf . A sliding . . . wheels. Express in one word. Is tho periphrasis a mere caprice, or is it used with a purpose i 127. Way. IV comi)arison with tho kindred words, vmijony ix'liidr, and irtiin, show what is tho generic noti(»n of tho word. 128. All unlovely as thou seems't. Explain what is meant. What "unhtvely" features has Cowpor described in bhe preceding linos ? As. VVhother is the word a ,^impk or a rvhitirv adverb / 125). Dreaded. Show the appropriateness of the word by com- ])aring it as to meaning with drv-dilfnl, awful, and fearf id. Sun. Primarily ' the life giver,' from tho same root as .son. 130. Prisoner. What is the syntactical function of this word here ! Undawning. East. These words come from two different r(»ots, both meaning ' to shine.' Show to what extent this meaning is still discoverable in their modern applicaticm. 131. Shortening. Parse. Morn. The root of morn is found in marhle. What common notion have the two words ? Distinguish as to meanuig from dawn and niiiinliKi. Nop n. When customs change, tho old name is often retained. At one time tho chief meal of tho day was taken at 3 p.m., i.e., the Romanjuvii/) (Latin nonvs) hour. When the hour was changed the old name was still used. Exemplify this transition of meaning, referring to If. S. G., IV. 40. f. 132. Impatient. Parse. Motes, hook iv. 21 U l.'{3 Rosy west. Aro those words uppropriuto t„ tl.o .lescrip* won of 11 winter HuuHot ( Nor JH the nigl.t uiiwish.-d : wliile vitiil lieat, LiKlit, life, and joy, th.. dnhious .lay formike. ^ Compensating. ('o,„.pn,sate wm foru.orly, h.s lu-re, u transitive verb, n.ea,unM ' to counterbalance.' Develop the present n.eaning <'t tae word Iron, this earlier sijrnilication. la -> Social converse. Cowper was very fond of conversation with fnen.lH although hejuig^^ in the presence of visitors or strangers. Much of his ti.ue, both at Huntingdon and Olney, was spent ni social converse," as witness his letters :-'« We sehh.m Lwntn.g from Huntingdon] sit an hour after dinner, but if tho weather permits, adjourn to the garden, wliera.with Mrs. Unwin and her son I have convensuticm till_te,,^,„e. If it rains or is too windy f<,r walking, wo either converge within doors or sine, some hymns. At night we read and converse, as before, till supper, and commonly h.nsh the evening either with hymns or a sermon " Instructive ease. Exj.lain the meaning of these words. i.'UJ. Gathering. Parse. In. VVhat word would be more correct than -in," a.ul would l)robably be used in 2)rose ? IW. Fixing. ' Fastening,' ' rendering continuous.' The word c<.mes from the Latin /,/,;r,,,, . t„ ^^ . , ^,, ^.^^^^^^ , 138. Not less dispersed. With what is the comparison I Dispersed by daylight. Compare with .- Let me associate with tlie seriouH night, And contemplation her sedate compter ; Let nu> shake off the cares of day, And lay the meddling senses all aside. Thomson.— irmnu.sH of " hDiuo-horn." 141. Comforts. (\,mfort ciiies through tho Froiich, fi'oiu tho Low Litui vonfortrnr, 'to stroiij^thiMi.' Dovolop from this tho pru.s(uit-(lay inoaninj,'. Lowly. Critici.so tho uso of'thls word in collocation with " roof." 142. Of undisturbed retirement. Whether is tha nnhprt or tho objeri of iho clause motlitied by this phrase / 144. Stop short. What characteristic of tho speed (.f travelling is indicated by this phrase / What other expressions of tho passa-'e intensify tho same idea ( ° These. The poet ^'radually passes from the description of tho ovening pleasures of winter in general terms, to tho enumeration ..f Home ol tho features of his own household. Tho transition lends interest to the passage, besides giving the whole picture a senso of reality that it would not otherwise possess. 145. Po^gjdered pert. ' The ofKcic.us footman in livery.'— The allitemtion is worthy of attentiim. 145-140. Art of sounding an alarm. Cowper hero objects to the artiHciality, and to the punctilious attention to all formalities, which were, in his opinion, specially characteristic of his time. Alarm. An example, perhaps, of the pun. At any rate there seems to be an allusion to the eti'ect of the connnanding jerk of tho footman, on the minds of those that heard the "alarming" sound. 147. ^treet. The Latin for 'street' or 'paved road' was stnifa ria. Thus, via having been omitted, street is in reality a substfintivu descended from an adjective. NOTKS. llOdK IV. 221 IIIIHT »{,' 14H. Cough their own knell. An alluHiu,, ♦.. il.o cHt.,,,,, which ... (,ow,,m-H o.sM,n,iti..n whh vury . niel, .,f kooj.ii.K luNitod liorHoH Ht,i>,.li.,« i„ the cnhl. Notico tho ,..culiH.il,y of the ex|U-0B. H...n. Tho thouKht, iH. thni t\w "c.MiKh"..f thostoo.lH Ih, aH it, wore, then- fu,..ml "knell.-. I, »,,H.-Hi..K, " k.iell" ...ay I.e c:..,.Hi,lere.l aH a Kpecios of cognate ol)joctive. See H. S. (}., \\\\. .'{7. ,1. 14H 14t> IJessilfiss . . . quake. A HarcaHtic reference f. the t..r.nal call, with M., awkwanl silence that t..ok place after the cuHton.ary small talk ha.l been exha„Hte.l, an.l that wan hn.ken only l.y tu,co,.ghi.>Kof the horH.8 outHi.le, while in«i.lo (he la-licH aHectedlv pluxl Ihe.r fans, oven aIthon«I, the roo... wa.s .0 coi.l ,u. to cauHe a sh.ve,'. ^A knowledge of the part played l.y the fan in society dunnK H.o e.«hfeonth century, is eH.ential to the proper apprecia- t.nn o the fo,-cc of the passage. We are told that at this period a la. y always carried her fan, in onlor that by it she n.ight quietly but eflect.vely exp.-ess such passing feelings as she cared not to put 'ut.. words. The proper use of the fan was thus an i.nportant accon.pl.shment : and the article w,u. besides of e.ninent service a« a shield t., Inde the countenance when, as was not uncoumion, any- thing was heard supposed t<, be too shocking for wo„,an\s ears. Compare Poi'k.— The modest fan was lifted up no more, And virgins smiled at wliat they bluslied before. 160 Task. ra..and insk are variants of one word; compare ".sA;, tJic modern form of ax or nkx. 151. Pattern. The correct form of the word is r„trn„, a wonl which we stdl use, though in more of the original sense ^ putnnnl protection ; from this original meaning has evolved the meaning of patfevn ...., ' a paternal example'; and hence, % generalisation , example. ^ o , Grows. Is this an apt word ? Give reasons. Well-depicted. What is the generic meaning of " depicted" i —Develop the force of the word here. 151-152. The weU-depicted . . . lawn. Embroidery was then, as ivow, one of the favorite evening ..ccupations of women Compare 1 hom.son, Antun., .- -- To train the foliage o'er the snowy lawn, a line that would suggest that Cowper had been reading H? '■i \ .; 1 SI fij-' 222 THE TASK. iri W'f- I The Sea mm ^vere it not that "snrnvy lawn" seems to have been a very common expression.— Lrn/v* is i)robably a corruption of the French Ihwu 'linen,' from the Latin liiwm 'flax,' and seems to be properly applied to a white material, as, in Popk, Muml Emi,is:~ •' A^ .saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn"; altliough in Milton, II I'emtroso, we find :— " And sable .stole of Cipres lawn." 163. Buds. A bud is primarily 'a knob'; compare the kindred Avord button. Sprigs. Sj)ris (a (^j-ook word) IS i>orIiapH n.nnootod with ..nr words uprifi and simnif. Radish and an egg. lllnstrato Hu, appropriaf-onoss of tho root s ehoK'o of tho " raploto pro,hoato followed l>y tho complo.x ohjoct " roligion (to bo) ronzy " A oaroful porusal of H. S. G., Vlll. 50. will pr<.vo helpful. ' Frempr Cognate wUh phreu- (as in phm,ol,.,,j) and n.oaning 'a a.soaso of tho brain.- C(,mparo with /m.^/.. -Distinguish the word as to moanujg from m(i,h„>t^s and in.sonit;/. 170 That made them. What is' the purpose of the poet in mtroducuig this expression 'I 180. Awful. Devoloj) the force of this word here. 181. A jarring note. Expand tho met^vphor into a simile 182. Exciting . . . love. Cowper's religion was at any rate sincere ; and its reality is evident from many references in his oc.rrespondenco, and from the fact that in the c<.n.pany of his dearest friends ho was fond of religious conversation. m Wand. Cognate to in>uf ' to twist,' and hence primarily si^niitymg • tltal which may bo loound or twisted.' Notes, hook iv. 225 Km, Memory 8 pointing wand, h is i.np.msii.K, to .looi.l. «!- t..yoly w hut m „u,Hnt l.y this .xpirnHion. TI„,r., „.m,.,.h t., ],o an Hl..Hi..n iM.tl. to the, uuiKicHl crtbct of M.o fairy wand a.s in fairy HtonoH „, l,nn«i„g the past into view, a„.l alno (. tho use of the wan, aH a ,.,..y,.., by Mon.ory, in calling attention to the varions (letails of the future. iwr,. Dangers. l,au,,er is connect,,,! with the Low Latin d,>,ni. H'"'»,whencecon.esour,/om/u/oH. The word in 01,1 French siKnilie.l absolute power ; hence ' power to harn.,' as seen in Thr Mnrhant of \.a,.. :_^ You st,t„,l within his ,lang„r.- Fron. this h.st nu,aninu <•» the wor,l has ou.e the prenent ineaninfr. ^ 1«5-188 The dangers . . . eternal love. Explain tho various allusions ni these lines. 187 Unlooked for. Whether is the expression a,lverl,ial or adjectival ?— Parse ' ' f, .r. " Life preserved and peace restored. Cow,>er suffere,! intense ageny „f nnnd because of his foars and doubts. At tin.es as .t seen.s here) his n.ind became serene, an,l he supposed he had Mund peace ; but the usual attitude of hi„ .„in,l in reference to a u ure state was ,>ne of great ,lespon,lency. -Translate the expression mt,) Its unabbreviated e,|uivalent. 188. Eternal love. The Evangelical section of the Church of England was tJieii, ,ts it is now, inclined to Calvinism, an,I Iai,l Hpecial stress „n tho eternity of (iod's plans; hence "eternal" implies hero 'without beginning,' as well as ' without end ' 189-11,0 Oh evenings . . . Sabine bard. Alluding to the wor,l8:-"0 «,«,-tes o,«H,.,^n« ,/«," in the .S'^^V,. of Hoh.,.k Homco spent much ,>f his time on his Sa%e farm, not far fr,>in 190. Reply I« this word correctly used hero ?-Distinguish, ,« to meaning, rejdy and aimvin: 191 Prized and coveted. Cmtrase tho meanings of "prized" and "covofced," as used here. Yours. What is peculiar in the use of this word here '( 192. As . .truths. Notice the peculiar c,m.struction. Tho phrase with nobler truths " is co-or,Unate with " m,.re." 193. That. What is tho antecedent of this w,ml ^ 1 I ;f rt I-. 220 THE TASK. RETRo.sPErTivE.-120-l»:i. - His tlioughts are neither mystical n..r profound. Discuss the trutli „f this statement t.ki„L^ this passage as tlie basis of the argument. 195. Tragic fur. Injra^edy it is custo.nary for kings and Mueens to appear on the stage clothed in fur, especially ermine. J lie word imfjic is certainly connected witli the Greek trcuio, ' he- f/o.,^ though there is much doubt concerning the explanation of this derivation. Some think that the word originated in the fact that the hrst participants in tragic song appeared dressed in noat- .Sims; others, that a i- mposition , that was e activity , from tlie ing to the was first evade are out that md come lescended and that I singular Fledged Prnuarily, 'ready to HyA II..w h the primary Biginhcatum nfjle./rjr,! connected witli its present meanin.^ v 21o Peacock. A liybrid word. The first element of tlie com- pound,sc,mnected with the Latin ,.,.,, 'peacock,' which n.ay he traced through the Greek to the Persian ; while the last element is -Cinglish. 216. Toured 'Slightly colored'; the word comes from the Lntin tmcti IS, 'dyed.' 217. With spots quadrangular. The satirist is evidently tamihar with his theme. Diamond. A corrupted form of adamant, < the vnAauwhlr ' 218 Ei^guined. 'Blood red,' from the Latin sanguis, blood. Account for the meaning „f samjume, ' hopeful.' Hearts. Discuss whether this word depends on " with " <,r " of " ori^h, w/!"'\-'"".^'' '^''""•"' ^'"^ '•'"'^'"' "^'^ ^" "f kindred ougni. Whf^t notion is ccmimon to all ( TypicaL Contrast the meaning of this word with that of emblematic. 219 ^padBS . . . graves. Much ingenuity has been dis- l>Iayed m attempts to explain the origin of the f<,ur suits in cards. Cowper, however, has evidently not made nu.ch study of the matter, for his "emblems" are suggested merely l,y the nanies. A ciuaint French writer, wh(,se theories are, at any rate, quite enter- taming, thinks that the suits refer to the pursuits of war. "The treflr (club), or clover-plant, which abounds in the meadows of France denotes that a chief ought always to encamp his army in a place where he may obtain forage for his cavalry ; ^,/^... ^spades) and carream, (diamonds) signify stores-the carreau being a sort of heavy arrow shot from a cross-bow ; co'urs (hearts) signifies the courage of both commanders and soldiers." Untimely. Show the appropriateness in the use of this word here. 220. Hour-glass. The "hour-glass" and the "scythe" are common m allegorical representations of time. Once. Explain the allusi^ ^-'^ with regard zz^^^ ncss of our y<.ung people, to know that even in the "good old days" are in the last (juarter of the nineteenth century. of mihr'^'"'*'^- ''"''^'" "'^ ^""^"'""' '^^ ^'^ ^'«^«^--^-v Night by night. To what is this phrase adverbial. 230. Conjer. Originally ' the thing that is hard like a Imn and connected with the Latin cornn, ' a horn. ' ' ft«.m tf carZ^''4 ''''" !'''^"^" *" '"'*^'' '^"^ ^"'^"'^ ' that which W. carries. Some, however, think 6.«rd is 'that which is 231. Trick. The word seems to be used here in its general sense of art.hce, rather than in the technical sense peculiar fo lard !^^'k'^'^°®' '^^^ ''''"^'*^ etymological spelling is trewes the won! being m reality a plural and signifying Hrue things. '-Dis! tinguish tn^e, m respect to meaning, from peace and treaty. Roving as I rove. ' Wandering from the subject.'-A rover is primarily a ' robber,' and hence a ' wanderer.' 233. Pj:pceed An anglicised mode of spelling (instead of pro- cerf«), seen also in succeed and exceed. Accedelnd recede Zl introduced into the language at a later date, and retain alrmo spelling which shows their French and Latin origin an'fitlTnd. ' " *°""- ^"^^^"^^ ^^«*"^^« ^ ^ '^^^P^ ^P f' 2.'}2 TIfK TASK. H.'m. Whiclte«en. A l.,itiiiiH,.,. whiol, Uy fn.|i,t.nt ui^onnonco (.... ucct.unt nf ,(H brmifcy) in |)..o/•()(»»). Pallet. Mottor /.,,/,7/f.. in tl.o urtH /m//,7 i.s K'imonilly upplicl t..aH..rtof hnrsl, „so,l i„ wrkiuK K-M-leaf, wliilo the hoard ..n wlii.h a pamtoi'H c,.lor« an, 8|>ioajoctive chho, neiiiir a sort uf /ortitiiY acoiisativo. Cards and dolls. Kxplain tho roforonco. Dolls. Tho i.riiuary uioaninf,' ..f !.,n then when it huH HHCon.lcd 2.-)5). Votary. Whut in tho osHontiiil n<.ti..n ..f this word ' 2(H). Me. Wimt is tho olFoct of tho clmngo fn.n, tho third to tno nrnt i)or8i)n/ 202 Books. So cHllo.1 bocHUHO ,xt una turn writton on boards luado from the hrxrh troo. Compuro //. .S. a„ IV. 40 f 2n;{. Weaving nets. DIhcuhh whether il in 'prohul.le that tho '.ccupation uulieHtod by this phruBo furuiod h purt of C..w,>or'« wujtor-ovoning pursuits. 2(i;{. For bird-aUuring fruit. Explain the phruso, and discuss Its a])propriatene8s. 2(54. Twining. The primary notion of the word is MoublinL''- compare with twin. ° ' Threads, nmul is connected witli throw, of which one of tho meanings was 'to twist.' Or reels That is, from tho .knn ; an unusual task in hose days of spools of silk beautifully wound by the machinery of the manufactory. In January, 1783, the poet wrif. i„ u.^ morning I walk with one or other of the ladies ; and „. the aftern<.on, wiml bread Thus did Florcules ami Samson uid thus do f, and wore b..l. thoso heroes living, I .should not fear to challenge them to a trial of skill m that business or doubt to heat them both " of b!!l.^^°°' ■ • • ^^T^- ^"^'"''' '"'^y" «»'^"''^« I'l^''*^""^ of hi.s lady companums. Compare lines r>:i--y4, 151, and 1(J3 To please. An example of the real gerundial infinitive." Com- pare //. H. G., XV. 12. at the begiiuong KKTKo.sm.TxvK.-243-2«(i. The most powerful of those causes hose cmtributing to Cowper's lasting popularity] is, doubtless their genuine force and originality of poetical portraiture." Show to what e tent this passage is marked by such force and originality. Jfr^^Z' ..?^ ''"''^ '" ^'"'" "'^^ '" '^" indefinite .sense. See II. O. »r. , VI. hV. Drawing-rooms. That is, 'wUhtlramiui.ioow.' The word ii i '^mtm^ff^' 236 THE TASK. was primarily applied to the rooms to which people wit/ulrew immediately after dinner. Blaze. Compare the meaning of the word in this line, with that which it bears in line 381. 268 Clear. What is the function of this word in this descrip- tion of the drawing-room ? 269. Many a. See H. S. G,, VII. 40-41. Mirror. From the Low Latin mirare, 'to wonder. '-Explain the presence of this notion in the original meaning of the word 270. Bulk. ' That which 6j%e«.' 271. Without stooping. Point out the part this phrase bears in the syntax of the sentence. Towering crest and all. The crest is the ridge of the he met The head-gear of Goliath is specially mentioned in the liiblical account of his contest with David.— Pajrse "crest." 272. My . . . begin. Which is the emphatic word in this sentence ? But. What thoughts or notions are contrasted by the use of this word here ? 273. Glowing hearth. Compare :-" For them no more the !r'''2owln "f ^""^-"-^^h^*^ '« ^^^ «ff««t of the figurative use May. What is the meaning of " may " here ? ' Awhile. What is the force of the a in this word ? 274. Paint iUumination. Notice the detailed contrast be- tween the scene just described and that to which the poet is now directing attention. For similar effective contrasts, see lines 251- 275. OeiUng. Cell is a changed form of the older English word syk a canopy,' which seems to have descended tlirougli the French from the Latin cfdum ' the sky.' 276. Dancing. Connected with the root tan ' to stretch,' seen in the Latin tcndcrc, to ' stretch.' The transition in meaning may be traced al.mg the following words: 'to stretch,' « to draw out ' to trail along,' 'to move slowly,' 'to take measured steps ' ' to keep time to music. '-Show to what degree the word is aptly used NOTfiS, BOOK IV. m Uncoutmy, Uncouth is, generically, 'unknown;' henoe Btrange.' The word is formed by prefixing the negative p efix "n! ''iru^ht'^tt?'^ '' ^"'"""^ '^"^— i>-eio;thefo::e oi uncouthly m this passage. ^_ Jo^the quivering flame. Conipare this expression with zHIes^'^ "n ^ J ,., - '^<^wmno88, nonce 'sloejunoas ' As. TliewordhBrshiis the torcoof ",«;/-." 301._ Were. In wh,.t m„„,l u "were" heri, » Jr "'°"""' ■' ""™ '"'■'-' •^"'■nymou, with it, a„ul.l„t meiaphoricul sense. -Exn-mdthoVTi. '''' "'"'^ ^" •'* ti..u other .onls onof hT ^ :^C " '"'"' '""' '"-'■ Lost. From the same root as loosed SI.mw fi stgnitication between the two words ^"nnecti.m in 302. Oft. Parse. Lose^ Explain the meaning of this word here. 30. At length. Th.s expression, as used here, is supported b. i^ I ii: U6 ttlE TASK. good authority, though certain modern purists would .substitute for it "at last." Freezing. Freeze gerierically meant 'to bum,' and came, by by transmutation of consonants, from the root prus 'to burn.' This remarkable change in si; lifiwition is easily traced ; that which buniH, dings ; and stinyiiuj is one of the first felt effects of the freezing of the body. 304. Bolted shutter. Comi)are this expression with line 36, Summons. Summmi is a word that properly l>elongs to the law courts. It meant originally 'to admonish,' 'to warn'; hence, ' to give notice,' ' to cite to appear'. The word is derived from the Latin mb ' under,' and monere ' to ndvise.' 305. Recollected. 'Collected again.'— Pronounce the word.— Trace the transition from the meaning of the word used literally, as here, to that of the figurative use of the word. The word is said to 1)0 here used prolepticiilly. What is meant i? Snapping short. Discuss the appropriateness of the use of "short" here. 30G. The glassy threads. Develop the force of "glassy." Which . . . weaves. A conumm subject of poets. The following picture, by one of our minor poets, resembles Cowper's in many respects : — Sitting- where the fitful firelight Shine.s and glimmers on the wall, Listening to the ceaseless patter Of the raindrops as they fall, Musing like an idle dreamer While the momencs come and go, •Weaving fancies sad and tender Into noiv and long ago. 307. Brittle toils. Develop the metaphor of lines 305-307, so as to show what idea the ])oet wishes to ccmvey by the use of these words. 309. Abroad. Primarily 'on broad.' Ctmipare with the every- day exire^siim v„ I,, "«"""■""' «■. scene, and nes« of these epithets. "^ '^"^'^^ ^" ^^^^t consists the apt- 328. Alighting Mj,fiT''''''y^'^^'^f^l thaUhe prefix of the word has the for 'o Xn '"^'''"'- ' ^^^^-« appearance. ' ^,,.^,,,, „^^. ^j' ^^^^^"'''^ f objects to the same mtoxts own substance/ beinratrt'of'T^^^""""^^^^^ 'to chang^ force of the prefix .ad of the affix' i. T^ "^^^-^hat is the 329-330. Earth . . . ZTtL t ^^ ^^ ''' '^"^ i««- oftects of snow is marked by Sred 7''''' '^^^^^^Pt'on of the that zt merits reproduction Lrlfl '"""*^' ^°^^« ^ beautiful The .snow had begun i„ the gloanune And busily all the night ^ '*"""^' Had been heauin^ fieIf^"an,^ u- u Wifh o ^1 , *"" highway 9 VV.th a silence deep and white. I i^i: ill I ■ ■ w m.mm. 244 THE TASK. Every i)int' and fir and hemlock Wore ermine too dear for an earl, And the poorest twig on the elm-tree Was ridged inch deep with i)earl. From sheds new roofed with Carrara Came Chanticleer's mufHed crow, The stiff rails were softened to swan's-down. And still fluttered down the snow. I stood and watched by the window The noiseless work of the sky, And the sudden flurries of snow-birds, Like brown leaves whirling by. Compare also with Shelley, Aladoi' : — And winter robmg with pure snow and crowns Of starry ice the gray grass and bare boughs. 330-331. Green and tender blade. What is referred to ? Does frost injure grass ? 332. Escapes unhurt. Cowper loved to notice emphatically anything pointing to the existence of a hand guiding and regulating the world of spirit or of matter for the common good. So warm a veil. The poet is right. The snow, because of its poor conductive power, is a great i)rotection to plants. Retrospective.— 267-332. "Where he is great it is with that elementary greatness which rests on the most universal human feelings." Show to what degree this passage may be considered as an exemplification of this statement. 333-373. In such a world . . , always show. Discuss whether these lines follow naturally after the preceding description. 333. Thorny. Thorn is generically ' the piercer,' coming from the root tar ' to pierce. ' 334. Happiness. Hapjyy originally meant ' lucky ' ; it is con- nected with hap 'chance,' seen in perhaps, haply. The word has therefore improved in meaning. See H. S. G., IV. 40. e. 334-335. Or, if found. . . its side. If he ellipsis be supplied the clause will read " or, where, if it is found unblighted, none finds it without . . . side." NOTES, nook IV. ^45 ed to ? itically iilating iuse of h that human ired as discuss ption. [ from is con- 'd has pplied none 333 Thistly sorrow. These word, remind m of J7„. Parabl, 330. It. See fi^, 8. G., VI. 26 a others ,8 seen to be even more painful -Notico ihTo ^ ^^^^ ce„.^rUo„ no. on,, ,,'„.,,,«, ,^''2 '.t' .-^r:; 336-337. No sin . . . Iova Nnt ;* ,v • ^ . -" ana doe, noe ,e«. one . ^TJl 'L:-:^'fi:Z::^ ^ m Distinguished, Explain the essential notion o( the word 340. Sympathise. Oenerically 'to suffer with'- fr™„.i. r. , »- 'with,' and patluin 'to suffer' The I.rf h ?""'' meaning, and means now ' to share Lrot with wl, T''"'' '" it had the .ulditiona. meaning ' to sha^ Ifh • "^ '""'""'' w!:!i!:^anr'''p:;vo:;}r'" "°" '""■"" *- «•--•" r- woS-is.''t'm:*it';titrtr ""r """-'" *» H S P VITT r;V;7 ^^ 8 '<^okea upon as a frequentative (see M. .S. G! VIII. 5. b.) formed from deal ; but this see.ns incorrocf! he word ,s connected with the Anglo-Saxon d.ale ' 1 X a d'i therefore, cognate with dilt. To stalk is, as it were ' tf ' ' lengthened legs, or dllts, or dalks' ; hence two In;:,> ^. "" have arisen : (1) ^ to take long steps',' ' to stnl T ^ ^r:""'^ t.p-toes,' Ho walk softly.' The first moaning L^ now the ,"" Msual : compare Thomsons vln....-" The shepherd ... J, .^ !J'^4 ' " "''^'"' " *'" ^""""-^ expression';:::; 342. Team. Primarily 'a family'; hence, 'a groun ''.„.- In Canada this word is ac(,uirin«/ >x different use t tl t England, as it is generally regarded as synonymous with '^,,17,1 !," »*.*SM«r.*t&*.-a«-iti«*ii.._ l^g U6 lIlE TASk'. horses). Wo still rofcjiin, howevor, the proper meaning of the word in such expressions hs "a tenui of cricketers." 34;}. Wain. Wo In and im,,n,i, are doublets, the fiist being a true English word, while the latter has l^een borrowed from the Dutch. Impeded. Tmi>,',/r is i)riinarily ' to entangle the feet,' from the Latin in, ' in,' and prs ' a f(.ot.' Comi)are with i:qH-ilite. Sore. The use of this word with reference to an inanimate object is unusual and striking. Conipare, The Sofa :— But perforated gore And drilled in holes the solid oak in seen. 344. Congregated. Whether is this word in the active or in the passive voice ? 344-345. By . . , wheels. The agreement of sound to sense here is markedly effective. The skilful use of the alliteration of the gutturals in "congregated," "close," and "clogged," should especially be noted. 345. Clogged. (% was originally 'a lump of c/*/,/,' the verb being formed from the substantive. See H. S. (A, VIII. 7, d. Wheels. The English winter is veiy different from the Cana- dian, and thus " wheels " is quite appropriate in this line. Pace. Criticise the ai)propriatenes8 of this word here. 34(;. Noiseless. Because of the softness of the roads.— Parse. A moving hill of snow. A metaphor remarkable for its picturescpieness. Expand it. 347. Steeds. Distinguish as to meaning, steed, hm-se, ctumjer, and ronrHc.r. V/hy was "steeds " preferred by the poet ? Expand the nostrU wide. Of what characteristic of the horse are these words descriptive ?-For the syntactical ccmnection of the words, see IT. S. G,, XIII. 49-50. Nostril. Literally nose-thrlU, the latter part of the compound coming by metathesis from thirl 'a hole.' For other wonls from the same root, compare, throldum, thrill, trite, drill 'to bore,' and drUl ' to train soldiers. ' Show to wliat extent the notion of ' boring ' still exists in these words. 348. Eespiration. Distinguish as to literal and acquired jneanings, from iniipindimi, axpiration, and perspiratiim. 1 .Votes, hook iv. ^47 i 3tr:-,;;; ;;r:^;' ^■» — --A ":.:': Jutting. J,,/ is a corrin.tic.n of W ' f,, «,„.„* ' / "hreHsts"'^ ^ *** I'l'efemble here tn Compare f.Jie French use ..f tnn,„ in «..pI. ..» ' ' iounfef^HlTil^ • • • '*'*'"'• ''^ "'''^*^ characteristic of the jomney .uul of the «a«o„er is each of these details indicative ^ pZ'^'^Z"^- T,?'f •' ^'^t'^ f-iuentative connected with pohh .1 bag. nie allusion m the word is h. th.. r 1 1 the top of a 2>oke or ha.. ConiDare T . fl • '" ™'' ''^ i>nr«. up the eyehrows.'- ' "^'' '•""^•'^^' ^''l'^'^^^'^'" "t" 353. Storm. Primarily ' that which strew,, or stirs. ' Co^'rOHJvL^"^' '^'""^^ ^'"•-^-— '^^-^'- ^i^culty. The plnughtnal. hcniPward pto,h his weary way. 248 TIIK TASK. Tho primary mouiing of phnl seems to hnve origindlly been 'to pwldle,' I.e., ' to wulk tlirough poids or puildlcHuf water.' 354. Save. I'arse. [The w<,rd may host he coimi.lered as a preposition followed hero hy a noun clause, though originally it was a participle and jin,i; /.r., ' moving easily backwards and forwards.' J '1 11 still retains tho n<.tion (.f repeated action, as seen in tho French plii'r^ ' to fold,' 'to weave.' Whip. ' That which moves quickly, nvwurrH, toand fro.' Com- l.are the kinf ' floggnig ' or 'striking ' that the word now bears wlien used as a verb, is t<. he f<.und in the fact thut in a H.,gging the blows are raj.idly given, and that the instrument moven or waves iiuicMij. 35(5. Resounding . . . vain. A go«,d lino. ' Point out in what its merit consists. 357. In my account. 'In my co,nd' (/..., UnmputaHon,' 'estimation'), cmmt and cump^de being doubtlets. Acciyunt is, therefore, here used with much of its primary meaning. Denied. 'Since thou art denied.' />«„./ is from tho Latin dnwijan 'to deny,' a compound of ,k 'fully,' uh 'not,' and aiere ' to say.' 358. Sensibility of pain. See //. ,S'. a., XilL 03. b. 3r)!>. Endued. Emlue is an oMer way (.f spelling endi»v. ' to give a dowrtj tev is pn.hably right in regarding tho wagoner as denied a certain sensibility of pain, but he forgets that the sensibility of pleasure is also denied. If Lick of sense of pain were a chief element of happiness the beasts of the field and the fowls of tho air would be enviable. NOTES. H(J(»K IV . 240 to i Thou. Phino. •m. Frame. Tho Huhstantivo frmnr i. derived fr...n the verb uc . . connected with the En,li«h /,.., the n..ti..„ hein^ Zi pn-gresH. 'advance.' Ou.npure fur anal. .«..»« .M-owth of .Ln n. the modern expression " t„f„rtl,n- one's objects " "' Robust and hardy. DistinguLsh "robust" and -hardy" «« to njeainng. 'fuuy h« ;{<51. Unimpaired. ' VVithont being i.ni.Hired.'-Notocarefnllv U.e denva .on of the word and con.,aro it with that of "'t mend,' and repair ' to journey to.' ' 3fi2. Learned finger. Kecast the idea in ,iuin >ro8e .n. Thine. Sue //. N. ^^, Vil. .'{j-.-W. Dependent. DiHti„,ui.sh ,/,/"-/../ (f,...,„ the French) fr„n. .'J72. Hurry. Whirled. Tho.se wonln ure fron. the .san.e r.>ofc f thi.s wonl i.s in keepnig u ,th the genenvl character of the senti.nent. 374 Yet. Why i.s this w.rd used instead of "h,,,]"/ The yet iuust l.e substituted before "iu<.e8 are shaped ' but not with last 'latest.' It is cognate nhW. with which It was once synonymous. Skkax indicates the ansitionof meaning by the following chain, 'learn,' 'know,' .>;^' 'fuiH;;"!::L^^^^^^ '-' ^''' '-'-^^ ^-^-^^'^^ '^"»- ^^^37a Season. By metonymy for 'the weather of the season,' 37!>. To cool. See i/. S, (I, VIII. 32. b. -Criticise the appro- priateness, as t.. dignity, of " time t<* cool. " 380. Frugal Primarily 'fit ft.r food'; hence « temperate ' 'economical,' 'thrifty.' The word is connected with the Cin fnuj. ' the fr.it, ' base of frn.c ' fruits of the earth. ' Housewife. Distinguish the two meanings of this word acc<.rd. mg o Its pr,,nuiic,ation.-What term of re- vonch has been derived by abbreviation, from the word i [E. *'. (},^ jy. sq i ' NOTKS. HOOK IV ^51 381. Brushwood. 'JX'.,„t,s ' »-««./- ■ misery; uZ7l^^^"^ '''"" '"'""'" "^^^ «-'^ — of poor, ami t L ni^nfuT ! ' " ";"'"" '^""""" ''" ^"« ^^«'^« ^o the :i ■'if ;hW' L>r,2 TFIK TASK. en-.Montly refers in 'Munglod" to the curryinj? licmo of the tunov n-om the shop.] ' •«':5- Brown loaf. Show the especiul ai,i.r.,i,riatene88 of 'brown.'— Ptirae "h.Hf." .'«>4. Sauce. I'rinmrily '.s„/^v/,' fi,,m tlie Latin s„l 'salt.' The applimtion of the word has I.een extended to ahnost any rehsh even It, as here, n.. special prep.- ration is needed for its prodnetion ;«>.-.. Cheese. Sn England, even now, amongst the lal.orinL' classe- 'bread and eheese" corresponds to onr "bread an;. T7here . . . chained. This line must be considered in cnmection with the folh.wing, for the poor are often very inventive m ti.en- deceptive nuses. The sentiment is the same as that of Ukav ui the EUyn :— Chill Prnury repressed their noble rage And froze the genial current of the soiil. 398. CoUoquial. Expand the epithet. -With what other Jueannig is the word fretjuently used to-day ? Jn)y. Thrift they thrive not. The expression c.mtains an example of Syllepsis, a species of pun. This. What is referred to by this word ? 400. Ingenious. A happily selected word. -Distinguish as to meannig from iiuiaiiKom. Parsimony. Primarily 'sparingness.' The word comes from .^yZ'"'" ''''^"'""^''' ''^''^' '' ^"»"''*'^ ^**^'^ ^^'^ English spar.. 400-401. But justsaves. '-Bufmodifies "just saves. "-Trace 10 transition from the primary meaning of jnd 'righteous,' to tiiat or tlio Word hero. 401. Inventory. What is the pronunciation of this word ^ Analyxe the word etymologically.- What is peculiar about its use here f ^ lo uai. Stool. A word which was displaced from an honorable position b> the Norman French chair. See JI. S. G., . 36. 2. ^^f;.f^^®*' '^ tli»Hn»tive, derived through the French douWet " *'" "^'"^ ""'^'"" '^ "'^"■•' '"''^^'^''^ «-^«« ^- 403. Live, and live. Is the word "live" used in the same sense each time { ^ t I "J»^3-3* V^ !1 NOTES. HOOK rv. 258 t -T „,,„,; * ™'°' " '"" ""'"'» "~ ««"".mtic»lly c.m„octo,l l,y thi, «.,?I!Jf,f/"^' ?■'"'"'• '"■'""'*■• ""'' •'"■"»'• ™ "" fr™ 0.W r,„.t Hiuj nro of onoinatopootic origin. Other. Othor than what / imo much to ,1„ vvitli the oxorciBo of charity to tho poor Tho oa ly .le«orv.ug poor are always found to have an " hon prid " tlmt keop« then. fron. .naking thoir uocIh known ^ ma.-~ to bt'g I am ashamed." SaTm^T' • ^^'!" 7"^ '' '"" '"^"^^ '^ c.mtracto.1 form of tho An'do. fciaxon/icf/cr/rfv), 'to />/(/<■/ /. <.,aL.'\ f^. .1 , . •«".- ^vu^io-. .4!',",! """■'' '" '■'■•""*'"' "' ""'"'■"'« " '»»*""»'. ».«i Hud Supply " choosim' ''», i„t„ tl„ ,i,,„„„ „f „„. „,„,, „„,.J- r 1:., i *'■ f: fv^. 254 THE T/^K. What notion do the two words oont.iin in conunon ^ accustomod ,,Moi,.„c« benig ^ >ux nnmmi way of acting '- -Dia imperil Hvuf, and (nro ,,^ ,,, ^,^^ ,^.^^ ^^^^^,^ ^^^ Jt^^f;/:^::^"* • • • °«- c-p-wia.m...:_^Hh. of woids that have deprec.atod in .noaning. Soo C. K E 91 _ The word knave, n.eant primarily 'a Aho6/,.v person,' /.... 'aiu^.^od person, 'a young man.' »*u|raUi LaUn n not, and ^,o,f..s 'a ha^W,' 'a means of access '• hence by nietonymy 'what is recjuired when there is difHcuUy of ace s' '.«'., portniacity.' Compare oi>part^-uity. ' Importunity in rags. Systematic charity leads to systematic suggested by long exi.erience, largely aid the undeserving, and it as the reign of El,/.ibeth, led to serious injustice an.l to a-' ian but there can be no doui,t that the inelKcient regulations were in no .-.y unproved by the traditi<.nal way of carrying them Tt was not tdl the reign of William IV. tLt the sUm w br :«., mto some sort of hanuony with conunon-sense Jews and w 1 toaclungs of experience ; though the necessity and fre,n.en v of a«^>se,„ent efforts U. improve the laws, unite wilh such lit ! /^ ' estsagamst work-house abuses, as 'H)liver Twist," to prove Int 41S. Blush. ' T„ g,„,v ,.„),. . t„ ,,^,., . „, it ^^^^ r NOTES. nooK IV. 255 T t thetiuil f„rco gumud by the Hllitumtion in "fa.uino" and "filth" Beconcile. Is tl^o word corroctly ivj,i.liod horo i Would mu. liitiatc 1)0 bottor < inf ''"ulMrT"! ^^.?f"^^"^- !>'««"«« t'>- I'r-.prioty of substitut- ing ulthough for " beoHUHo. " an^Ls^'^' "^""^ ''''''''' '''^ ^^'^ ^'-•^"'^«' "^ -K'-tion, 422 Well trained. ' WoU bn.ugi.t up.' Sou the rofe^-once, in ho lottor ,u,.tod m the Not. on lino 427, to tho charactor of l.o pooplo aidod by tho funds entrusted to Cowper of ' sl'M? f*""^ Jr'" ; ''''"'' ^""^^^ ''"^ ^''" ^■"-* "f "»- i"«ertion o» II borore fow ? Find their hands, Ex|,l,.iu tl,„ mc„„h,g „f thuso w„„l,. Want. What is tho granunatioal o})ject of '« want " '^ o^^' ^^^' ' •-: T^' Explain the difrerenco.",f moaning ot can and "may," m these lines. 427. I mean the man. The roforenco is to a Mr. Sn.ith, of N tt„.gha.u, who sent Cowper numey for distribution anumgst the 'W.n 7' .«^»r'^^-;'-"^-"-^' - C<.wpor-s letters t the ; • '• y"";;"' ^^*^'''"^'*« f^-'" «"»^« -f which are here 8o who make no professi.m of religion at ,.1] and ' are yet proper objects of charity. The profane are s<. profane, s,> drunken, dissolute, and in every respect worthless, that to make hen, {,artakerH of hi. }.>unty wuuld bo to abuse it. We promise, however, that none shall touch it but such as are miserably poor I ■':' I 2:)0 THE TASK. in HDotlier letter ho writos— "Mr «...,-m * "-^ "utnmg. tiiiuk justifies this criticism. ^ ^' ""'""^ ^^^ w^.rsr:i .t::'^"^"^^^^^-'^- ^'^ ^- ^'^^-^^ which 4.ii. Sottish waete. Tivmslate by one word n appropmtoness of "was(o"here. word.-D, .uss the 432. Now . . . abroad. Discuss whether this line wo.drl l. n^o proper for the con.uence.ent of . „ew paragr!:;^: t^ ' i!: Prftl^ T"' f""" '"'""'"^ '^'''' ""« ^^«rd ««n'««mes have? Prowhng abroad. Develop the force of " nrowIinL' " Wul WinWord ,n this line is "abroad " syntactically c«^d ? ""''' And. What words are synt^vc^ically connected by "nnd " here? ».'*,■> NOTES iJOoK IV, X 437. Plashed. 'Plaited with broken branuhes,' a usual way of stnsngthoniiif? a hodgo. 438. Hkexi. Parso this word. Loamy bank. Tho expression alludes to the bank often seen t'.t tliii' foot f a liedge. Uptons Parse this word. ^ 439-440. Lame to better deeds. "L;«ne" here means ' slow,' tardy.'— As exemplifying the peculiar use of ".S THE TASK. ^nrao art Twitched. x,„«u cms word Th. n . "nnatuml that it can hanllv , '''•~^'^« collr.cition 441). Bird r! r 1 ^- ' "'•P''""'"^ "^^"" "' I-«try. '/"«'/ and 6rm7. -What word should hi / '""^- ^""^I"^''^' lino / "^ «"«»W bo ojnphasizod in reading this 450. Voracious P ■ fr-m «.c. .„„„ ,,,:t „,'r""^, M-ourin^.. r,«-,„^„„ „„„„, »Woh it i, (ill„,|. "" "f 'l>o iMg, ,„„i th„ hMto wil'i Di8ti„gui,h the word .^Z,„,"!- f"" " * "' VHI. 6. I,- In vain. See if. a „., ix. ,5 ,, humor ^ti „;«; tt^Scter* rf ui""?"""' "'" """'• »"«' i" Po»8e^iv„„djeotiv«/„,u'",d'^l- ''""''"' *° "" "' ««= ^«n ' ^' ^oip,ryr trTf ' "' "■" --^ - ^ The ( has crept into the word throtlThr'^'* " " ''^^'"■""S-' mtirely distinct word, thour Zf a T"' "' ^»"M »n pn-»,„ . first. • Sho; tL ct ,ec i„ 't: ""•" ^"' """• *" I^«n present meaning, of i^i.^i^T ""'"•"'■' "•" Pri™ryand the wh&, :tii;t:^r ' rt ■" '-''' " "■-'»« ap"t r^^r, !': ""T"'^. ■"''«-'- " "■* " here " •them.' ' "'' "' " ""J 8""«ve, having the force !!f of" Notes. liooK iv. 450. Pine. Tho 259 ■o^- ^inco or ' because ' ceding 1™. ^'""' "'" """'• "■"• "'» " 'l.e,„,olv„, " i„ th„ ,,„. w„ a?: ™^,i:;:\t";t :x:" :: '-;"• "-'■ -''- ■■ »l»" (2) 'a stone in ,>no'» ,l„l"* S, » ».nall wcjjl.t - , ,„„, whi«h„,the.e™„„„i„;r.tx„;, ,*:f '^' ''■■'■"' '-'"-■ *M. Viotiius. P„m„. See W. S. >!^otrr„i:i:rx;r.;;:r""'''-''f'> -"••"»'■' «». Cruel . . does T^^ . " '" ""'' ""l"*""™ ' /60. Of ruinous ebrielrwtrttT ''"''°- »-fe(,i,.i„^,xic„tio„.. ThowoJi; ,, , '"'"^ "' ""*"' 462. NooRfi TT^^ iu X . " l^""^ *"^ t^"e abstract ? -I>«tingni,h a, to meaLg'LnTr^,.:"™'' ""-"""'-'i— ' joint in L back Jrf the „ei' " '*"""" *■"'"« '«''»% '" 'hf «3. His own. Supply the ellipBis. P-'oZSrSeelrofrelt "''' "■" "™™" "-' •" ''^ In. What words are connected by - i„ " here ) Vems. Vein, 'tho voh^ln' I"; . <»>.,, . Latin f.Wc, -to carry.' * " ''° '''°"'"' « '■»>" «>« 200 THE TASK. 4(j;{-4(J4. Persecutes imsu... u-ni . 1^'7'T ' * ■ ^^^^^- This somewhat obscure I -H.H,'o w 11 perhaps bo bettor understood if it bo road as folh.ws :- Persecutes the blood ho f^ave his children in (.,.,> vein " Fr^:hwT';, "r:^ - pnmarily wrun,- Compare the con" VVvcli ' " ' '"'' '" " »"""* '^''' '^'' ^"^'•^'^tion is coriect, VVychfs expression "a wrong .„se." for our "acrook.-d Refer, also, to nose. Woman. See jyTofc .m " wife," lino 3G7. jr. s. a., IV. 43. 0. (4). 4(i(J. Pass. Parse the word lore. Through. Indicate the syntactical value of the word 407. Hamlet. 'A very rt'le home.' The word is a do„bl.. Jnninutive, cognate with the E: . ;lish word Ju.ne Merry land. Is this exprotision ironical ? 4fi8. Lean. A lean por.„v is Smo who lea,,,' hei.ce 'bonds ' stoops,' * IS weak,' 'is thin.' ' of tht w^'o^lT"^'^- ""'"' '' ^'^ ^'"^'^•^^''' "^ ^'-^ 1-^ - '^^ - 470. Stale. Connected etymologica'ly with «^«m,/. Iti.difRoult hcmever, o account historically for the transition of mean n^ rom standing' to 'old,' 'tainted.' Some connect the word with'^Z aecice defanitely as to the circumstances .uidor which Hio u. ,vi nca«.red the notion, it is cer..i. that .... means ' s:!!!;^, t^ 1:^ tlu^'iTt n t"^'' primary meaning of the word is ui.eert.un, ii ough t ,s not, as is sometimes stated, connected with Bacchns the god of wme. ' See Note on line 744 of Tie Gardn, Styes Develop the metaphor and criticis, ;^s appropriateness -Some editions read "sties. " Which form is preferable ? 471. Law has licensed. Cowper was oppr^.r i to what he considered the legalisation by the state of an in amou trlffic T le question of no l,e„.e and kl,U Ueen.e is still a subject of debate Temperance reel. Put into plain prose 473. Indian fume. Tobacco was probably used to son^ -tent m China ong before it was brought from America. Bu: , t American tobacco was the first used in Europe, tlie name " .dian ' given by Cowper is quite .nprupiiate. .. I NOTES, HOOK IV. 201 from Guzzling deep. Criticise the mo of this expression Boor. Is the word U8e.l.here ,t« a tenn of reproach >- What is the prunary .neaniny of the wor.l ^ [See II. ,S'. a IV 40 d w^nit: •1::^' •""^^"'" "^•'«^"' ^-^^^^'^^^^-^ - Ai.,ian 477'4^^/*^aT; ^;' ''' ^"'' "" " ^'^^^''^^'■^''" 1"- 299. ironical; • '''' '°^^ " ' ' ^"^"^^ ^^''^^^' "^ ^'-" epithets is As See thi' Nott: on line .'500 481. Dispute Utotally SMlim.rcncoof ll,„„„l,, ■ A, , , 483. Perched on the pn -noat 4ii,wi:. , .-, ,, "f .«.i"Mng ,. Hguro „„ tl.., ..gni,!"' T 2"' "••,';'" "'"""" » .■ei»-u,M„„ of /,„„■„, t,,„ , .„w,/' ' ' ''''™"" priate t,. the ,mT„„„,Iings. ' *'"''' """" "I'l"-- M7. Dira . . . curse. Discuss ,vl,oth„r tliero ,v.,uH U. ft,„gga,„o.l l.y the ta,„s„„siH„„ „f ..Jiro" ,.„„ " n " t ' «8 Cheek-distendmg. Indicativo of what ! ^ifei(ifflmiTr-.feMifc. 2G2 THE TASK. 41)0. Modern senators. C.wnor mn-,,, mli.r"''' • • ■ ''"""■ ■"'- '•"■■«"'" '--"y"' *«li.- i. «""Rolr""''Tt" "r """"""-■ "■" """■"" "' '"- «2 ,u„i 474. Raninfi P '*'''^''''''*y^ '''< P^'^^^ni, 'inddestitntion. .. NOTEN. IJOOK IV. 263 lap. Eximn.l the mot^pluT into its corrus- 499. Shakes . ponding Mimilo. Encumbered. r'.W..,- h.s boon somewhat corrupted i„ form "UU journey through the French fron. the Utin c.J^: ',:,?'. 500. Censure. CJsed here in it« secon.lary nonne of f! 1 ;: ::; jr:v ''^::';..^''^ -^-^^^ -"^-^ 'ju^^zm j' Theroot-ru;:-: ::;lc^^^^^^^ 500-501. Vain . . . pest. Cmj^ro fn.n. the T/mcP/ece;- Yet what can satire, whether grave or gay It may correct a foible, may chastise The froakH of faHhion, regulate th. drens, K« reach a sword blade or displace a patch j But where are its Hublimor trophies found ' What v,ce hn« it subdued ? Whoso heart reclaimed By rigour, „r whom laughed into reform » Alas ! Leviathan is not so tamed • Laughed at, he laugh.s again ; and, .stricken hard. Turns to the stroke his .vlamantine scales, 1 liat fear no discipline of human hands iinw signines. iim word, borrowed from fh.. n..«^ .i 18 a corruiited form nf flw. v, \ • . "" Uuteh, th..rnf r ''"''''' ""'""•'*''• ^ •"•>»•« correct form wouhl therefore be am',e, u word which we still ii«^ n- .• , -.v^o„M, and ^«.,.e., as to meaning "--D.st.ngu.sh c.c/., ^^^^ Dribbling. i>W..,« i. . fre,uen..tive of .Iri,, a variant 264 THE TASK. cusiom unci exciso duties, ycfc Oowper is wrong in attacking the Jicensuig system, as ho does in this well-written invective There seems, liowever, to be veiy much reason in his opinion that the treatment of drunkards as criminals (see line 462) would have a strong deterrent effect on the traffic in strong drink. 508. Bleodgold. What is peculiar about this expression? To sport. Either 'to waste in sport,' or 'to carry off'- com- pare our expression "to spirit a thing away." The former meaning. 18 perhaps preferable. -The word sport is shortened for dlspoH; compare spend for dispend. 509 Drink . . . ma,d. Cowper is here cracking his "satiric th(mg with all his mighr. 510. Gloriously drunk. One of the hajipy strokes of Cowper tnat Have l)ecomo household expressicms.— Parse " drnnk:' 5a. Assistance. Primitively 'standing by,' from the Latin «».s^'/v Give other words derived from the same source, explaining carefully the force of the prefixes. 509-511. Drink . . . throats. An intenti«mal mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous. 513-514. Would . . . celebrate. A sentiment that is very com- mon ,n the poets of every age. Since distance lends enchantment the cus Cms of a past age always appear simpler and purer than tliose of our own. 518 Days. Ihu, is generally derived from the Latin die, 'a aay, but It does not seem to be even c.gnate with the word 514. Poets celebrate. mehrate is from the Latin celebnvre to frequent, afterwards ' to solemnize. ' Trace the transition to Its jtresent meaning. Golden times. Develop the force of the expression. Arcadian. Arcadia was an inland mountainous country of the Greek ..'eloponnesus, celebrated for rural si.nplicity and pastoral customs. The word "Arcadian" is by poetical convention fre- quently used 111 the place of "pastoral." Maro. Publius Vergilius Maro, the greatest of Roman poets. Ihe hdo,iues and Gmv,jks seem to be especially referred to 51(1 Sidney . . . prose. The allusion is to Sir Philip Sir.NEv Who died at Zuiphen in 1586, and to his The Arcadia of the Countess com- NOTES. IJOOK IV. 20o of Pembroke, a pastoral prose romance. That his 'prose' was ' l)oetic' is evident from the following passage (juoted by Stork :— "Tliere were hills which garnished their proud heights with stately trees ; humble valleys whose bare estate seemed comforted with the refreshing of silver rivers ; meadows enamelled with all sorts of pleasing flowers, . . . each pasture stored with sheep feednig with sober security, while the pretty lambs with bleating oratory craved the dammes' comfort ; here a shepherd's boy piping Jis though he should never be old ; there a young shepherdess knittmg and withall singing, and it seemed that her voice comforted her hands to work, and her hands kept time to her voice nuisic." Prose. Literallv, 'turned forward,' from tha Latin prom, put for prorsa in the expression p-orsrt oratio 'straightforward speech.' Prorsa is a contraction tor proversa 'turned forwards.' Compare from the same root veme, which means, therefore, primarily 'a turning. ' 517. Dianas. Diana was the moon-goddess, and was emblematic of purity ; compare ;— Chaste as the icicle, That's curded by the frost from purest snow, And hangs on Dian's temple. Shakkspkaue.— Cono/ani/s. 517-518. Swains . . . virtues. The meaning Is that young men appreciated young women in proportion to their purity and modesty. Cowper seenia to think that the weaknesses of the fair sex result in pari, from the depraved, degraded tasted of those of the male sex who set a premium on boldness, coarseness, ,ind lack of modesty. In this opinion he is right. 618. It seems. Alludrng to the notion very common in classical writers that the gods, in the early days of purity and simplicity, lived in the abodes of men, and that they left the earth only when men became lawless and wicked. Both Ovid and Viroil relate that the gods for some time before their departure dwelt in the villages and rural communities until these, too, were " tinged" by the town whose vice had at a much earlier date drivjn them into rural seclusion. 521. Yielding. Even the herbage was fresh and yielding in these "golden times." THfi TASK 522. Profane. Primarily 'before (i.e., 'outside') the temple'- hence 'secular,' 'not sacred.' ' ^ lempte , 523. Were rarely foUnd. That is, in the country. 524. Prodigies. ' Wonders, ' ' portents. ' -.Produju is probably a sayxng before hand,' being derived fr<,m the Latin ^.o ' before^ .ina cuuujinm ' a proverb. ' Reclaimed. ' Keformed. ' 525. Never. Parse this word. Commr^^r ^T"^' ^'""'''"^^' "''^"'^' '=^ -i^y^"! "'>i«« "^ tumult.' C^^paro the words .Zn.m and dr.ne, which still imply the notion of nmse. Develop the pnmary meaning into that of the word in the 626. Sat for the picture. Expand the metaphor. add to the height of the lady. So extravagant became the custom that it formed the subject of many of the humorous and satirical essays of the time. Compare Adhison, quoted by Stork :— " I remember sevoral ladies wlio were „nco near seven feet higli that at present want some inches of live." 268 THE TASK. 543. Wig-weaver's. Wi.j is h shortened form of pmwio in 644. Tresses. A tress is ' that wliicli is nl.uf,.^ • f i ^ , • of the Iifur 111 three fohls.' ^ piaiting 547. Basket. See H. ,S'. (^., i. 24. b. 548. Interprets. •Ex])lHins.' More truly. Supply the ellipsis. 649 Dairy. Connected with the English dovah Th dene 'a maid,' meant literally 'one that wort t' 7 "^""'^ as a maid's occupation ^J^.Z^tZ^t^'r''''''^ -'/A^, the word changed its nJaning'f roi J^^^^^^^^^ n.i^=;:f ::::; -^^ passage is considered one of Cowper's chief merite' ^ "''"^ '"'^'^ of Notes, book iv. 260 i o63. Tinged . . . stain. Tinyed and stain are cognate words both being derived from the Latin Utufn 'to stain or dye.' Stain IS in full (Obtain, a part of the prefix having l)een lost, as in .wnrt and spend. 554. Vestal's robe. Vesta was a Roman goddess, regarded as the patroness of domestic j.urity and happine.ss. She had six virgin priestesses consecrated to Iier service, p,nd, like her, typical of purity They were, therefore, dressed in white. There seems to be in this expression an allusion t.j their retirement from public gaze : com- pare : — How happy is the blameless vestal's iwt ! Th« world forgetting, by the world forgot. PovE.—Efoisa to Ahelard. 555. Soi 5. To soil is 'to sole,' i. e., 'to touch with the S4>k of the boot.' 556. Down. That is, from L.ind.)n. Comi)are with the expres- Bion, quite usual in all parts of England and Scotland, "t.. ^o nu to London." ' o Z' Still rural. Express the meaning in other words. 500. Guard. Is this in the indir.ative mood or is it an h„fe,„iitre? 561. Unscared. Scare is collected with shmr and sf.nr and meant primarily ' to cut off,' ' t„ separate ' ; hence, ' to drive awav ' 'to frighten.' •^' 56'2. Drunken bowlings. What is peculiar in this expression ( r>«:}. Midnight. Explain why so dehnite a term as "midni.dit" is used. "■ Murder. An English word which is, however, cognate with mortal, derived from the Latin mors 'death.' 564. Credit. The W(jrd is used here in its more literal sense of ' trust, ' ' belief. ' The expression " doulitfu! credit, " is an example of OxymoriMi. Told . . . babes. Just as ghost-stories are at the i.resent time. 565. Unsuspicious. Kxplain accurately the ordinary meaning of •' unsuspicious," and examine to what extent it is to be found in thJM usi' of the Word. 567. Polished. Is tliis an rssrutlnl or an ornamental epithet '' _ -__ 1^. ^ j.f! <.,l-?r:v,!) rtu h pUl;n(i WiiOll Utf iovKti of guns were so clumsily constructed a.s at the end of last centurj . 276 THE TASi^, i w!vdl ^''°^* ^'''*' peculiarity „f the bolt is indicated by this tuT^T^' ■ ^"•"7"<'--C'<>wi>er is not drawing on his imagina- t n Even ,n London the people were without protection, save ^hat their own bravery and prudence procured ; while in the country highwaymen had it pretty much their own way. m First The cock is, in popular tradition, said to sound his hrst larum " at midniglit. •Lamm. A shortened form of alamm, which is a f<.rm of alarm corrupted by the epenthetic addition of n, formerly o The insextion of tins vow.l results from the stnng trilling of the r." Com ^n rlh o? f"T'";" ";'^^*;«^"'''^^1- ''f -- '-J — , Btill heard in line m " ' "''"•'" "^ "^'^'•^" ^-^'^ '^'"^ ^"*- '>» clariof -^ '^"" *^'°^*- ^""'"" ^^"^' ^-"The cock's Ml 570. Summoning your ear. Criticise the expression as to Its appropriateness. 571. Within. Explain and parse. 575. Hazardous. Hazard is primarily ' a game of chance,'and Bold. Criticise the use of " bold " with " walk " 577. Inveterate. ' Grown old,' and therefore finulyestablislied Conipare with the expression -a .kroui.. disease." The word is related to the Latin in ' in,' and ,Hns ' old ' Conspires Trace the transition of meaning from tlie primary breatlie), to its present signitication. ^ 578-579. The . . . fails. These lines are marked by a pessim- ism extreme even for Cowi)er. i't-ssim 570. Fatal. The word here, as often, means ^ fated.' Fatal comes from the Latin fari, ' to speak.' 580-58L Increase . . . excess. For similar teaching cm- pare Goldsmith's JJemied Village :- " 111 faroH the land, to hastening ilia a prey Where wealth ar-cumulitos, r,nd iiien dc«y. NOTES. BOOK IV. 271 shrill J. 582. Scrofulous. i,-o/,.m'c 'to test,' ' to try ' The ongmal meaning of the word was 'to test,' a meamng which it retamed (luito commonly in the authorized version of the Bible Hiulwliich it evidently has in the proverb, " the excepti«m «>n,m (tests) the rule. " 605. Dainty. From the Latin dlynm ' worthy,' not from deus a tooth. Becomes. Whether or not tlie two meanings of the modern " become," (1) ' to attain to a state,' and (2) ' to suit,' result from the blending of two verbs at one time spelled differently, seems un- certam,but there is no doubt that ' to suit ' is the later meanin.. and that ruman ' tocme," is the root of the word in both its si^nifi' cations. ° Grave outside. The reference is to his black attire. Compare Thomhon, Aid I' iii,a: — Perhaps some doctor, of tromendons paunch. Awful and deef), a hlack abyss of drink. 60(5. Lucrative. From the Latin l,ir, •>,„,, 'gain.' There may have been in C(.»per's mind some remembrance of "not for filthy lucre " in Fetkh's oxhoi-fation to the elders. 607. Hardly clean. C.»u»pare with the euijhemiatio but uax-castic expressiijii, " Iohs dainty," in line 605. N(»TKS. HOOK IV. 273 der.„ the „.w „f t„e ,„.u„t, .uj^z ,1:^":::^ z .soldiership was not. "^ til8. Heart of merit. Recast into ordinary prose ^^^^rcUsa 'The lower orders.- Compare with'^ 622. Incompatible . . . thought. The old matter .,fdisr>ute not yet settled, whether standing armie.s ..nd .... .... v-,Hr " There .re many to-day who share Cowper's views'" "'^ ^"^'^^^^"^^• ill w mi I mmmm^i i^Mi^iLmutmmi ^^■V'-,-itv™ii iffliriiim 274 THK TASK. 623 02(1. The clown . . . fair. A w..,.,krfully ^oo,l deacrip- t.on of H cerbun very h.uhII c1h,s« to ho foa„.l i„ the country ^ «->•!. Match^ Pri.uHrily N.n. of the .uue mrde,' 'nn' e^unl ' CoMipare m<,^. fro.u the HH.ue r.,ut, ' ,. co,u,,Hnio„ ' * * Doflfa />'#is'to,looff;eou.i>Hre,WUo,h,.„,' <>^!>. To be whate'er thev cleaae \ «... .• n • ^^632. Pupil. The word is fro. the Latin ,»,.:,,. ,.„ „,^,,„, Torment. Formed from the root tok, seen in th« T f tor^rcere ' to twist. '-Whether are we to .... • Jul th^t th . causes or receives torment? that the recruit Jest. The word meant at one tiiuo •„ .-.U.' • it i. f^,.,,. „ x .• ^«««« (in full res yesta) ' an exploit, ' ' a t.l. ' ' ' "'' ^"'^" 633. Gait. Another form of „ate from the root of «./ ^ Its literal sense of ' downcast. ' ^^Jected ,s used m 636. Stubborn. Develop the force of the epithet. 639. Slouch. ^ A slack way of walking ' 640. Martial. 'Like Mars,' the Roman god of w.r D" tuiguish as to meaning and origin from marshal ''■''■~^^^- In his air. Cowper is here at his best work the nr.rf r ; personal appearance and character Portraiture of 642. Meal ... locks. ' Powder and oilfor the hair. ' t NOTES. BOOK IV. 275 fi44. Of heroship. A graphic touch. «45. Xndigrnant. Explain tho f.,rco of tho epithet J47 Cattle. Primarily 'chattel' or 'capital,' from the Latin <-nprtalu, property.' Con.pare ohe connnon expression "capital and lab..r „, which "cap,t,tl" retains the original notion though in a ngurative sense. * To a march. Explain the allusion. See NoU on line 28 Ja^a ^T"^" , f^ '''''^ Hi,propriate word to indicate the bearing ^nd dress o a soldier. Cowper uses it twice in this description.- Trace the development of the meaning of the adjectives 'lively,' bright, from the original meaning of the verb 'to pain.' ComradeB. Com,rade i« for mmen<,/« 'the inhabitant of the same cW,e., from the Latin ..,„o. 'chamber.' Hence the meaning" room-mate,' from which the other shades of meaning have evolved ch!nge7'^^''^ "^^"^ ^"" '^" ^''^^ *W>'''"" -^^ ^^« «^t«"or Middle English dumsed 'benumbed' ; hence 'stiflF,' 'ungainly.-' Port. 'Bearing,' fro,xi the French p A v i"^ .^ ^ ^ -4 !> .,^ A-% ..^ ^ 4i u. s i :\ O \ ,:mms^^ 276 THE TASK. II 656 Maiden's. Maiden, though perhaps a diminutive, was not formed from nmid, which is merely a shortened form of maiden 658. Aim. The word is from the Latin o'dimare 'to estimate ' and meant hrst 'to .level, or weigh,' as in shooting an arrow o'r weighing an article-Trace the extension in the meaning of the 659.660. Man . . bed. Contract the simile, and contrast the :i!:tl7ow;:^^^^^^^^^^^^ appropriateness of the simile as developed in Society. What meaning has this word here ? Native bed. Explain th. meaning of these words, and show their appropriateness. 661 Faculties. Generically the same as facilities, the words being doublets derived from the Latin /«c/o 'to do.' Contrast their meanings. 662 SWne out. Whether are these words metaphorical or literal m then- application ? Only. Parse. Their proper use. What is the meaning of this expression ? 664. Regal. Distinguish as to meaning from its doublet royal Warrant This word, which comes through the French from the German see HS G I. 36. 3.) ..am 'heed,' 'care,' seems to have originally implied the notion of 'protecting ' 665. Interest sake. What is peculiar about this expression ? Swarming. Simrm, from the root swar 'to hum' (like -i swm^ of bees), is an onomatopoetic word. Its original sense has vanished, the prevailing notion of the word now being of ' number ' not of 'sound.' 667-668. Bound and bundled. The words "bound" and bundled are cognate. Distinguish them as to meaning. Vase. The word seems, like red., to be connected with the root WAS t., piv,tect by a cover'; it meant primarily 'the covering thing. — JVotice the pronunciation of the word. 670. Defilement. D.^e is a hybrid word, the prefix bein.. Latm and the word being English, A« is fre.iucntly the case in X, NOTES. BOOK IV. ative, was not )f maiden. ' to estimate, ' an arrow, or ianing of tho ■ contrast the developed in and also of Is, and show s', the words Jntrast their iphorical or xpression ? ublet royal, 'rench from ',' seems to spression ? m' (like a I sense has ■ ' number ' »und" and g- fch the root le coverinir efix being he case in 277 f English, the force of the word was due to one word (the English/oi<0 and itH farm to another (the French defoiUer 'to tread under foot').' The change of defoul to defile was due to the existence in Middle English of fijlen ' to pollute.' Not to be endured. That is, 'destructive. '-Explain the use of the infinitive seen in this exi)ression. 671. Chartered boroughs. The right to representation in I'arliament was originally c.^iveyed by royal chmier to certjiin municipal corporations called horotujhs. 672. Burghers. ' Inhabitants of a hvrgh or hormujh ' and having the rights of residence, voting, etc. Immaculate. ' Without stain,' from the Latin In 'not,' and macula 'a spot,' 'a stain.' Perhaps. See H. H. G.,IX. 11. 673. Panctions. Distinguish from dnties and offices, as to meaning. Combined. Gomhijie is 'to fasten two together,' from Latin con together, and bhu 'two and two.' 674. Body. Body is connected etym< .logically with bind and band. The body IS therefore ' the thing that binds.' Explain the ori^rin of the notion. ° 675. Main. 'The majority,' with which word it is cognate, being derived from the Latin maynns 'great.' (576. Merchants. Merchant is literally 'dealer in merx,' and comes from the Latin mer.c 'merchandise.' Unimpeachable. Impeach is derived from the Low Latin tmpedicare 'to fetter,' from the Latin in 'rgan ; has the uUest and the deepest tones of majesty, with all the soft- ness and elegance of the Dorian flute. Variety without end and never equalled, unless, perhaps, by Virgil." 712. I danced for joy. Explain the meaning of the word tor nx this expression. 713. At so ripe an age. What doubt is felt at first sight as to the syntactical connection of this phrase ? Ripe. Notice the spirit of playfulness which the poet uses to emphasize his youthful ardor for Milton 715-716. Admiring . . . admiring. Criticise the use of the repetition o 'admiring," and discuss whether the Hyperbaton in the repeated phrase conduces to the effect the poet strove to gain as Enamoured. Cowley, towards the close of his life- retired from the English Court to his farm at Chertsey on the 1 hames. ^ 719, Pathetic. Explain the meaning of the word. 720. At last. See Note on " enamoured," line 718 721 Transports. A transpo^-t is ' a carrying across,' from the l^im trans 'across, B.n'i portare 'to carry.' Compare the words rapture and ecstasy. Favoured. 'Successful.' Compare with the following from his earlier poems : — s "* "«> How blessed the youth whom fate ordains A kind relief trom all his pai js, In some admired fair. Whose tenderest wishes find expressed Their own resemblance in her bi-eaat Exactly copied there. name being force of the illuded t(» in is pictured one of his eatment of ; so delight- fine organ ; ill tlie soft- ut end and P the word rst sight as )et uses to use of the )erbttton in ve to gain. his life, ley on the ' from the the words g from his t NOTES. BOOK IV. 281 f better th,„ the , J ""^°'''- "'" P™"'"^ »«= i« ..f hi, " courtly • ™C '""""•'"""^ f- ">" -"ful ex„re»i„„ with SHltv."!^. ^*tt!y ulTl "•" """ ^^'- '-•^™"- r^9 rr.rr.r. 7 ^ Contains perfection's germ " ^ J..2^^Compoun?;;^\rf ^^"^^"^^^ '''-''-' ^' anr^;.^:^r • i^:x zrr r ^^ ^'^'^^^^ '^ ^^^"^-^ rhymed with reprce Tf n f '* ""^ "P"""*^ ^''''^^^^'^ «nd *« passage commenlue" "*"'' " ""^ '"''i^""*^ »' Iio foiKie (»f nonstmtive 10 poet U80 iropriately 5 Mariner; i with the wo words, h plants " 'in^ been puH, and lis in this jlation of I spelling rove and to find.' ling and ine 759 ? ied as a do.' iivity of dirigere nd per- NOTES. BOOK IV. 285 785. Compare the meanings „f hunor, emdn. voiJ. Of . . . fame. ment and fume. same thought compare hnes 57-63. -C/m^e and catch are doublets onnng through the French from the Latin c«^^«,. ' oTet [ re.,uentatxveof ca^ere 'to take '.-Which word has reWn d moV; of the pnmaiy signification ? ^ 787. His. What is the antecedent of " his " ? 788. Some must be great. While the truth of these words is not m any way inconsistent with the love of rural lifl vet i s duty, left the country for the town, were not worthy of the severe censure they receive in some of his lines. ^ 789-792 And . . . flU. Does the poet consider that even such p^ dest.natum, as he here describes, is inconsistent with frTedom of will ? See line 786, and compare with ;— Free in his will to choose or to refuse, Man may improve the crisis or abuse'; Slse, on the fatalist's unrighteous plan Say to what bar amenable were man ? ^Q^ ^, " —The Progress of Error. 790. The . . taste. Note carefully the words employed in this line, and compare them aa to meaning mp'oyea in 791. Lifts. Why is " lift " not used ? Into life. That is, ' into the work of life. ' 792 Niche Expand the metaphor. -The word is derived from he Italian n^cc/.^«, allied to W.o 'a shell' ; hence its meaniT 'a shell-like recess in a wall ' -~Nu-h^ i,.^o ^ .- ",*""**" English nkh. ' ''^' "^ connection with the 794. Upon. Parse. 795. To feel. What is the syntactical relation of the infinitive ? Courage. Connected with the French ca^nr • heart. ' Redress. See Note on line 784 796-797. Tomonarchs . . . skill, etc. The teaching is that talents are given ''toevery man according to his several abiS^^ Show to what extent the qualities mentioned in lines 796 and 797 .pectivoly, essential to the oflices enumerated. 11 are THE TASK. 798. Unambitious mind. Cc,.„paro Dver :- My mind to me a kingdom is, . ^^^ present joys therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That earth affords, or grows by kind JmO^J"^' °' "'"• "-^l' "■« m»U.„h,.r.-C„„,„„ Along the cool sequestered vale of life - n^uw^; r - - r». Sliow to what extent the .tatement „f Poe •_" I hoH th,f i '■'SIr';*^;-r■-™- -Comjwre Ikere *to he book, id has, in ie enjoy- .ssage on "eligious, e Winter '^ Task r of now to T/ie fc a long ^em' is »g your facts. musical e. THE TASK. CRITICAL OPINIONS. He was an essentially original writer, owing much of course as every wnter .nust owe, to the subtle influences of his ime 1^^ aenvmgashttleaseverpoet derived from literary study^^T H Ward.— TAe E,uflish Poets. ^ It iB true that he formed his blank verse on the model of Milton h sll« ^""' ""''''' ^'"' '" ^""" «"^I--^= ^"^ --""ally he stand alone, as remote from the stream of eighteenth-century zret : rV" '"t 7r'"'"^ ^^^"" '^^^ ^^^^^'^ "'« -^ hist;! The poet ofReu-eMmf and The Ta.k is the beginning of a new order m poetry ; he is one of the first symptoms, if not the'origina J o Uje revolution ,n style which is soon to become a revolution in icL The clear, cnsp Enghsh" of his verse is not the work of a man who tTZI" ' "'"^^ '""'"' "'"' conventional pattern - The Task, his most characteristic poem, is indeed a work of ZlTr j;' *'^ K^'""^ '^ "^^ ^^'^^^^^' - P«I-'« labour wL work ' Tt '"^^'^^^^^"g -^r arranging the material, towards workmg up the argument, towards forcing the ideas into the most striking situations. The labour is in the cadences and the language as for the thoughts, they are allowed to show themsulves jus'!: they come, .n their natural order, so that the poem reads like the (2871 288 THE TASK. !«• !■ speech of a man talking to himself. To turn from a poem „f - fewper,. to a poem of Pope's, or even of GoIdsmithC i t, t„ ^ sdorrr'-r"',"^ !," "•■"«»-"-. '»m unco™ci;„sto r scious art. Tonnal gardens in com,„.ris„„ with woodland scenery " as Southey sa,d ; and how much that n.eans ! H means tlMtuL day of critical and so-called classical poetry is over that he t of spo„,.ne„„s, natural. ron»„tic poetry hi Vejn. B™ „! Wordsworth are not yet, but they are close at hfud.-THTLMB An niteresting writer IQmMchj It„mv, July, 18621 has ch.r "J" acten.ed the tendencies of poetry in the latter half ortfe ethteenth century a. "love of natural description and atten pt fa mo ' v.v,d and wder delineation of h„,n.an character and n ideut^' tw! endenue, wh.eh, we may add, are but different forms ol^-lof -he revolt against convention both in art and society. TheX h natural objects, of which we have found traces in many wSL " or mankmd to the religious mind (and the wide reach of fh. rehpou. „„val must be ren,en,bered) this sense !f b o herhot hy the LIT- t,""'™' '^""'^ '""« '"""«-" ""<• =C h nel by the behef ■„ the near presence of the Creator and the Father of ientZ::tMs' L^t'sirrt-ri'" - -^--^ ■-■ :^srce';::rcars iirr-^rsr- -' '- he f::fdittr;sZ''T th t '"~°""^ ^"'"* ™" wu i 1 versixying on the themes set bv Mrs TTnwJr, V^hat pleasure he gained from his new occupation is t^n parThi he poems themselves, and is reiterated in those volume of 1^ rative lu,mour, chat, argument, criticism, which t^ the dailv" T a poem of 's, is to turn 3ious to con- lul scenery , "; ns that the that the day Burns and -The Samk. !] has char- J eighteenth at a more dent"; two of one — of The joy in iny writers rotherhood icli of the •otherhood engthened Father of and per- the return ons; both of their iting, and • Unwin. in part in s of nar- ;he daily the title V in the revealed pie ; and nent and lat there i himself AME. CRITICAL OPINIONS. 289 t T .nlf^-"^"'^ ^"""^'••^t'on Of his poetry is his close observation of men and things : the same close observation that fills liis letters with happily touclied incidents of village life, with characters sketched ^LL'-Sr^r'''" ''' '""'""^' "' ^'' ''"^' '''' '''' He began with the resolve to make religion poetical, and he which his excellent editor, Mr. Benham, himself a clergyman, calls nie™ tb T"'"'-'' ,^"'*'^ ^'^"^^ ^^'"P^^ -hichTed h'im to easure the Unseen with the foot-rule of Calvinistic orthodoxy, led hmi to visit the science, the politics, even the characters whi;L he The sir ^'^^' '" ''"'"'' ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ "^•^ Syllabus.- Again, in curious contrast to the neatness and ease of his n^wnrs't \ '' "7-^--Wy a "lumbering movement" romthrn' ;^^J^^^^^ '"'^"""^' ■^^"^*^' -'"ing sometimes times from a want of mastery over the language. Warmed, while it Ia«ts, by labour, all day long 1 hey brave the season, and yet find at eve III clad and fed but sparely, time to cool. We find fre(iueiit descents into prose, and rarely indeed a com- pensamg ascent into the higher music of the great poets. How should we find such ascents, indeed, in Cowper ! They demand some moving force of passion, or some inspiring activity'of Xs^ and for neither of these can we look to him. The only passion cloud hat obscured his brain pressed heavy upon him ; and it was only when he wrote under this influence that he produced master pieces such as that noble and terrible poem, tL Castaway, a kI he hnes of self^escription in The Task. His ideas, too, hav; not tl^insinnng activity necessary to produce great poetiy they are the Zf 1T' ''T/" "^" '^ ""' '''' '^"^ »-« ^« hamony with th^ acts of the world as the years go on. rWe read Cowper. indeed, M ZuTT"-^ '"■ '" '^'^'^ '"' ''' ^^« love of-nature ani his faithful rendering of her beauty ; for his truth of portraiture §90 fJlE TASK. mome„m,„wever, did not last. H„ »y» ■_" Mv lin^r 7 Such a man does not wrifp fn^ t-v... ^i He made verses, as he p:llT:jl:7Z^ r'^. ' ''''''' himself, to distract his mind. His Tul was I f n J' ^ """"^^ go far for subiects PiohZ f», ^"" ' ^^ "^^^ not buxom peasant girl, with a basket on her afm ' aTt^ t'":T !" rumbling on behind horses in a sweat a ™' J,^"^"^ ^'^^ «l«^ly polishes the blue pebbles tL \ «Parkhng spring, which and thoughts He retii^e^ tt ^",^^'' ^" ^™ ^^^^ ^^^'-^^^^^ as a sedan-chair the w ^01 .^ i" ^' ^'''^' «ummer-house, as large orchard, and TLl^'Tglttror'^^^^ suckle. In this nest he laboured n ^ ''''"'' ""*^ ^ friend, whose needles were worS'forhi^^^^^^^ ^^^'^ ^^« the drowsy sounds withont PL ?' ''^*^' ^^ "«*«"«^ to itsufficedLr;:^::dt\h!'Tir'^^^^^^^ violent career- k«8 harmnn,-^ *^'*^ """^ need a more garden, h„ ,„„„a , „,„h. ,„ hj. .^7;.',^: ^;^ - » '" ■■'.« ™.", « poetical.— TiiB Saaie. smallest objects were ] a n a ti tl ^'TilTlOAL OPTNIONS, )f his style, iplicity and 5 maternal him a few he was so Ileiy, witli I exquisite )m women rem coin- alone the ' delicate md which ise sweet as always h, though I a bright . Taine. a noise. occupy deed not indering ams. A *t slowly f, which fisjitions as large hbour's honey- ide his ened to as this. a more e upset oom, a 8 Were 291 Then he unfolds tl.. -.vhole rniif..r.fa ^t t-i, news, ovon a.lv„rti»„„,.„„i^.,: tt , je ,:S:'T~""""°" writorg of to-(l„v, but «s a imrf ■ tu * ' ''"' '" """'^ beaut, ana '^'LXirj^uy:^:^!^:':'^''' » from Tn,l,-n » ''^ s-^i'ie nouse. 1 his one express on, " News irom India, causes him to see India itsplf "wifiTi, i T jewelled turban. " The mere notio f • f ^'^""'^^ *"^ Strictly speaking, nature is to him like a jrallprv nf .^i j-j ^ various pictures, which to us ordinary folk If ^ '^ ^"^ withrlofh« A* ^ orainary tolk are always covered ud Cowper take, the first subject that comes to hand-one which -ThkS" " *' '"""' '"""'""^ »■■" •"''"ved of hi. friends. p s^ Let us look at his great nooin. The Tad- " Tl. J ,. i-, ,. poems," says SoutheyN' wlL. c^n^ef^. mX":^^ rlf -f ^T." e,>.„parison with woodland scenery, /^rent'e into details, the contrast is greater still R„ .1 " we enter dream that he is beina listened to , , ' ""^ '''™ ^'' does not rlw.ll ^"'^.;'*''"^^' *" ' '»« only speaks to himself. He ooes not dwell on his ideas, as the classical writers do to set them emttl'; It^-'^^'f r ''"^ '' -Pe«^i-and' Lil It lie marks his sensation and that is all Wp fnllnw tu- .■ Thought, whfch in 'rrl^ taw rfi^rd "f ""^ 'T'' mobile and fliiPnf . M, i.i- '^'^'*'^'^ '^"^ "gi", becomes here black lines wrthlTfl.! 7^ '" *™' '"^*'"' '«'"'=''* '^ inner vilr It isltrr ';""■"'• ""'T "' " ""ange of that en-otion, genj^ X^'l^aVeTi' i^Xr:'! ir"^ i- j'o WU1U8 except to mark emotions.— The Same. mto the mflatud diction ot Darwin and the feeble sentimentalities CRITICAL OPINIONS. 293 st didactic A-, aro like f we enter )t seem t<» iself. He 5 set them tititheses ; nsation in rmer one, I a spring, iig forms, mes here ;he noble versation no longer 1 author, neath its rt is bent ribos his plain of ^is inner ! of that personal the con- lations ; ion and •Id style of the rhetoric ' longer id, was success Never, at this erated talities ofHayley. Cowper's hearty and natural verse extinguislied these weakhngs for ever. Although Cowper cannot be place'd in he fir We 1 bf ''''%''' ''" "^ attended with such retinues" We and blessmg. His verse is a transparent medium through which you look mto a gentle and most lovable human spirit, and you come to know hnn as thorougldy as if you had lived in the same house with hnn for years. His muse does not sit apart in sublime seclusion-she comes down into the ways of men, mingles in tl dr eveiy-day concerns, and is interested in crops and rural affairs. You see by the slight tan on her cheek that she has been much in the harvest-helds. Cowper rather talks than, sings. His blank vere makesnopretensionstomajesty ; it is colloqll sometimes i" Of a beloved and gifted comp^mon. -Encyclopedia Britannia. - As Paradise Lost is to militant Puritanism, so is The Task to he religious movement of its author's time. To its chlrac tr as popularity. Not only did it give beautiful and effective expression to the sentiments of a large religious party, but it wL abou he ZlZT'^' '''?'' ^''''''''' ^^ ^ '-^'i-^ could read" to those whose worship was unritualistic and who were debar ed by he,r principles from the theatre and the concert, anything 7n the way of art that was not illicit must have been eminently welcome — GoLDwiN Smith.— Cow/jer. *veitome. kin^d"' f ' ^If I"" "''"'' "^ ^ "^''^^ ""i^«r«al and enduring kmd. Its author himself says of it .-" If the work cannot bolsf a regular plan (in which respect, however, I do not think t alto ge her indefensible), it may yet boast, that the refle^ns Ire .xcepfc the hfth book, which is rather of a political aspect, the after a l3 If "^'""'"""^^^^^^^ "'^^-^ -*hus asm frt dlttl ' r' "^ '""""^"^^ ^"^'^^ -- -d leisure a^ r«,s^ha not It ramWes through a vast variety of subjects political, social, philosophical, and horticultural, with al meth.nl as its author used in taking his morning walks. Mr. Benham has shown, are the .reflections, as a rule little Nor. 294 THE TASK* }£ as most friendlv to nipfv ..»,i • /™^*^"'^"^ '^"d "f country hfe flow the hMf arrl fU„ i. , -Tioiu tius ulcii uiimechatelv keep the poem alivH • fh<.c^ , i • i , ^ ^"^ sciiool , those which h.ppi„e.s, to which they ,„„,t wh„,i, 2 .p,.l i^ H n""""° pours out his inmost feelings with the Tr \ T *'""''*'' enhanced by contrast with pr^;i„ ", ntrv Th" ', '"""'"■•''«™. country ,nd of hdme H,„ „ i ., ^' ''" l''""™'™ of the "intimate dell " ^Jhe It '"'*"' ""' """^'' ""• «" it. dose drawnTulin ,h !/ .?""""*• "'" '"'« I""''-- »'«■ newspaper through which we h,„ tt't he mo":^ "'" n' "" pamted by the writer wifl. l .. ,. Ulupiiet world, are reader.-THrsTrB "■*" ™J"^""-''"' "'"«'■ »'fe«ta the mifd\M!!:it'tT'''";','™'r'' "^ ™"^'""» -■-■«*■" ^f « Whatever may Ctw f v '^ '""" "'"' "'""'' " """"''''J'"- required a c:Lc ivT;! tu? itT, '"tt"" '"" ^"-™™ "gainst self-deceit Tl, i. .Ir, s»lhshness and guard it way he could not bv^ s ,,'' """ '"'"'« '""""""y "' «'» •«»' heLggests tr;t s; woi^ ";,:"« .'"^i 'rr-' '^^«" that humanity was servin. Z Th' *" "'»'"" "■"'"""■'■er looks out so cLph.ce„7yi:rthe g^^.n"S?M™r "'"°" "" in the great Babel itself, and brought bv tb "" '"■'"""' hi. "spattered ,«,ots, Itra.t'r'lt," n*;!:;: C»"; T ^utrbr-LTi'ril^V'"'^^'''"- '^■'» ""-™" n. h" been br^ihtt/^L 1^ h™"™™':;!';;.!? "''-'-• >- p' uiB traaer, v,ho must encounter the 4 h S( P m he use of a > not need iy a natural re is a plan stence of a lountry life refrain of miediately 'uch please ose which V into the 1 tlomestic se Cowper hilaration, ■ es of the e all, the rlor, with steaming iloud, the ^'orld, are ifects the ism of a the ideal includes, ipicurisni guard it the best passage miember vhicli he printed m, with to the lymph" ■ion, has iter the 4 CRITICAL OPINIONS. £95 mu^ ,„,, . , Who bears WJf h^ »"^u ™"* ""^ *^^ tempestuous night, the oity c„„,ea all thl,"! ! ""' '"'" •""' '" ""■"». '""^ fad on ^orJ-d«7 "' '"" •"'*'™' »"" ""'^ We are told in The T(fr5 ™"?^W'^^*7 n»««.iisjs 7'1 ''""'''" which had operated against the popu fnitv^^'h^^^^^^^^^^ *'""' '""■ became apparent that the despotisn, 7fT'JZ y' "l'', '"»* " iiway.—Bv the marri»„„ ..f » ., . ' Addison had jiassed for P..et./a „" cTXll T *""'','?^ "'"' "■™''' '^ »»™™1 practical^ thXtrlir'''™.i"r'*''''' quarter,._He was io longer' tood^l" L Z. f"" "'L'""'''.'^ '"''^- «^««'"" of poeticenchantmeni :: l:^. - ;i 'tC!^ ^ '''. "^T Stray. "-The Same. ^^ ^^^ deigned to 1 PMfefS»1lfe'''''''%. b fclie swell B Same, home scenes reatnient of ' coherence. Kpression, — 'US. Hence t and attach f Pope and Scation, tt)o ite strength strain, too, poems, was mising any 3re. "My aracter, by 3 the read- a religious it, for two entrance, lade last." irity, may ed, giving 3 —A. H. leer of a death of oetry was it time it td i)assed 3 secured -He was Religion > beauty igned to COLERIDGE'S, "THE FRIEND." ESSAYS rri.. IV., v. and vi. OK THE Third Landing Place BEING THE LIFE OF SIR niEXMNnER BULL. WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES AND EXERCISES, T. C. L. ARMSTRONG, M.A., LL.B. For the use of Candklates preparina fnr TT ■ u . WARWICK & SONS, « JTwIxuNGTON 1887. 11 STREET, EAST. INTRODUCTION. One of the main purpoBes for which an Enghsh prose work h studied ,s to cultivate in the student a good prose style. wTthth design the selected work should be considered a p^ical app^^^^^ t.on of the principles and devices that have been Tound most effect .vem speech, and that therefore constitute the art of com^lsiSon" The ability to write good prose must come largely from eTnZ practice, but many of the best methods and beLL of p oL may be acquired by a careful literary analysis of the best modT Some prehmmaiy knowledge of rhetoric is, however rrqlite before the student is properly equipped to Lnter on the t^sfof detecting the faults and of properly appreciating the beauUes o rtis^c prose. The principles of rhetoric are full^iscus edl the text-^books on gi^mmar and composition, a summary of them hcrl would, therefore be of little practical use; a few genexTstatr ments only need be offered. S«nerai state- «ifW*K'''' ''^ T^^'^"*^^" *i™ *t producing effectiveness of style ether by presenting thoughts vividly to the intellect, or by oner' atmg more powerfully upon the feelings." ^ ^ As the so-called figures of speech are merely names given to certain expedients employed by writers and speakers J Hh ^ asn::ir:s;::ible:' -^-t. knowledge of theseUs shouldt Good prose requires melody, harmony and strength. Melody depends on sound, proportion and rhythm and is secured by avoiding harsh-sounding wonls or combina'tioL o words, by proportion and similarity of structure in the bdanced por ions of the sentence, and by arranging the various parts of he f trrcir sr '^ ^•"^'"^ ^ ^^^^^'-^^ ^-^ -^y'^-^^ «- oi ine nccente. This requires a correct ear and cwi taste vWcl, however, depend largely „„ the student's familiarit/withth:"; [8] • INTRODUCTION. Harmony tf lnuguttgo ccnHistH i„ suiting tlie hmguage to the subject. The stylo inttot correHpund t.> fhe imturo of tho thought «tr of the subjoct of disgourso, much ..f tlie beauty and ottect of wtuLic prose and of ^ , rso depending on this harmony of th<.ught and language, [n a widoi sense h.aru.ony consists not oidy in the •tioctiwrt of the words but of thoug, % illustrations and incidents suitable u< the subjoct treated of. In thissense harmony requiresa cultivated Uiste, and its absence is a serious defect in a composition. Strength of exprensic.n ro.iuires the correct use and arrange- ment of words, it is oft^n secured by con.lensation and metaphor ; jf the sense is fully expressed brevity is strength, aiid often avoidJ a multitude of errors. Clearness and strength reiiuire the subject of a sentence to occupy a conspicuous place, and our syntax does this by placing the subject first, the order of a sentence being subject, verb, object This order, being expected, is itself a source of strength, as tho position indicates the relation of the words. Care is necessary only m placing the comi)lementary words and phrases, and if this is correctly done and the right words used, the sentence will be strong because the meaning is clear. The close of the sentence being the termination of the sense, emphasis is often gained by placing there an important word or phrase. The principle of position is so strong in our syntax that an unusual order immediately attracts attention, and advantage is often taken of this for rhetorical purposes, by placing emphatic words or phrases m the place of the subject at the beginning. This is called the rhetorical order, and is also a recognized principle in English syntax. But like other rhetorical expedients it must be used with great care, as it displaces the words from their natural order in the ' sen<,..nce. It is a powerful weapon, but it is keen-edged and may wound the wielder.—Excaliber was a wonderful sword, but it knew and required the hand of its master. On the subject of (1... oj-ior of words much useful information maj- !. o found in Professor B,. -, 5, Composition, and in the last chapter of Mr. Seath's Granr.nar. SENTENt.'ES, A Scries of l>P".t«iioe lo bear ■ l.e |. oi«i„g. An alteruat.,,,, „f l„„g ,„,J ,h,>rt ,e:,teuce, whwe ton: till ',\''" ',?'''■""' ""•■""■' '■""■'"'"'=«"• "- »•- o .ili..u]e seme in aWnce thcl rtm mL ,r"''"^ 7 ^'■"''°""'' '•"'"«'■' in »» link' i" "eces4ir:rcir\ti™Tr/Tr„^-"" fTndtr ei- j:;;L::ij--i^^ £5S i'oral short ■oat eflfect. w . ESSAY III. Prosequar? Ad sLp mp„i ' P"""^n'q"e juventam Annati referan. vires f^'pTufegf/iiS^'^"- (f.««.^a.,.„.)-If I desire to n ''''"'''' ''" '"'"• '"'• -alth, then i„ the govern 'of t ""t;"" °' " °"""»°"- gre. lawyers, great men in all r<,r,kTZ Kf« ""^ peculiar only to the ffen,,,. J ., ' '°°"" *» ''« the universaUeHe of ZZytCjT'''- !"' """"'» commonwealth, he waa fi^^'gent mj"" "» '"-""^ » a, have got any fame as civil fov rnorshav! h ' ""r '^'''• or pe^ons of known Ae^e^t^Z '^11^^ ^f ''"'''• gentleman by birth (a) ■ „ „„ "'' ^'^'"""ler Ball was a .espectable family in SLlfe^r TZ^iZ:!' »^ rer::i:e;fent::f teiir- - - - ^^^^^ .e. on his mla by the' luXf'SZ rson™"*- my intention to detail the sten. of 1. ' " """ services in which he was enVgTas a ^ir"""? " **' n-any particulars indeed, but ™t he dates w^, J H""' ness as would enable me to staf« them 7-s l '°f ,^'""""- -y to do if I stated them at all, i„ th": t^:: TZt '^Z m 8 TFIE FRIEND. dates might perhaps have been procured from the metropolis ; but incidents that are neither characteristic nor instructive, even such as would be expected with reason in a regular life, are no part of my plan ; while those which are both inter- esting and illustrative I have been precluded from mentioning, some from motives which have been already explained, and others from still higher considerations. The most important of these (b) may be deduced from a reflection with which he himself once concluded a long and aflecting narration : namely, that no body of men can for any length of time be safely treated otherwise than as rational beings ; and that, therefore, the education of the lower classes was of the utmost consequence to the permanent security of the empire, even for the sake of our navy. The dangers, apprehended from the the education of the lower classes (c) arose (he said) entirely from its not being universal, and from the unusualness in the lowest classes of those accomplishments which he, like Dr. Bell, (2) regarded as one of the means of education, and not as education itself.* If, he (d) observed, the lower classes in general possessed but one eye or one (e) arm the few who were so fortunate as to possess two would naturally become vain and restless, and consider themselves as entitled to a higher situa- tion. He illustrated this by the faults attributed to learned women, and that (/) the same objections were formerly made to educating women at all ; namely, that their knowledge made them vain, affected, and neglectful of their proper duties Now that all women of condition (g) are well educated, we hear no more of these apprehensions, or (h) observe any in- stances to justify them. Yet if a lady understood the Greek one-tenth part as well as the whole circle of her acquaintances *Wh>ca consists in educing, or to adopt Dr. Bell's own expression, eliciti.ig the faculties of the human mind, and at the same time subordinat- ing them to the reason and conscience ; varying the means of this common end according to the sphere, and particular mode, in which the individual is likely to act and become useful. and not as THE THIRD LANDING PLACE. 9 MI (i) quoted the speech of Tlrf- ^" '^'"^■"'■=' great wishes was to hCe a ship" c' ""™'' ""^ "' "''"^ '-» serious Seotchmen He Zl J ™'"P°""' ""»«««>« of vu:ga. uotio, z wo"::i' rir jr r °^ r Baid, was the natural product of f«n.i ! Courage, he tHoughtiessness w„uiro?:e:ttr:rfr'otTn^ and that (/) he alwavs fn„,,.i *i rooJ -hard mess ; *i.e .ravesVa„;ir.«r, of hinfeJ^^^'^^™- 7'°" ever had, lyinf» their T>rinci«les, or who realized them in practice. Works of amusement, as novels, plays, etc., did not appear ispicion that, the thought or that they were not the leir superiors, pect. But he ; who respects a brave man. casing interest bringing about laving entered n this head, in ; now on that 3t a blank, perfected him- jailor, he was 1 England for riously availed awledge from he considered ny neglect of reading. He story, political , and latterly ontain specific ic application, aediate -atility, , precluded a atract science, linent in these :s of mankind, the mode of m in practice, lid not appear THE THIUD LAN JUNG PLACE. H noem wriff«n 7 T ^ ^ ™ 'P'^^' "^^^ ^ manuscript* poem written by one of my friends, which I read to his lady nbs presence To my surprise he afterwards spoke of this (c) -zth warm interest ; but it was evident to me that 7t was not so much the poetic merit of the composit on It L" mterestedhim, as the truth and psychological insigt .^ which It represented the practicability of reforming. Z Z f hardened minds, and the various acci/ents itTl^lt I ^nll add one remark of his own knowledge acquired l^^m books which appears to me both Just and valuable The prejudice against such knowledge, he said and.; c opposing it to that which is learnl bv nr' f' •"" '^ those times when books were ^11?^:: tS^I:: to logical and metaphysical subtleties; but that (d) at Isent there IS scarcely any practical knowledge, which i not o b! found in books • The nre^c; ,•« f i.. ! , ^^ *° '^^ xnn press IS the means by which intplb'««r,f men now converse with earh fA «fV, T intelligent claBses «nH oil . ^^ ^^^^^' ^""^ P^^^ons of all classes and all pursuits convey each the contribution of excl„.,vely by hi, own ,™s. The use and neoesZof personal experience eonsistea in the power of choo!, ! applying What had .e» read, and J'Z:^^:^:^ Th light of analogy the pracHcable from the impra.tiefble and probab.l,ty fron, n.ere plausibility. u.^hout It^::! to httle or perhaps to bad purpose ; but yet that experience ^;*-l-^x^sbn^, alUthe^noUed^^^^^ beenXved rgaa;:-- r!s;vfaffjaiiiisi;^^^ 12 THE FRIKNI). m if.' from one man's life, is in the present day scarcely worthy of the name— at least for those who are to act in the higher and wider spheres of duty. An ignorant general, he said, inspired him with terror ; for if he were too proud to take advice he would ruin himself by his own blunders ; and if he were not, by adopting the worst that was offered. A great genius may indeed form an exception ; but we do not lay down rules in expectation of wonders. A similar remark I remember (/) to have heard from a gallant officer, who to eminence in professional science and the gallantry of a tried soldier, adds all the accomplishments of a sound scholar and the powers of a man of genius. (3) One incident, which happened at this period of Sir Alexander's life, is so illustrative of his character, and furnishes so strong a presumption, that the thoughtful humanity by which he was distinguished was not wholly the growth of his latter years, that, though it may appear to some trifling in itself, I will insert it in this place, with the occasion on which it was communicated to me. In a large party at the Grand Master's palace, I had observed a naval officer of distinguished merit listening to Sir Alexander Ball, whenever he joined in the conversation, with so marked a pleasure, that it seemed as if his very voice, independent of what he said, had been delight- ful to him ; and once as he fixed his eyes on Sir Alexander Ball, I could not but notice the mixed expression of awe and affection, which gave a more than common interest to so manly a countenance. During his stay in the island, this officer honoured me not unfrequently with his visits; and at the conclusion of my last conversation with him, in which I had dwelt on the wisdom of the Governor's* conduct in a recent *Such Sir Alexander Ball was in realitv, and such was his general annellation in the Mediterranean : I adopt this title, therefore to avoid the unKraeeful repetition of his own name on the one hand, and on the other the theconfiision of ideas which might arise from the use of his real title, viz., '•His Majesty's civil commissioner for the island of Malta and Us depen- worthy of the e higher and said, inspired ,ke advice he he were not, t genius may ^ down rules remember (/) eminence in soldier, adds the powers of period of Sir , and furnishes humanity by I growth of his me trifling in ision on which at the Grand f distinguished sr he joined in Eit it seemed as id been delight- Sir Alexander on of awe and rest to so manly id, this officer ts ; and at the in which I had ict in a recent II was his general refore, to avoid the mdon the other the f his real title, viz., ialta and its depen- THE THIilD LANDmo PLACE. jg dearer to him than his life 1i"lr l! ""o'""' "'''"'' ™ (I dare say) forgotten 11; .■ ^'^^-der Ball, said he, has Lieuten.ntBaU.te ™ the r"" r"' '■" "'•^" >■« ™^ «"e boat expedi'tion,Tin; t^ I'Zi^'^""''"^ » "X my fourteenth year As w„ ""dsh'pman and only in which we were to attack J> /T "^7'"^ "^ *° ""« "««=«! was overpowered by fea/ 11 T " '''"'""^^ "' ""'"'^''y. I -n>ea o^ the poinLrfl^nT^ray'^ltt """•"„"■"■ ""^ ^ saw the condition I was in nl? T^^' ^"'"'^ant Ball, who ,»«" keeping his co„nZ L' ^cterr't".''^^'''^-"'' '"«' I'old of my hand, and pressil 1 "''' ""^ """'"'J'' '""k Mid in a low vo ce .. Co r^ " '" l'"' ""'^' «endly manner, of yourself ! you 'Z re^otrt T' I ''^ ' ''°"'* ^^ "'""^ the same, when I flrst welt „ ,? T. ' '"' '"-^ ^"^ J"«' the officer to me, it wasTstf a '" \l ™^-" ^"' ""ded the ■»e. With (6) tie fie ' haTr''' "'" """ " "»^ -" «'-> the whole lurden of It „ " "^'' dishonoured, the moment I was as t^^ZZiZ '"T"^' """ '""■ '^at ' •boat's crew, and on „„"tt™ the rt "' **" °"*'" °' ^e me to our captain, i an taleiJ M T"' "''"' "^"'^ "' own being than that I shouldh! k "onvmced of „,y think of, if. instead of 1 is hl*7 •""» "'"' ^ *-mble to that moment scoffed, that„™o""';T""="'' ''* ''«' «' the more kind in hi^, beolti 's T T ' ""• ^'"' ""» -«» own conduct in his „;strarh It™"' T''"^' ''' the greatest fearlessness, and that rrfl >,!. '" '" ^PP'^-^noes only to give me heart, and restore m/tl^ ''"' ""' "'^'■•^'"■■o This anecdote, I tru t tiiT^ ""^ °™ S'^ opinion.- _ ^_trust^«ln^ve^,„„e weight with those who 14 THE Fill EN.). Lit may have lent an ear to any of those vague calumnies frotii which no naval commander can secure his good name, who knowing the paramount necessity of regularity and strict discipline in a ship of war, adopts an appropriate plan (e) for the attainment of these objects, and remains constant and immutable in the execution, {f) To an Athenian, who, in praising a public functionary had said, that every one either applauded him or left him without censure, a philosopher replied — " How seldom then must he have done his duty ! " (4) Of Sir Alexander Ball's character, as Captain Ball, of his measures as a disciplinarian, and of the wise and dignified principle on which he grounded those measures, I have already spoken in a former part {a) of this work,* and must content myself, therefore, with entreating the reader to re-peruse that passage as belonging to this place, and as a part of the present narration. Ah ! little did I expect at the time I wrote that account, that the motives of delicacy, which then impelled me to withhold the name, would so soon be exchanged for the higher duty which now justifies me in adding it! At the thought of such events the language of a tender superstition is the voice of nature itself, and those facts alone presenting themselves to our memory which had left an impression on our hearts, we assent to, and adopt the poet's pathetic com- plaint : — O Sir ! the good die first, And thos(' whose hearts are dry as summer dust, Burn to the socket. —Wordsworth. Thus {h) the humane plan described in the pages now referred to, that a system in pursuance of which the captain of a man- of-war uniformly regarded his sentences not as dependent on his own will, or to be affected by the state of his feelings at the moment, but as the pre-established determinations of known laws, and himself as the voice of the law in pronoun- i i #« Section 1.— P^ssay 2, ilumnles frotn 3d name, who ity and strict te plan (e) for constant and nian, who, in erv one either a philosopher his duty ! " ptain Ball, of ! and dignified I have already I must content re-peruse that of the present B I wrote that )n impelled me langed for the ig it ! At the superstition is •ne presenting impression on pathetic com- ' dust, -Wordsworth. es now referred itain of a man- dependent on dis feelings at erminations of V in pronoun- '^"'5 TniRr) LANDrNo ,.uce. . • 15 cing the sentence anr? ifo j i ""»' be evident to every reZouT' T '"'"' °'<'e'raoti„„ ."".ane determines to be inflextr T ^ '" '"' "^^^^^^'y '«"ce; ''''o looks at each partill "'"P' "■« •='•""0 o( ■'» oonse,,„e„oes, and as theCpre ^ J Z **" "«■" °' »" «"1; should not so„,eti„,es bl ch T™ °' "'""""» ^ood or .■"-"»• And it is too c Ln u.t^!'' '"''■ '^'-.y by weak ■««'y believed and eagerly poVal' , "k ""Ir"' ""' •-« ""- .^b"" t,,„ presence of a„ oXXb f f" "■°'^' *■•" -""l" "»P»oity and ,nisco„d„ct, a^d „f f '^T""" "' ^l-ture, '.e,r exposure. We soon ,aTe /hi '''"°'""™ ^ 't^ady in '•-ad and thus have a douW intel?" '"'"'"' ^'»""- -e »» -U as Of policy, i„ decryill a, d f'/" ■"^''^' "' P"-'"" "en will rest satisfied Mi.h h^ no, "^ ■■""• ^'^^ Sood d.vme Comforter, that by tr 7,T """"^ '° "■»'" "^^ 'h«> justified. "^ *<"• ob'Mren shall Wisdom be ESSAY IV. Ulion th, |,l.,n that S.«?l,?"";ri'"'e''t WlioM high e„,)„„J ™;1 h " fliildish th„„g|,t . 1 flat makew the i.ath ^f l ' '""'ar' trlit (1) At the close of the Am.,.- -WoHnalvoR™. '™«'ed with the prote tf„:Tnd ":"' '^'''""'" ^''" ™» - mercantile fleet to America ai^byr""""' " "" '■""■*"™ -ampled attention to th^intltX^^^-r,.^^^^^^ ■^ ttfT*t w fti'fs^pmpiigyp^ 16 THE FRTENH. m III iiiE name to tho Anioricaii merchants, and laid the foundation of that high respect and predilection which both the Ameri- cana and their government ever afterwards entertained for him. My recollection does not enable me to attempt any accuracy in the date or circumstances, or to add the particulars of his services in the West Indies and on th*. coast of America. I now, therefore, merely allude to the fact with a prospective re- ference to opinions and circumstances, which I shall have to mention hereafter. Shortly after the general peace was established, Captain Ball, who was now a married man, passed some time with his lady in France, and, if I mistake not, ?t Nantes. At the same time, and in the same town, among (a) the other English visitors. Lord (then Captain) Nelson happen- ed to be one. In consequence of some punctilio, as to whose business (i) it was to pay the compliment of the first call, they never (t;) met, and this trifling ali'air occasioned a cold- ness oetween the two naval commanders, or in truth a mutual prejudice (d) against each other. Some years .vfter, both their ships being together close off Minorca and nea»- Port Mahon, a violent storm nearly disabled Lord Nelson's vessel, and in addition to the fury of tho wind, it was night-time and the thickest darkness. Captain Ball, however, brought his (e) vessel at length to Nelson's assistance, took his ship in tow, and used his best endeavours to bring her and his own vessel into Port Mahon. The ditiiculties and the dangers increased.. Nelson considered (/) the case of his own ship as desperate, and that unless she was immediately left to her own fate, both vessels would inevitably be lost. He, therefore, with the generosity natural to him, repeatedly requested Captain Ball to let him loose ; and on Captain Ball's refusal, he became impetuous, and enforced his demand with passionate threats. Captain Ball then himself took the speaking-trumpet, which the fury of the wind and waves rendered necessary, and with great solemnity and without the least disturbance of temper, i callod out in roply «« t f,.„, *y'^<-. w„„/.„e„ 1 ,7';;:;::;;' '■"•'"■'"■■"•'•'' • »'• ff " sh.p, a„.| „,„|,„,,i, , 1,, ','•"" ™""^ "■' I'oani „f A' «"■» tu„e and „„ ,^, „ '1™"'' ' "'^'"' '« " «-..! incited!" Porfcot friendship between ZTtZ T' "'" "''"' "'"' dwelhng on this „,„t„al attaohm„r T , f""'"'^ '"»'= -f tf'e present sketch which will Tate tV'. .," """ P»" »' opinions (/,) „f „„„ „,, t^i ;""'; '» /V-- Alexander JJall's present to say, that the two men wh i , '"'"'="'" «»' «"> honoured, were Sir Tho„,asT.:> K ? ^'■'"'*™ <»P«i»"y BalliandonoewhentherreJCh «' ""' «- Alexander -ade to the loss of his a™ h! °'^.Pf '™'. °» "on.e allusion ■- *".t I want an .rCZl'i^^^X ^^"^ »'"'" "are tel" (putting forward his own) and Ball J't""' "«'" ''™«-this ^ (3) I"theplanofthebat o^ Lni r"""*^'" des.gn.thatCaptainsTroubritelldB!n ; 7;''°--<'N'='»°"''' «.e attack. The former was strand d ° ""'"<«'(«) "P accident of the wind could I^Hf^ *"'' "■» 'aMer, bv hattle till some timeafte L ^* '''' ^""P '"'» 'he li„; Z With his character!; c fitter T' ■"" "-"-genera '"•properly be called) prZtTdl il '^ °' '""''* "'^y "ot arrangements to meet ev rrprlbabr""""""' ''^ '"" "'-de »hroud, and sails of the ship C.u ,T,'"'S<'"oy. All the •".mediate management, w e'thol M "'^ '"'"'^'y ''"■ 't. »1> that they wert as hard d as mtf ^"'"'''- "'"' » -"ed »ol.d cylinders of wood • every sai ^ '»«>"'™able as so many and function, and («) a 'c rtafn „ 'le "^ his appropriate plai hremen, whose sole duty .t was to be 'T """""""' ^ 'he *" ™-l ^hould'taklfire atdTo h '™'* ^'^ '' ->' ■-Extinguishing it was::^rrrw:t:i^ part the c 18 THE FUIENI). dark when \w brought Iuh ship into action, and laid hor ulonfi;- 8ide ('0 L'Oiient. One particular only I shall add to tho known account of tho meniorablo (mgagoinent Ixitwetin th(!8(i shipH, and this I icceivcid from Sir Alexander l?all hiuisolf. Il(! had previously mado a cond.ustihle propanition {e), hut which, from tho naturo of tho ongagonunit to ho expected, he had purposed to reserve for the last emergency. Hut just at the time when, from several symptoms, ho had every leason to believe that the enemy would soon strike to him, one of the lieutenants, without his knowhdge, threw in the combustible matter ; and this it was that occasioiuid tin; tremendous explos- ion of that vessel, which, with tho deep silence and int(!rruption of the engagement which succeeded (/) to it, lias been justly deemed the sublimest war incident recorded in history. Y((t the incident which followed, and which has not, I believe, Ijcen publicly made known, is scarcely less impressive, though its • sublimity is of a different character. At the renewal of the battle, Captain Ball, though his ship was then on lire in three diliorent parts, laid her alongside a French (eighty-four, and a second longer obstinate contest began. The tiring on the part of the French ship having at length {g) for some time slackened, and then altogether ceased, and yet no sign given of sur- render, the senior lieutenant came to Captain Ball and informed him, that tho hearts of his men were as good as ever, but that they were so completely exhausted that they were scarcely capable of lifting an arm. He asked, therefore, whether, as the enemy had now ceased firing, the men might be permitted to lie down by their guns for a short time. After some re- flection. Sir Alexander acceded to the proposal, taking of course the proper precautions to rouse them again the moment he thought requisite. Accordingly, with the exception of him- self his officers and the appointed watch, the ship's crew lay down, each in the place to which he was stationed, and slept for twenty minutes. They were then roused , **ad started up aid hor ulong- 11 add to tho )(!tW»H!U th0H(! I '.all hinis* h„^";^ '-let, '''■■"'■ ""'"• / 1 X . — WoRDsvVOnTH. 'ess a true and constituent 'rHf "'""''' ^'' " « "•" "-" -exists wholly ,.,„ f.r tifaT • ™ ■ "'■'"""''"■ '"'"■' " r'-nders counsel itself ^u'r T""""^ '" '"'P''''^''" "hi-h "■■«' weakness of h: • "X r'^^rlf t'™"''^»' ■"»' '™"" « always c-aving advice vZT . ""' '"""' "' "'« w<»- "' '''' """ ">*»d- himatle^talneeo ir JT """^P*""'. - affording but they never1:rted h 21'rr':r "" '''°''^°"' He even made a noin. „f ' ,T"*"'' '""<=h less superseded it. inthes„gg:irrh r-;"'dT:\"i.'"""*'-»"^^^^ of talents had formed theCJ "''"'» """ " P^^on at the sa„,e timTfTr'i hedl "'"' '™' ""'"" "■" P^-". at the sa,„e col7„r„w"'™* "'"'''''"''" ''"^ ""™'' oircu^staneeheselrespLtitatrlrin "" ."'^ '"'"' courted the comna»« a ' ' ^ "'*>' almost say, had ieast restrh 7h.rowr«T th" \>T ^""' ^"-'^ and comprehensive f„ uZ' "„ ''^*''""'f'" *''™ ■»"" of clear -oy. scarcely a weerpt: inllcThe L'tV ""' ""' to think on some particular subiect and / . '"" "'" ^ in writins Most fr- *7"'^l'"-'> »"<• to give him the result request hLo^rdhl'TrS; I""^ I'"" ' """ f"""'^" "'' then, with the true silpHc Uy „f a" '" r" *''°"^'"»' »<» ostentation as it was aWe l .^''*' """''• " '««' fro" papers in my pres"! ^ ? f f ^^' '"' """''' ™"»'* *'» two tha^n in the [e^ irni iti:;":;!:^^^"" r" ■""-"" the arguments and points of vi w wh fch hlT" '°. ''"l' "" "" with some additional reasons wH IL ^ "''"' *" ''''"«'"■ new argument deliltTht mo"' T^' •""'■ ^ ^^'-^ -ce, unless, as hcfor7sta::;X Znt r ^ ha'dtet 22 THK FlllKNll. very different from his own, and yet just and logical. He had one quality of mind, which I have heard attributed to the late Mr. Fox, (/) that of deriving a keen pleasure from clear and powerful reasoning for its own sake — a quality in the intellect which is nearly connected with veracity and a love of justice in the moral character.* (3) Valuing in others merits which he himself possessed, Sir Alexander Ball felt no jealous apprehension of grv^at talent. Unlike those vulgar functionaries, whose place is too big for them, a truth which they attempt to disguise from themselves, and yet feel, he was under no necessity of arming himself against the natural superiority of genius by factitious contempt and an industrious association of extravagance and impracticability, with every deviation from the ordinary routine ; as the geog- raphers in the middle ages used to designate on their meagre maps, the greater part of the world, as deserts or wildernesses, inhabited by griffins and chimieras. Competent to weigh each system or project by its own arguments, he did not need these preventive charms and cautionary amulets against delusion. He endeavoured to make talent instrumental to his purposes in whatever shape it appeared, and with whatever imperfections it might be accompanied ; but wherever talent was blended with moral worth, he sought it out, loved and cherished it. If it had pleased Providence to preserve his life, and to place him * It may not be amiss to add, that the pleasure from the perception of triith was so well j)oised and regulated by the etjual or greater delight in utility, that his love of real acciuacv was accompanied with a proportionate dislike of that hollow appearance of it, which may be produced by tin-ns of phrase, words placed in Ixdanced antithesis, and those ei)igrammatic points that pass for subtle and luminous distinctions with ordinary readers, but are most commonly translatable into mere truisms or trivialities, if indeed they contain any meaning at all. Having observed in some casual conver- sation, that though there were do\d)tless masses of matter luiorganized, I saw no ground for asserting a mass of unorganized matter ; Sir A. B. aused, and then said to me, with that frankness of manner which made is Very rebidces gratifying, "The distinction is j\ist, .and, now I uiiderst.and you, abundantly obvious ; but hardly worth the trouble of your inventing a puzzle (if words tu make it appear otherwise."' I trust the rebuke was not lost on me. K THE TIHIM, LANDl.W PLACE. 23 on the same course on which Nplan», ^^ u- are two points i„ which Sir Ak 1" 1™',"; ™",f ''"°'-^' *""' havo resembled his i,l„,tH„„. « ^ !^; T: '"r?"":'.^ enterprises and en-mKements hp w. n I ' ^** '" ^'« -one. tin .i haa ht„^ ZXt Z'^X :!!"*'" """""'" Nil actum reputans, h. qu.d superes.„t agendum. The second, that he would have called forth all the tal f . virtue that existed within his sohern .f ^ ""^ ''''^ a band of heroes, a gradatt of : :el" r,? ^'1 T""' strong in heart, worthy to have lZ7^' ^ '"^ ^'*^ ^^^ successors in fame and pVuic'^f:^^^^^^^ ^°"^^"^^- ^^ '^^ aiti,!:rtr^^^^^^^^ coast o£ Malta to intero^nt 7r r f ™ ''''"°™'» »* ">» ga.iso», and to t;?; 'i :r::„\f :f i"" ^^ '■•» f ->■ height of the island. Without dhlr ;. "" '"'"*™' leader, and almost without l^sthri' "" ' ""'""•^ and destroyed the PrencI ^rr L 't ZT'T '""^''«'' battlen,e„t, into the trench'of Z dt 'd ^1 '"'"' "'"^ "" blookade,andofthetedioussie«eo VateLsi ;,™"''"°':'''' displayed all that strength of character ^t "'"''"' *'" Ulity of talent, and that'sagaci y ^er ve'/t 'Tf ' "l" '"'"- circumspection lb\ bnt wk; i, ''J'""™'' "" Pa't from habitual appeared intjllillnd itt, ^ ™ ct^ rt?'™ '™''-'"' "' Valetta were fond o,rei;:t-;\h:rri:L:r^^^^^^^ I'f 24 THE FRIEND. the French, at Captain Ball's ship wintering at anchor out of the reach of the guns, in a depth of fathom unexampled, on the assured impracticability of which the garrison had rested their main hope of regular supplies. Nor (c) can I forget, or remember without some portion of my original feeling, the solemn enthusiasm with which a venerable old man, belonging to one of the distant casals, showed me the sea coorabe, where their father Ball (for so they commonly called him) first landed, and afterwards pointed out the very place on which he first stepped on their island ; while the countenances of his towns- men, who accompanied him, gave lively proofs that the old man's enthusiasm was the representative of the common feeling. (5) There is no reason to suppose, that Sir Alexander Ball was at any time chargeable with that weakness so frequent in Englishmen, and so injurious to our interests abroad, of des- pising the inhabitants of other countries, of losing all their good qualities in their vices, of making no allowance for those vices, from their religious or political impediments, and still more of mistaking for vices a mere difference of manners and customs. But if ever he had any of this erroneous feeling, he •ompletely freed himself from it by living among the Maltese during their arduous trials, as long as the French continued masters of their capital. He witnessed their virtues, and learnt to understand in what various shapes and even disguises the valuable parts of human nature may exist. In many individuals, whose littleness and meanness in the common intercourse of life would have stamped them at once as con- temptible and worthless, with ordinary Englishmen, he had found such virtues of disinterested patriotism, fortitude, and self-denial, as would have done honour to an ancient Roman. (6) There exists in England a gentlemanly character, a gentlemanly feeling, very different even from that which is the most like it, the character of a well-born Spaniard, and un- exampled in the regt of Europe, This feeling probably origi- fifE THIUl) LAsmCi PLACE. f>n eldest sons onlv ^1, tht ""''"'''• """' '''' '"'"'"'^'^ ^y our constitute ,^l"''"■'^ T"":: "'*■■ ""> influences of -Ihe uniformitv of m,,. ^., ^ wnoJe country. the appearance of a^nfinr,,^ u classes to assume tHe ^: to eo:flr;t7a'nn':r:„:'':tir^ "r .'-^'"-^ ary actions i„ social interconr J t„\t 'fH more their ordin- n=anly, the most commo„rrec2e; » T ""'"" °' ""^ S^""- « a certain generos;; ^ « "' On th" r^'"' °''""'^'- encroachments of the lower Ws on th 1°, '"''■ "" and favoured by this resembLT L ext oXr'f"'' of any cognizabie marks of Hi«f , '^' °'^^' ^>^ t^^'s absence class n^ore^eservedardJelusnT"' '" ""'^^^^ ^^^^ and far more than our .i; 7 ' ^^""^'^^ communion, tW ^aughtinran^r irXTaeT "-' T" rto«:;reit:r::i:;^^^^^ respect it under all L t 'Id f ""™-"'y f-"ng i I Commons to the gent emeT„ t^ T '™"' "'" «'"■»'' "' always the orna„fentrvTrt:ea:dTfte ,"''""" '''"'''■ " '» i' « a wretched substitute tit n^lT' " '""P"' ^ l^"' ■» by no n,eans in proportion t„ ,« , ' "' " """•'' «'""'' W These observatilsC not iX":;"; 'T' f'^"*"'"- -flection, that this diffusion of g nU nalW ,1 " "^ ""' »' IS not the growth of «. c^n'-iemanly feeling among us. various acciir.r„Tagr;tur;:T' r?'^ "«-^''°' considering that it is unrea'sonrble a d unli::^^:',; t" °" ""' the same consequences wh^^. n.^ "ncnaritabie to expect to produce them ; Z'tty ^e -^ecauses have not existed absence of this cLra^L^ttas^'rT/" "«"'" ""' '--.eater par, and jnthf;o::lXrsi::tS J'fF ite THE FRIEND, in a certain frankness and generosity in the detail of action) as decisive against the sum total of personal or national worth ; we must, I am convinced, attribute a large portion of that conduct, which in many instances has left the inhabitants of countries conquered or appropriated by Great Britain, doubtful whether the various solid advantages which they derived from our protection and just government, were not bought dearly by the wounds inflicted on their feelings and prejudices, by the contemptuous and insolent demeanour of the English, as individuals. The reader who bears this remark in mind, will meet, in the course of this narration, more than one passage that will serve as its comment and illustration. ' (7) It was, 1 know, a general opinion among the English in the Mediterranean, that Sir Alexander Ball thought too well of the Maltese, and did not share in the enthusiasm of Britons concerning their own superiority. To the former part of the charge I shall only reply at present, that a more venial, and almost desirable fault, can scarcely be attributed to a governor, than that of a strong attachment to the people whom he was sent to govern. The latter part of the charge is false, if we are to understand by it, that he did not think his countrymen superior on the whole to the other nations of Europe ; but it is true, as far as relates to his belief, that the English thought themselves still better than they are ; chat they dwelt on, and exaggerated their national virtues, and weighed them by the opposite vices of foreigners, instead of the virtues which those foreigners possessed, and they themselves wanted. Above all, as statesmen, we must consider qualities by their practical uses. Thus he entertained no doubt, that the English were superior to all others in the kind and the degree of their courage, which is marked by far greater enthusiasm than the courage of the Germans and northern nations, and by a far greater steadiness and self-subsistency than that of the French. It is more closely connected with the character of the individual. The courage r THE THIRD LANDING PLACE. ^7 -the. than „, that whid ^^^^^ '"Z'""" V' .S.r Alexander's was forcibly LaZi ,„ • ^ """"'"'* »t Naples. A Kussinn JZ . ^ """'' "'""> I ""s up together Tn th s 2 " "" "''"'' "«"""" *-" '>■■'""• but one faee in that whX " ''""'"^J""™. " there is the English) " evl 1 d T'"""' '"'"'" '" """" (P»i»'»S to other hand there are T»' "'""' °' •■'' °""-" On th« completion fhelffitarr T"'^ '"' '^^"'^"^ *» "» hesitate to think thrEn^L 7"' '" "''■"' "'^ ^- ^'^ "ot a» for instance both in '' f f *' ™''*'™'"»' ""«<-»»: privations ; ■■ the frienX''t°™ ""'' "' '"P"^'""" *° ^^-o different n:tions areT TrrriTh "'T r"' "' the regulations of their eommandr. oft '>''<""»« *» treatment of the inhal,it,nrT.u ^ """'• '^P<^tinS the theyaremarc tg asteitin ""f™" "'™"«'' '"«'' diately connectedtrtlllrd::! tlT^ "t ""™- in sobriety and temnemnp. n . ^^ ' ^''^' ^^^^^ all, oiaiiy d„.ig the'm ^r^irtht t:' ^^'""' -'«■ some time exposed from the f»il, . ''^»"'S<'« were for Ball had an ample "lot .° T™'""' Sir Alexander «.e separate mS a l^^^ /tT'^'T ""^ '•'"«''»« Engh-sh troops ■ and ,„rpl7 .u ^ "**""" *"'' of the Moore's campaign Oth re"" ^''"''"™"™ °* ^ir John thongh 1 3hon^.d:;.Trre; :;:: 2 i"r "-" asm the plains of Galicia an iS Valetta, as well with too great propriety L ^. '^"^"' commander might, Both fo/dSTee r?ou h ist^v'"'" '"." • When out of fle.sL f A h" h . ,, ^,P'^ ^''^d Of vil -, '■; ''''kI »K"'>miniou.s are lean and out of Ji), And t,hink action V Caktw ..f"! tan excuse that HKiHT'.S Love's C, onvert. 28 TTtE FUTKNr*. 8. From the first insurrectionary movement to the final departure of the French from the island, though the civil and military powers and th(> whole of the island, save Valetta, were in the hands of the peasantry, not a single act of excess can be charged against the Maltese, if we excej)t the ra/ing of one house at Civita Vecchia belonging to a notorious and aban- doned traitor, the creature and hireling of the French. In no instance did they injure, insult, or plunder, any one of the native nobility, or employ even the appearance of force toward them, except in the collection of the lead and iron from their houses and gardens, in order to supply themselves with bullets ; and this very appearance was assumed from the generous wish to shelter the nobles from the resentment of the French, should the ' patriotic efforts of the peasantry prove unsuccessful. At the dire command of famine the Maltese troops did indeed once force their way to the ovens in which the bread for the British soldiery was baked, and were clamor- ous that an equal division should be made. I mention this unpleasant circumstance, because it brought into proof the firm- ness of Sir Alexander Ball's character, his presence of mind, and generous disregard of danger and personal responsibility, where the slavery or emancipation, the misery or the happiness, of an innocent and patriotic people were (a) involved ; and because his conduct in this exigency evinced that his general habits of circumspection and deliberation were the results of wisdom and complete self-possession, and not the easy virtues of a spirit constitutionally timorous and hesitating. He was sitting at table with the principal British officers, when a certain general addressed him in strong and violent terms concerning this out- rage of the Maltese, reminding him of the necessity of exerting his commanding influence in the present case, or the conse- quences must be taken, "What," replied Sir Alej^ander Ball "would you have us to do 1 Would you have us threaten death to men dying with famine ? Can you suppose that the hazard m)«lf or outrage humZ tv 1 ' *•"""'' ' "■"' ''°' ''"S"'"' More etreetua. ° .e::! '/e Z:'?* '™r,r'" '""'*°"- rose and left the room and 1,7 « ^ ""'™ """''l' he Thorn™ Troubridr he dl ^ "' """"""^ "'"■ (^) «r which the extreme' lee St Ta™?', "^ T" "'^ °" » ^'o" of the NeapoHtan court r;^;:™^^^^^^ -;"-'' the conduct terror-stricken P,y the Kren.h .•! thiscourt, though English, and a jea o sv of 1;" '" '"'""'"' ''^ '""«" to the »d this in so s raTrand "'""T'"' "" "'* Mediterranean ; join the extre™sXl„ir:7t' "':"""• ""'* "" "-' -t in order to find ^t ct;: eltt^;;:*'--'''''- existence of Naples and Sicily, „s a aln \ ^, .*" ™'"^ and exclusively on IM,;,, ' ''"I'^ndcd wholly owed their perroll al' y' ^r: i B 'rf f" ™^^' ^"""'^ only their dominions and th f " ''' "'"' ' "">"«'' »ot the liyes of Ferdi and "n h^ '::^C"' ''" '""'^ "'■" """^ oursucces.,; yet with an i„f,t ! ^' "'''■■o '"terwoyen with affecting re,;rLn;tn:rdre::7tr the utter insecurity of Sicily if th! F f ' '*"''«"•■"■ ""^ of of Mai,., weretrited :ih„! JridT"™''''""^^'''" ^17; _Jtn neglect , and the urgent remon- ■It cannot be dnnhfori <-i, i. i.i_ 30 TFIK FRIENIX m strances (c) for the permission of importing corn from Messina, were answered only by sanguinary edicts precluding all supply- Sir Alexander Ball sent for his senior lieutenant, and fjave him orders to proceod immediately to the port of Messina, and there to seize and bring with him to Malta the ships laden with corn, of the number of which Sir Alexander had received accurate information. These orders were executed without delay, to the great delight and profit of the shipowners and proprietors ; the necessity of raising the siege was removed ; and the author of the measure waited in calmness for the consequences that might result to himself personally. But not a complaint, not a murmur proceeded from the court of Naples. The sole result was, that the governor of Malta becar.ie an especial object of its hatred, its fear, and its respect. (9) The whole of this tedious siege, from its commencement to the signing of the capitulation, called forth into constant activity the rarest and most difficult virtues of a commanding mind ; virtues of no show or splendour in the vulgar apprehen- sion, yet more infallible characteristics of true greatness than the most unequivocal displays of enterprise and active daring. Scarcely a day passed, in which Sir Alexander Ball's patience, forbearance, and inflexible constancy were not put to the sever- est trial. He had not only to remove the misunderstandings that arose between the Maltese and their allies, to settle the differences among the Maltese themselves, and to organize their efforts ; he was likewise engaged in the more difficult and unthankful task of counteracting the weariness, discontent, and despondency of his own countrymen — a task, however, which he accomplished by management and address, and an alternation of real firmness with apparent yielding. During many mouths he remained the only Englishman who did not think the siege hopeless, and the object worthless. He often spoke of the time in which he resided at the country sei t of the grand master at St. Antonio, four miles from Valetta, m perhaps U„ ,„„„t t,,,,- .^ Ws partner i„ ,u,xiet „ " ' """'P™'"". "f whom, a, tionate osteon,. "s^AxITinr""'' ''■'"*•'' '""' "'^- i".pul.e, which produ' an r " ' '°'""" ™°"°"' ""^ its sufBciont pilot the ! tl "' '° ^" ' '"■'^' ""'"'^ the common provooat tn 1;"" "" "' "■" ™''"'°"' ""' on.y unites, b^t direct: ;2 2 ''B,;^t^t'^"''^^"'• ■'"' passed away.and Sir Alex.nd.Ban J ' "' ""P'"'« ^'^ possessed the general confiden e f,: , ".r" '"'""''"'" '"•<• implicit faith; and even after th!;, :^^i """^ '""^ "'"■ <«) of British go;rnme„ and prle^t^n 7 ''"'°''' '"^ •"^'»'»«' -itb what chi...,ike heipierrt::' 'ir ::" /^t**"' applying to him, even in their „,: ! " '"'"t of if they thought him made o. "'""'""''■ '' """'«<' "» Yet his situation a St IT ■'""■''°"' '° """'' ''"• «"»» »«■ <- attributed hi^ plservtion": trV" "' '""'' """ ^ ""^ begun to prey on the pi^:, the Fre T""" """" "'"' """^ rende.-ed them unenternrirn!. j^ T ""'' «"™°»' '««' *l»oh the dread which the rurffThetTnt '^'''' "''' <"> "^ divided as it was into smallheU,'^ '""P"'^ ■ '»"»>>- garden, and each of ttse Me """'^ '■"•="" "'■'» " """"g" with substantial stone w:,sle''"rf '""" <^> '»='-«' having the «e,ds perfectTy Vel r :Lt't "' ,"" """*^ °' the whole of the inhabited part of tb, fl"^™ '^"^ °"'''- fortification for all the 1 , ™'' "^' an effective «ir Alexander Ba x rdT" ,f ''°''°^»- »d warfare, information respectinT e s :l™r"''""j '» "'-""« aud by theassistance°of th ctrgl am T" ^ "■' «»'™''". iidelity of the Maltese. contri^Thattt °'' r"''^' t-e .rencb should bein truth his ot'mt cTrn^tl a^^n^' 82 THE KHIKM). Ho had alroady given splendid proofs tbiit he could outfight them ; but here, and in his after diplomatic intercourse previous to the recommencement of the war, he likewise out-witted them. (d) He onco told me with a smile, as we were conversing on the practice of laying wagers, that he was sometimes inclined to think that the final perseverance in the siege was not a little indebted to sev^eral valuable bets of his own, he well knowing at the time, and from information which himself alone possessed, that he should certainly lose them. Yet this artifice had a con- siderable effect in suspending the impatience of the officers, and in supplying topics for dispute and conversation. At length, however, the two French frigates, the sailing of which had been the subject of these wagers, left the great harbour on the 24th of August, 1800, with a part of the garrison : and one (e) of them soon became a prize to the English. Sir Alexander Ball related to me the circumstances which occasioned the escape of the other ; but I do not recollect them with sufficient accuracy to dare repeat them in this place. On the 15th of September following, the capitulation was signed, and after a blockade of two years the English obtained possession of Valetta and remained masters of the whole island and its dependencies. (10) Anxious not to give offence, but more anxious to communicate the truth, it is not without pain that I find my- self under the moral obligation of remonsti ating against the silence concerning Sir Alexander Ball's services or the transfer (a) of them to others. More than once h is the latter aroused my indignation in the reported speeches of the House of Com- mons ; and as to the former, I need only state that in (6) Rees's Encyclopaedia, there is an historical article of consider- able length under the word Malta, in which Sir Alexander's name does not once occur ! During a residence of eighteen months in that island, I possessed and availed myself of tho best possible means of information, not only from eye-witnesses, but likewise from the principal agents them.selves. And I -"O out-- tl,„ ea,tL am th„ " '" ' ":""""'"-- -"M Lear with every wJJtr"''''''™T™''™°'*'''''»'™'-''owi,,s »in»l«rpai„ 1 proceedt ' . '^ '"' '"''"«"•>"»■ With a Majesty and l,u .Hie, „i,h "' ^ , "" '° '''" "'"""'"" Maltese. With „ „» Jh u"' "■%':"»' '"^'io- "-ade of the h- heart, Sir A,exa7d: an T?" ''°"' '" "'' '-'' and -'.nd policy than of pain I'e'' f : "f ""^ '™» a point of ■H>preBe„t.tive, should be „ ad! .""' *^''"«»''' 'V »»">" a Joint suhseri'ber in the^;' at^ ^Jv t;""""'"-' "■"' 'laves or the property of tL Kn ghts ',1',' "^7': ^" ">" men a„d the true landed proprietor of tf' ' ^'* '"" ''''■ and nUlitary government 'fwhTohunL T"''^' "•'"'"' had been vested in that o-der vet .h u ?["'" '•*""'=«°n». •nfluenees of the elergy and the n ' jf- ^^ "'' "«'"» '"I torn and ancient lawf of, - ,1 "?h ?'' *"" "^ '""- iad, with the blackest treason and '., " **•' ^"'«'"« betrayed and abandoned The rthfof""'' ''™'"*'"^ ^''^'"^' "^verted to the iandcl proprietor and be""!'""""' "' "°°''''° l-y a.)ust sense of tl, s ri.ht tb! M u . *^- ^"i-'ated -cord, had contended for it il d!^'""'" ^^ *™ <>« "-eirown had fought bravely and end / " °' '''""' and danger, valuing the nnirta'V a^l Ltri'''''^^ ^"•'°"« ""'«- Britain (though how scttv tb "f '""''''"'" ''>' ^-«" «eneral Pigot is well rown ' , "^ '"'"''^ "■« arrival of t-e Maltese had taken the g,ea tes .,rT .""''™"'"-' ""' and in the privations conselTon tb ' '" "^ '"^'^"^ not the greatest virtues and the °\ ""«"' "»'' ""aH-ad uniformly displayed by them thTll^ "I"^^ ""'"'^ "- b-g .ore numerons than they had ^^^V:!;^ ^ \f n4 TH^J FRIEND. of the two years) could not possibly have remained before the fortifications of V^letta, defended as that city was by a French garrison, that greatly outnumbered the British besiegers Still less could there have been the least hope of ultimate success ; as if any part of the Maltese peasantry had been friendly to the French, or even indifferent, if they had not all indeed been most zealous and persevering in their hostility towards them, it would have been impracticable so to blockade that island as to have precluded the arrival of supplies. If the siege had proved unsuccessful, the Maltese were well aware that they should be exposed to all the horrors which revenge and wounded pride could dictate to an unprincipled, rapacious, and sanguinary soldiery ; and now that success has crownedtheir efforts, is this to be their reward, that their own allies are to bargain (/) for them with the French as for a herd of slaves, whom the French had before purchased from a former pro- prietor ? If it be urged, that there is no established govern- ment in Malta, is it not equally true, that through the whole population of the island there is not a single dissentient? and thus that the chief inconvenience, which an established authority is to obviate, is virtually removed by the admitted fact of their unanimity ? And have they not a bishop, and a dionified clergy, their judges and municipal magistrates, who w^re at all times sharers in the power of the government and (g) now, supported by the unanimous suffrage of the inhabi- tants, have a rightful claim to be considered as its representa- • tives 1 Will it not be oftener said than answered, that the main difference between French and English injustice rests in this point alone, that the French seized on the Maltese with- out any previous pretences of friendship, while the English procured possession of the island by means of their friendly promises, and by the co-operation of the natives afforded in Ltideul reliance on these promise. ? The impolicy ot refusing the signature on the part of the Maltese was (h) equally THE Tllllll) LANDING ITACE. 36 A before the by a French ih besiegers of ultimate Y had been had not all leir hostility ) to blockade (lies. If the e well aware liich revenge sd, rapacious, crowned their ivn allies are lerd of slaves, former pro- ished govern- jh the whole ientient? and n established the admitted bishop, and a ^istrates, who vernment, and 3f the inhabi- its representa- ered, that the justice rests in 1 Maltese with- ie the English their friendly ces aftbrded in licy of refusing 'as (h) equally evident ; «mce such refusal could answer no one purpose bat tlrnt ot alienating their affections by a wanton insult to their fee ings. For the Maltese wore not only ready but desirous and eager to place themselves at the same time (i) under Lritisli protection, to take the oaths of loyalty as subjects of the British crown, and to acknowledge their island to belong to It. These representations, however, were over-ruled • and I dare artirrn, from my own experience in the Mediterranean that our conduct in this instance, added to the impression which had been made at Corsica, Minorca, and elsewhere, and was often referred to by men of reflection in Sicily, who have more than once said to me, » A connection with Great Britain with the consequent extension and security of our commerce are (jj indeed great blessings : but who can rely on their permanence? or that we shall not be made to pay bitterly for our /eal as partisans of England, whenever it shall suit its plans to deliver us back to our old oppressors ? " ESSAY VI. The way of ancient ordinance, though it windn is yet no de . ions way. Straight forward goes ' The hghtningK path, and straight the fearfnl path Of the cannpn-.ball. Direct it flieH and rapid, Shattering that it may reach, and shattering what it reaches My son ! the road, the human l>eing travels " '' I lat, (>n which Wessing comes and goes, doth follow The river's course, the valley's playful windings, Curves round the cornfield and the hill of vines. Ifonouring the holy bounds of pro[)erty ! . , . 7 ~ ; There exists A higher than the warrior's excellence. — Wai.lenstrin. (1) Captain Ball's services in Malta were honoured with his 50vereign'.s approbation, transmitted in a letter from the (8) Secretary Dundas, and with a baronetcy. A thousand r »-*L«,.-t_^^- % 36 THE FRIEND, ' pounds* were at the same time directed to be paid him from the Maltese treasury. The best and most appropriate addition to the applause of his king and his country, Sir Alexander Ball found in the feelings and faithful affection of the Maltese, The enthusiasm manifested in reverential gestures and shouts of triumph whenever their friend and deliverer appeared in public, was the utterance of a deep feeling, and in nowise the mere ebullition oi animal sensibility ; which is not indeed a part of the Maltese character. The truth of this observation will not be doubted by any person who has witnessed the religious processions in honour of the favourite saints, both {n) at Valetta and at Messina or Palermo, and who (b) must have been struck with the contrast between the apparent apathy, or at least the perfect sobriety, of the Maltese, and the fanatical agitations of the Sicilian populace. Among the latter each man's soul seems hardly containable in his body, like a prisoner, whose gaol is on fire, flying madly from one barred outlet to another ; while the former might suggest the suspicion, that their bodies were on the point of sinking into the same slumber with their understandings. But their political deliverance was a thing that came home to their heaHs, and intertwined with their most impassioned recollections, personal and patriotic. *I scarce know whether it be worth mentioning, that this sum remained undemanded till the spring of the year 1805 ; at which time the writer of these sketches, during an examination of the treasury accounts, observed the circumstance and noticed it to the Governor, who had suffered it to escape altogether from his memory, for the latter years at lei\st. The value attacned to the present by the receiver, must have depended on his construction of its purpose and meaning ; for, in a pecuniary point of .view the sum was not a moiety of what Sir Alexander had expended from his private fortune during the blockade. His immediate appointment to the government of the island, so earnestly prayed for by the Maltese, would doubtless have furnished a less questionable proof that his services were as highly estimated by the ministry as they were graciously accepted by his sovereign. But tins was withheld as long as it remained possible to doubt, whether great talents, joined to local experience, and the confidence and affection of the inhabitants, might not be dispensed with in the person entrusted with that government. Crimen ingrati animi quod magnis inqcniis haud raro objicUur, mepius nil aliud est quarn inrnidcucia i/uitdam incausam benejicii collati. See Wai.lf.nstbin, Part I. i him from ,te addition Alexander iie Maltese, and shouts ppeared in nowise the t indeed a jbservation nessed the ts, both (a) must have mt apathy, lie fanatical latter each I a prisoner, d outlet to picion, that me slumber ^erance was wined with i patriotic. uim remained the writer of nts, observed suflftred it to t lenst. The )ended t)n his point of .view ided from his itment to the altese, would ■vices were as cepted by his ible to doubt, onfidence and in the person quod magnis Mcia (juftdam THE THIRD LANntNO PLACE. 37 Ilil'.'/jTr"'"" ^''" ''''^"'"''^ *« *"^«e themselves s opped, and remained uncovered till he had rfassed • tL ' w^ scarcely .. &„„,„ ,„ ,,, in^Jjl^'ZjTa hecam. U delivered tU poor that cried aStJTT , ' tlwm O^t had none to Up them tLu tt"' ""'' heart to sing for joy (e). ■"«! '"^ earned Che widow'. (3) These feelings were afterwards amply justified h„ l,- administration of the government ■ andT ^ ^" their gratitude on their'first Srate 'proJ^^:'"' "' .evere.Vt a -a.; ^C'tir ^trir "ctr '^ '" mendicants, and one of the greatest thnr. 1/ ? ^ "® -^^ .____J:!^l£lf^^^^^Wioi^ Valetta *It was the Governor's cnstni.i f^ ,.; -t ^ — tliere. 1 had the honour of beino- 1.;^ suminei ; and during mv residenr-a companion in these rlZ- to i? constant, and n.ost ofte.K S onlv instructive hours ,.f ,„viiy'* Fn fh"'''' '?"« "^ *'»« l«appi3«nd nS two rude paintings wS'^ire L"£ Kd ■ a'? 1 *'"' rk^i"*""* S«a Ch.ld; andaportraitof Sir Ale.xander ill ' '' "'^ *''" ^'"'•f^" »«<* S8 TttE FRtBNt?. still retains the name of the " Nix mangiare stairs," from the crowd who used there to assail the ears of the passengers with cries of ' nix mangiare," or '* nothing to eat," the former word ni being the low German pronunciation of nichts, nothing. By what means it was introduced into Malta, I know not ; but it became the common vehicle both for solicitation and refusal, the Maltese thinking it an English word, and the English supposing it to be Maltese. I often felt it as a pleasing remembrancer of the evil day (a) gone by, when a tribe of little children, qu :e naked, as is the custom of that climate, and each with a pair of gold ear-rings in its eurs, and all fat and beautifully proportioned, would suddenly leave their play, and, looking around to see that their parents were not in sight, change their shouts of merriment for "?iiaj mangiare]!^ awkwardly imitating the plaintive tones of mendicancy ; while the white teeth in their little swarthy faces gave a splendour to the happy and confessing laugh, with which they received the good-humoured rebuke or refusal, and ran back to their former sport. (3) In the interim between the capitulation of the French garrison and Sir Alexander Ball's appointment as Hi^ Majesty's civil commissioner for Malta, his zeal for the Maltese was neither suspended (a) nor unproductive of important benefits. He was enabled to remove many prejudices and misunder- standings ; and to persons of no inconsiderable influence gave jester notions of the true importance of the island to Great Britain. He displayed {h) the magnitude of the trade of the Mediterranean in its existing state ; showed the immense extent to which it might be carried, and the hoUowness of the opinion, that this trade was attached to the south of France by any natural or indissoluble bond (c) of connection. I have some reason for likewise believing, that his wise and patriotic representations prevented Malta from being made the seat of and pretext for a numerous civil establishment, in hapless rs,*' from the sengers with the former a of nichts, [alta, I know r solicitation '^ord, and the as a pleasing bribe of little climate, and d all fat and jir play, and, not in sight, mangiare !" 3ancy ; while I a splendour hey received back to their I the French lis Majesty's Maltese was ant benefits, d misunder- fluence gave ind to Great trade of the ;he immense wness of the of France by ion. I have and patriotic le the seat of \>f in hapless •THE TBIBn UNDIW, P,,ACE. .,3 imitation of Corsica, Ceylon aiirf fl,. ri Itwa. at .east .^..ICr:!^ thT > ."^ k '""'' «• oontemplation of the ministrv " ™'''."'»' " ■>■«" been in the orombie as governor ^ t^ T"' <"> ^''- K"'?"' Aber- to reside in En;"' ^iue o^e 7.° "'''°'"' "^ ^«-' W «■«• lieutenant-governor 'ar 5 000, r! ~"""'^'"'" "™ '" ^ ""' added a long.. ..^^^f^t/^JellVl^'l ^'" '» "» amol-ument. This threatened appe dTx f'"? /™''"''°"*' may have existed only in the y^"!^'\}° ""« «tote calendar yet (/) inspired so„,e' lit rZhf'""^ °f '"^ -P""-, many well.«,ishers to the mT T"™ '" "«' "''"''» »« foreign settlement at lea't and ' /'" '"'°" "'»*-'« ^ ranks and function, of soeLv' °™ °" P»»essing i„ all the -^uch a stately and wide Trl.b ™f '"''""""°" <" "" "»» delightful to theindivM : rht:r?t::i°'r™»«^' '"<""»"'• sheds, like the Q,) manchineerunlo ^ "' *'°"''" ""P''^'' on the multitude who are to r^ h '?" '""' ""^"'' de*» not, however, be doubted thits /r""" ''^ ""«'''■ I* "->» himself to preclude any ich „' "nf " ^"' """''' "''■'" the extreme i„p„,ie^ Tad tn^^'t 'of ' t7 '*f "* ^■"' '"""»« »ttor inutility in th'e ease ^uZ titthe" ^l-"' "^ the governor, and of the DuhH„ Y ''h the er .eption of undoubtedly should be natives o^GreTBrif-' ""''. "' ^"""^ by the British government the!! "' """^ appointed be of the remotest alaXe oT "° f " ""'^^ "■»'■ ™"W almdyailedf/Obythenattfa^l 'tV*"' ""* ^" ™' could perform so well as they tI T""" "' *'"•''' "»'"' would state) was P.ocligious'co„,p,:ed": tt l"''f ""--'^ <"« island, though from the fear of tlTJ ^'"™' "' ^e surface remained unpeopled Id ^"""^ oue-fourth of its therefore, the middle a°fdL , °"™'"™'*''- '^o deprive, had been accustomed toTolTvltT °' '""" "'""'^ " ""y held by the nobility, we'etth' T' ' "''"« "•« P'»«- but natives could perfo™.' Z tfZT C' "'■ ^ " """^ "uuesot. By any innovation • » '*at*f.'i fi!?* 40 TttE PRIEJJD. we should affront the higher classes and alienate the affections of all, not only without any imaginable advantage but with the certainty of great loss. Were Englishmen to be employed, the salaries must be increased fourfold, and would yet be scarcely worth acceptance ; and in higher oflBces, such as those of the civil and criminal judges, the salaries must be augmented more than tenfold. For, greatly to the credit of their patriot- ism and moral character, the Maltese gentry s< ught these places as honourable distinctions, which endeared them to their fellow-countrymen, and at the same time rendered the yoke of the order somewhat less grievous and galling. With the excep- tion of the Maltese secretary, whose cjituation was one of inces- sant labour, and who at the same time performed the duties of law counsellor to the government, the highest salaries scarcely exceeded ^00^. a year, and were barely sufl&cient to defray the increased expenses of the functionaries for an additional equipage, or one of more imposing appearance. Besides, it was of importance that the person placed at the head of that government should be looked up to by the natives, and possess the means of distinguishing and rewarding those who had been most faithful and zealous in their attachment to Great Pritain, and hostile to their former tyrants. The number of the employments to be conferred would give considerable influence to his Majesty's civil representative, while the trifling amount of the emolument attached to each precluded all temptati r of abusing it. (4) Sir Alexander Ball (a) would, likewise, it is probable, urge, that the commercial advantages of Malta, which were most intelligible to the English public, and best fitted to render our retention of the island popular, must necessarily be of very slow growth, though finally they would become great, and of an extent not to be calculated. For this reason, therefore, it was highly desirable that the possession should be, and appear to be, at least inexpensive. After the British govern- TUK Tlliai, LANjJINCi I'LAOK. 4^ our own milita,^ J,, „;™ 7„ ' ,, ""P^^Uure connected with which latter expense o" 2 ZV 'T" "' ""= f^'iW^ations, f^n, the ™u,titLra„7w ?lrof t r 1 r ■" *^"'""'»'- ana fro„ the softness and Z ^b e I ^"7^ ^'"^- Indeed much more mwhi «»foi t. quality of the stone, that a wise and g^nelt svstm of "T'Tm "" "" """-"P"- persevered in. ke monooo ' o^ tt "mY ^'^ "'■■' '"'''P'»'' a-a .overnn.e„t Wdr?x%rLr ^nr^^^^^^^^^^ strange, yet valid, anomalv in th/ ? ' *"'' ''>' " economy, was not n,ore neLlrv tL°'T°"^ "' I"""'"" inhabitants. The chief reT^ T, \ """"ntageous to the it^^tcu , a^°" '^ "'«' the produce of tl,. • I j Itself barely suffices for oncfourth of it. i 17.1 ''"'"' fruits and vegetables to™, so Ta't 1 ' rt"' ^^ '' *'"'""«'' Meantime the ha. lours of mZ T *""' '"'""''"»»'• 15-ope, Asia, and AfZ^™ rrv^attt;"'"'"'''''"'^ ''■°'» tancein the present relays of the great C ''"''"• rad imposed on its governmenc Tj European powers, the necessity of oo^s^rg'^he til™:: V^ ''«•>''"<'»'. garrison, the provisioning of IhichcTut .k "^ " ""«'» casualties of ordina,^ comnJce Wblt .' '""'"' '" '^« is seldom injurious. ThumLi, 1 . •" """"'"^ """^'^'y on an average tha^ JtZZllU^ " ''"^""O ""■'"P" a Similar inLference" wS "t e" ot rd'eil'v^ ' """^ ishes the inhabitants and te„„. *^ '™''« "> *ic.ly impove. . barbarism. But the po"nt in "^ . "?""'"'"' '"" ^'"te of ' Britain. WhetherTl^o ^l^t ^od V '"'T" '° '^™' remains true, that in this estahlil ^ '-itself, it gradual enclosure W) 7 \T u- ""«"• *"<' » the l-esources exist as J:^^:^^^;''^'^^^^,^^. such the evil government in Valetta indepenlntf thHt::;': ^91 42 THE FRIEND. homo, (e) finally taking upon itself even the repair of the forti- fications, and thus realize one instance of an important posses- sion that cost the country nothing (/). (o) But now the time arrived which threatened to frustrate the patriotism of the Maltese themselves, and ali the zealous eltbrts of their disinterested friend. Soon after the war had for the first time become indisputably Just and necessary, the people (a) at large and a majority of independent senators, incapable, as it might seem, of translating their fanatical anti- Jacobinism into a well-grounded, yt > equally impassioned, anti- (rallicanism, grew impatient for peace, or rather for a name, under which the most terrific of all wars would bo incessantly waged against us. Our conduct was not much wiser than that of the weary travel ler^ who, having proceeded half way on his journey, procured a short rest for himself by getting up behind a chaise which was going the contrary road. In the strange treaty of Amiens, in which we neither recognized our former relations with France nor with the other European powers, nor formed any new ones, the compromise concerning Malta formed the prominent feature ; and its nominal re-delivery to the Order of St. John was authorized, in the minds of the people, by Lord Nelson's opinion of its worthlessness to Great Britain in a political or naval view, (b) It is a melancholy fact, and one that must often sadden a reflective and philan- thropic mind, how little moral considerations weigh even with the noblest nations, how vain are the strongest appeals to justice, humanity; and national honour, unless when the public mind is under the immediate influence of the cheerful or vehe- ment passions, indignation or avaricious hope. In the whole class of human infirmities there is none that makes such loud appeals to prudence, and yet so frequently outrages its plainest dictates, as the spi'-it of fear. The worst cause conducted in hope is an overmatch for the noblest managed by despondency; in both cases an unnatural conjunction that recalls the old fable r of the forti- )rtant posses- I to frustrate i the zealous the war had ecessary, the mt senators, matical anti- ssioned, anti- ' for a name, c incessantly ser than that f way on his ig up behind L the strange d our former lean powers, rning Malta •e-delivery to linds of the less to Great I melancholy i and philan- »h even with t appeals to sn the public rful or vehe- 'n the whole es such loud s its plainest jonducted in lespondency; the old fable TirE TFiTun LAxnrNo puce. 43 reliance upon Britiah honour are whh 1J^ Vr?*™""" '" proprietors abandoned to ehe rZ:Z wh 1 Z'ZT ?.' them to provolce, what wonder if n.- °* "'* '"«' '""'P'e'i that alike to England a» t! W rTr "T^*--". other nations are but th. T '*' *'"' ^or'noes o£ game of war is nlaveH . T, '' "'*'" """'• *" "oody and -now J,e1r.:r:r ir ;tr "* '"^ -- case of Minorca ref,r^.J t I ^ ''*™ ^ ''»»rd the *he most re;:taMr:e„t''^r " "T"-"' P"'- "f having been made for fb. . "erchants (no provision that iLnd to l;! n It LTd*™ "" '"^ ''"'""'^'^ "^ Wrdnessof tlirUCLVSi:i~ - war!o^idrb:;ix::;rhro'rT'!''''"^'''^''- the value of M^ta, b; ^ni^ ■ l^^^tTh " "°°"^^^^^ of the great serviceableness of th.f ^^' *" "^ ='"»" correspondence with his existing convc" one h! . °'"' ;-shipLs,i;rd:t^^^^^^^ the grounds and causes of ^t ' I, Z' ''^P^^^"^"^*-^ ; yet Nelson's particular chara ' a . ^^ ™' °"' °^ ^^^ enliven our recollection of «H "'^^^^^ P^^^^P^ tend to re- ^:n .__ ,^, recollection of a hero so deeply and !»«f.lv i..i.„.. ever possess an interest 12 theii own. In an essay, ■THB I .1 If 44 THE PRIENI). too, which purports to be no more than a (a) series of sketches and fragments, the reader, it is hoped, will readily excuse an occasional digression, and a more desultory style of narration than could be tolerated in a work of regular biography. (7) Lord Nelson was an admiral every inch of him. He looked at everything, not merely in its possible relations to the naval service in general, but in its immediate bearings on his own squadron ; to his officers, his men, to the particular ships themselves, his affections were as strong and ardent as those of a lover. Hence, though his temper was constitutionally irritable and uneven, yet never was a commander so enthusi- astically loved by men of all ranks, from the captain of the fleet to the youngest ship-boy. Hence too the unexampled harmony which reigned in his fleet, year after year, under circumstances that might well have undermined the patience of the best-balanced dispositions, much more of men with the impetuous character of British sailors. Year after year, the same dull duties of a wearisome blockade, of doubtful policy —little if any opportunity of making prizes ; and the few prizes, which accident might throw in the way, of little or no value ; and when at last the occasion presented itself which would have compensated for all, then a disappointment as sudden and unexpected as it w h unjust and cruel, and the cup dashed from their lips ! Add to these trials the sense of enter- prises checked by feebleness and timidity elsewhere, not omit- ting the tiresomeness of the Mediterranean sea, sky, and climate ; and the unjarring and cheerful spirit of affectionate brotherhood, which linked together the hearts of that whole squadron, will appear not less wonderful to us than admirable and affecting. When the resolution was taken of commencing hostilities against Spain, before any intelligence was sent to Lord Nelson, another admiral, with two or three ships of the line, was sent into the Mediterranean, and stationed before Cadiz, for the express purpose of interceptin. the Spanish THE THIRD LANDINO PLACE. 45 no ::;o™!S:o:twfcr„rh;'''' ""r'" -"'- «»™ «Bd live week» elaZl h.f . ^.s arrival m the same sea, With theoJr^rrtTpi^: : tr-' "-r^""^' A month or two suffleprt t„l P'™' thus taken were immense, of this small and hth V favo . ?'"""'"''" "'"' °«-" .nd his fleet "he letfw T"'™"' "*■"' '° N^"™ consciousness ofthe Tr ^^ "" ""'" ""'y' "»" "■" OMC8B or tfte glorious services which tlu v Ko 1 formed, were considered, it must be presum d , an af /"' resritrntir- "" »■' '°"-Xr n ::: » large fleet, commanded by the darling ^^b "* °'^"'"«' "-^ glory of the British eranire lT,h !!■ "'"'^' *"'' "■« for yea« been we:riZ2rn hi m T,' "'"'' ""' "'»' '««' -pirit-trying service Z ThlhT ''™"' '^P'''^''"'- '""' that this n^nor ILlthtub""''""'* ''"'P'»^«'' ""i without any comm^„Tion : th a""' '»''^P»<'''»"^ »'• »"«tween service ^J^I^ZZ^^tiT-'''°T ""' '""' "'"' P'^"' with all poLbirci«:ntnrCt:h'''%rr "-"^ advantages of naval service were ™S" ! ., ^''^ ™''«a»«al gross a nature for men a"e J/ rewired wTbIb"' ^^ * '°° affection, of their own countrymennd 1 f «"*''"" wholeworld ! They were to h7. !, j . admiration of the of compensation romldeTwitr^^^^ laurels, though not scanty welnorv., I ' ""'' '''"^« to hide the golden crown ;Mri!!t ^ ^a^ontly luxuriant ™toryint.^M<«d,rr:;trz'':^^^^^^^^ wounds wh,ch were everinflicted on Nelson's feel n. ZaL 46 THE FRIEND. been a droam, an idle dream— yet, I confess it, I did fancy, that I had done n»y country service — and thus they use me. It was not enough to have robbed me once before of ray West fndia harvest — now they have taken away the Spanish and under what circumstances, and with what pointed aggravations ! Yet, if I know my own thoughts, it is not for myself, or on my own account chiefly, that [ feel the sting and the disappoint- ment ; no ! it is for my brave ofticers ; for my noble-minded friends and comrades — such a gallant set of fellows ! such a band of brothers ! My heart swells at the thought of them ! " (8) This strong attachment of the heroic admiral to his fleet, faithfully repaid by an equal attachment on their part to their admiral, had no little influence in attuning their hearts to each other ; and when he died, it seemed as if no man was a stranger to another ; for all were made acquaintances by the rights of a common anguish. In the fleet itself, many a private quarrel was forgotten, no more to be remembered ; many, who had been alienated, became once more good friends ; yea, many a one was reconciled to his very enemy, and loved and (as it were) thanked him for the bitterness of his grief, as if it had been an act of consolation to himself in an inter- course of private sympathy. The tidings arrived at Naples on the day that I returned to that city from Calabria ; and never can I forget the sorrow and consternation that lay on every countenance. Even to this day there are times when I seem to see, as in a vision, separate groups and individual faces of the picture. Numbers stopped and shook hands with me because they had seen the tears on my cheek, and conjectured that I was an Englishman ; and several, as they held my hand, burst, themselves, into tears. And though it (a) may awake a smile, yet it pleased and aflfected me, as a proof of the good- ness of the human heart struggling to exercise its kindness in spite of prejudices the most obstinate, and eager to carry on its love and honour into the life beyond life, that it was whispered ftiTMI;-.-#. I (lid fancy, they use me. I of my West ipanish — and aggravations ! lelf, or on my ^ disappoint- fioble-rainded ows ! such a It of them ! " miral to his n their part g their hearts no man was ances by the elf, many a •emembered ; [ood friends ; y, and loved his grief, as in an iuter- d at Naples blabria ; and that lay on mes when I ividual faces nds with me conjectured sld my hand, may awake of the good- kindness in carry on its IS whispered THE THIRI> lASwm riMK. 47 "bout Na|iles, that Lord Nclam l,.,i 1. I'ofore his death Til , r '""" " '■'°°'' •'»"«>«" -.«„„, heHeLtr:«:;Vh7r:i'''.?he%r'''i Great Britain nn ^u; * , "'^ "unureds. ihe feelings of p^ion.na'.ti^:zr^n '"" '"^p"^ """""^ "■■■ -le^nit, of epic .Ztn '"" ""« '''"' '"^ '-" ""■' —-Thou art fall'n ! fai/^. ,„ t>.P ' m Througramed ranks ^n^**"^ ^^*°^^ ''«'"'^'«« Bright glowed th«««n o^** ".^*'°? 8^'^==in» on. Heaven^ arch Jf Lid b^r.'^ " * ?"'' '^''***'""^ A holy and unuttfribie^'plf ""^ «^'°°'" ^-«''^»>- o!;'25^i°Y"e; tehe p1.S J^ ™"'-nguiHh fell With triumph And ff I bosom throbbed Thou in/h?hl»bt"att S o*f?^°"^' Before the van of battle, proidly rode KeJrg^h X^^ft^^^^ sCfafter shout Had lan^ced the'ff of "iSy'. ''' '^' '^^"^ (10)— SOTHKBY (Saut, p. 80). (9) I introduced this diffressinn w.fi, extended it «, .„eh iun^S^Z'^ Z^:lZSl "^^ once more request my reade,- t„ excuse 3'^ , "k expected (I have said) that Lord wT ,'. "' '° '"' ide of Malta from its 1| . 5 T """"^^ Wreciate the Mediterranean stati^ trth!, h-^"^'^ ""' ™ '"^ Egypt the W Of Indi, and M^, r ■;:: t-^ ^.f' -w the hownes, of this metaphor ro;ifh:o;:ir<;o„b::^r ( ' ==f T[ 1 48 THE FRIEND. applicability in the former instance, he was sure that it was false in the latter. Egypt might or might not be the key of India, but Malta was certainly not the key of Egypt. It was not intended to keep constantly two distinct fleets in that sea ; and the largest naval force at Malta would not supersede the necessity of a squadron off Toulon. Malta does not lie in the direct course from Toulon to Alexandria ; and from the nature of the winds (taking one time with another) the comparative length of the voyage to the latter port will be found far less than a view of the map would suggest, and in truth of little practical importance. If it were the object of the French fleet to avoid Malta in its passage to Egypt, the port-admiral at Valetta would in all probability receive his first intelligence of its course from Minorca or the squadron off Toulon, instead of communicating it. In what regards the refitting and provision- ing of the fleet, either on ordinary or extraordinary occasions, Malta was as inconvenient as Minorca was advantageous, not only from its distance (which yet was sufficient to render it almost useless in cases of the most pressing necessity, as after a severe action or injuries of tempest) but likewise from the extreme difficulty, if not impracticability, of leaving the harbour of Valetta with a N. W. wind, which often lasts for weeks together. In all these points his lordship's observations were perfectly just ; and it must be conceded by all persons acquainted with the situation and circumstances of Malta, that its importance, as a British possession, if not exaggerated on the whole, was unduly magnified in several important particu- lars. Thus (11) Lord Miuto, in a speech delivered at a county meeting, and afterwards published, affirms, that supposing (what no viie could consider as unlikely to take place) that the court of Naples should be compelled to act under the influence of France, and that the Barbary powers were unfriendly to us, either in consequence of French intrigues or from their own caprice and insolence, there would not be a single port, harbour, e that it was be the key of gypt. It was » in that sea ; supersede the not lie in the }m the nature ; comparative bund far less truth of little e French fleet Drt-admiral at intelligence of on, instead of md provision- Etry occasions, ntageous, not to render it ssity, as after vise from the leaving the ften lasts for 3 observations y all persons of Malta, that aggerated on rtant particu- id at a county lat supposing lace) that the the influence riendly to us, >m their own port, harbour, THE THIRD LAmym, PLACE. 49 bay, creek, or roadstead in the wholo M«^,f the circumstances supnosed hv him n7 ' "'''*®^ affainflf „o u ^ «"PPosea by him, Odessa too being cIospH against us by a Russian war, the island of Malta itself Tt growth and spi„m„g ofTo'l ^'J'^f " P^^-O t-y the »ubs«t„ted fi th/najr rf"'tKr:^ t ::: rir. '; would produce but a small proportion of ^h »."""'P'<"<'. the cotton raised on the same lid ij ^"^t.ty which enables the Maltese to puTase lot to 1 T" u""" *'"'"«'• stitution of g™„ for ooZ :::,d t:rrftrthe .'t ™''- rcr;rpttt''"'"r-"'^^^ office of 'scavi^^rr: :!; z::t^ ^rr :::t r?™ "■» the other side of the Porto Grande " '"""' "'' Mediterranean ^^uadron^tl^bX^rbrCiars: '"' ^k;P»^«-o,ebusiness of which shourbe thaf oTCe^f^r have heard it maerted, by pe«inTan„™SS° '^?^,"' «»" >» exerted i that the p«w material wouKtJh af C '^ """ '"''?'™ed on the Shct — .- ...D law iiiabenal would fetch na hi^i. „ ■ "■"'"leti on cnesuh e^t weifrht : the thread from" s Sr«ene8Xhf/?n*f *\", '^'''^' weight for It IS manufactured likewise for thl L^ ?^i,*PP^'''.*^'« *« few purposes -- ■" ".».iuii«;i,urea likewise fc anrr^ri^i"! r^^h never loses its-coVuTbv iZ'S Srlri'"*" 5 ^n or heard o^. The "otton «Lh -^^'^ ^P''''^ t immediately wwIh°*„ ".f,"**^ '« »«^d as a „^ ..oiin.,., wiucn never loses f!!!^ * ^l"^ ^ ^*^® 6^'er known or heard n7 ™r""«5. """ is uurawe beyond food for the oatt e that are not imml!^Vf i ' ^"^ ^^"on seed is used as a vervnutritfous, but change" the ?aT of th!^ '^*"^'"^ ^^^ t'^*' '"''^'•klt; ft i* Keaimg quickly, and of ,tXsiyl m^LZ "''" ^ ^'"^ ""^ «"«*' ^°« :'"^iS^;..: umiiM j gj gf B J I \' 50 THE FRIEND. the Heet. This he recommended as by far the most economic plan, in the first instance. Secondly, beyond any other, it would secure a system and regularity in the arrival of supplies. And, lastly, it would conduce to the discipline of the navy, and prevent both ships and officers from being out of the way on any sudden emergency. If this system were introduced, the objections to Malta, from its great distance, etc., would have little force On the other hand, the objections to Minorca he deemed irremovable. The same disadvantages which at- tended the getting out of the harbour of Valetta, applied to vessels getting into Port Mahon ; but while fifteen hundred or two thousand British troops might be safely entrusted with the preservation of Malta, the troops for the defence of Minorca must ever bfe in proportion to those which the enemy may be supposed likely to send against it. It is so little favoured by nature or by art, that the possessors stood merely on the level with the invaders. Cfeteris paribus, if there 12,000 of the enemy landed, there must bean equal number to repel them ; nor could the garrison, or any part of it, be spared for any sudden emergency without risk of losing the island. Previously to the battle of Marengo, the most earnest represen- tations were made to the governor and commander at Minorca, by the British admiral, who oflFered to take on himself the whole responsibility of the measure, if he would permit the troops at Minorca to join our allies. The governor felt him- self compelled to refuse his assent. Doubtless, he acted wisely, for responsibility is not transferable. The fact is introduced in proof of the defenceless state of Minorca, and its constant liab-'Hy to attack. If the Austrian army had stood in the same relation to eight or nine thousand British soldiers at Malta, a single regiment would have precluded all alarms as to the island itself, and the remainder have perhaps changed the destiny of Europe. What might not, almost I would say, what must not eight thousand Britons have acooni- most economic any other, it i'al of supplies, of the navy, ut of the way re introduced, e, etc., would jns to Minorca 2[es which at- ia, applied to n hundred ok' ntrusted with 16 defence of oh the enemy t is so little stood merely bus, if there lal number to f it, be spared g the island, aest represen- !r at Minorca, himself the I permit the lor felt him- js, he acted The fact is linorca, and n army had sand British )recluded all lave perhaps otj almost I have acoom- THE THIRD LANDING I'LACE. 51 permanent and n^LT^. a Z:t'S^ t '^''"' "» to secure Gibraltar itself ■ for ".f""™ «'''■■''"»'•. " must tend we could be exclude^f L « e li "' ■ **"' ""' ^'"^ «y what sacrifices of" n^ ■":;'' " ''""""' *" f - too bigh . price for its con nest Wbat^rStaT" or may not be respecting Esvnt it= ,..""'"'"" ™»'te may independence of sfcil, cfnn^S'donb^^'o^C". '° "•" a central station, for any nortior of T- "'™"*»8^»' ^ Neither is the influence wLlTwrn 7 """''' '°™- Barbary powers to be ^hdtnelircL I b" n*" T" °" *•"= during the plague at Oi.J^tT^J;^::^ t' ""' .ed^d .at he began to see th^ possesj^ ^ ^L 7^ He foresaw that the whole of Iflly J!' u 1 *^'""* ^"'''»- province, and he knew that the F^ncrg 1^3 LaT"' long mtnguing on the coast of Barbary. The^^! *^V.*"' was behoved to have accumulated a treasure of fiff ?"" sterling, ,„„ B„onaparte had actuallylped h m tT T °"' by which the French were to he 1 T? "'° * "^ty, the very spot whore thTancLt ,12 T" ^ T' " '"' °" between which and thr^.^ 1 ^ ™'' '*°°^ the choice is said to have perp tef iT'-'d ' "' "" °"^ °' """^ K"""^- this he added an' ad t ll'tL^^r "* °' ,<^°-'»tine. To by means of Odessa .„? .7 """"'""■on with Eussia, Baltic, a sIm more inl I 7"^"""° "' " ™^ '» the Moreaand teZekilr"^:: IT '° ^"'"''' '"«"'"' to the British go^Ltnt th :„? T Cf 'T^ countr.es adjacent, a eonsideraWe. supply tf sti^ Ltr a^^ Hi ; ^ map^ Ih f ir i ijf: 1 ■if i 52 THK PRrKND. naval stores might be o>^tained, such as would at least greatly lessen the pressure of a Russian war. The agents of France were in full activity in the Morea and the Greek islands, the possession of which, by that government, would augment the naval resources of the French to a degree of w^^ich few are aware who have not made the present state of commerce of the Greeks an object of particular attention. In short, if the possession of Malta were advantageous to England solely as a convenient watch-tow^er, as a centre of intelligence, its importance would be undeniable. (12) Although these suggestions did not prevent the signing away of Malta at the peace of Amiens, they doubtless were not without effect, when the ambit' -r. '»^ Buonaparte had given a full and final answer to the grand .question — can we remain at peace with France 1 I have likewise reason to believe that Sir Alexander Ball, bafied, by exposing, an insidious proposal of the French government, during the negotiations that pre- ceded the recommencement of the war — that the fortifications of Malta should be entirely dismantled, and the island left to its inhabitants. Without dwelling on the obvious inhumanity and flagitious injustice of ex osing the Maltese to certain pillage and slavery from their oid id inveterate enemies, the Moors, he showed that the plan would promote the interests of Buonaparte even more than his actual possession of the island, which France had no possible interest in desiring, except as the means of keeping it out of the hands of Great Britain. (13) But Sir Alexander Ball is no more. The writer still clings to the hope that he may yet be able to record his good deeds (a) more fully and regularly; that then, with a sense of comfort, not without a subdued exultation, he may raise heavenward from his honoured tomb the glistening eye of an humble, but ever grateful Friend. REFEKKNCE8 TO NAMKS MENTIONED IN THE TEXT. I i I. James Harrington (1611-lfi77\ „ , -l men* of That monarch and w^^j'! ^ 1""°^ *^ ™P™'>"- Charles to the scaffold but tho^^h u''?"' *'''<' «Mmded his sentiment. werrlnblicar^Hp"'^'''''"! *'*'' ""''»». re.entn.ent of Cromwi'uTS O^.^rZtr^^'r'^ *i'^ power, by the latter of whom h. w„ . !u ' • "'"''' ""^ '■» chaigo of conspiracy Z c'cT T" '"*" P'''^'" »- " inroads on his hilth 'that, though" iZtrrZ' Tt" '""'' regamed strength and died shortly afSards*"' '"' '"""" cal thinker he was in advan™ „f »« Cromwell. Asapoliti. he ha. never had'Te ^^utZ^VeTs frt^'T/r "i""' considerable in«tnt on th^nkSf mL,"' '^^ ""'!."«' '"«' years later more than one of thelounSt o? thTA*"'"''''"' -Republic were insDirflfl \^^j fV,^ ^uuimers ot the American very expressioJbi^neX„tTed"1n tl ''VfT """ '"» United States and in that of several n( % ""ff ""»■> of the work is Ocmna, an al4ory reZontin^P ** "% "'J '^^' .magined commonwealth, a bX whth^ th * t" ^ ","•'''"■ ''" wh^!'S^t-ett:t?S T^f^-. ™ost Of world :_ reinjuries, have forced themselves on the 1. A commonwealth is an empire of laws, not of men. [r,3j r,-a?aTmiftaaai ^lA. .. 54 REFERENCES. i ' ! I; I 2. Political liberty consists in the empire of laws ;tnd not in mere freedom. 3. There should be a ^vritten constitution. 4. Government should be divided into three sections : legis- lative, executive and judscial. 5. The legislature should have continuous existence and should exist by partial rotation, one-third retiring evtcy year being replaced by others elected in thv ir stead. 6. Election should be by ballot. 7. Public office is a trust and creates po ves'ted in+^erest. 8. Large estates in land should be dis> nra^'ed. 9. The aristocracy should be a natural ari itooraey, t onriist, ing of men of leisur.^ and culture, who have hime and hhUity to di8cus;i '.ud control political events. 10. The g:)\-3i'fK3ri shoiikl be sometimes in the condition of the governed. (This idea oliended Cromwell, unfortunately for himself, but wa ixted >m by Washington.) 11. Gratuit;.as education of the masses should be provided by the govorninent. 12. Governraent should be actuated by a broad l.beral spirit and should not discard the idea of beauty in national affairs. 13. Liberty of conscience in religion is necessary. The world is every year approaching Harrington's ideal. But in some respects it has gone beyond him, as in the French Revolution ; hence we fi - men like Coleridge " harking back " to the old state or affairs. Thus Coleridge, when explaining the basis of his philosophy in " The Friend," com- plains that the world was governed by false principles. Among others : — " A system of natural rights instead of social and hereditary privileges." "Acquiescence in historic testimony substituted for faith." " Plebs pro Senatu Populoque — the wealth of nations for the well-being of man." " Constitution of America appropriate, perhaps for America, but elevated from a particular experiment to a universal model. The word 'Constitution' altered to mean a capitulation, a treaty, imposed by the people on thsir own government, as on a conquered enemy." " Statesmen should know that a learned class is sential element of a state, r-.*- least of a Christian statR. 1 ^ vou wish 5ii^.,„ laws iind not ctions : legis- xistence and ig e\ try year interest. racy, eoooist, e and tiiulity condition of rtunately for be provided liberal spirit >nal aSairs. s ideal. But L the French e " harking ridge, when 'riend," com- les. Among d hereditary for faith." itions for the for America, ^ersal model, capitulation, -^ernment, as aii aential »t vou wish REFERENCES. gg Xu^frrria;.n^^^^^^^^^^^ w^th the attempt to plebification of knowledge ''^^' "^ ^°" ^"^ «»^ '^ the ^r^^^'Z::::::\fZ^^^^ the French aided by the writinga^ofHUn^ton""^ to no little extent (i7i3^?8%t ftie?;tt'rf%t7^';^ ^/- ^"^--«e" known for li's philanCpLl efforts inTh^ '^ ^'^^'""^' ^«" and for originating the Conifcori"^ ^^ 'T' ^^^'^"^^tion, schools. He was madp n,S i J L^^'*^^'" °^ instruction in his immense fortune to chaHtIi« ! '^^ '"^ ^^^^' ^^^^^^g His life was written b; 8onlhey '"^ ^^"^-tional purposes^ ofL'^f lS:r;r4f|^-^^^^ -n who spent most various military expeditions a^t n^t thX 'I' *°°' ^'^ ^" America, and made a voya^f "old i"^^ ''^,f °''^''^°"« ^^ several books of travels ZZ .T ¥ 7^^^' ^^ ™te 4. Ti/cho £rahe a£J-^ u ^^T""^ °^ his exploits. 1546. He lived for tw.n/"^"''^'^. ^^^^^^ astronomer, born ("city of the heaven Tlrj^'l^^T'^^^^ ^^^^^herg The 8ound. built for^Li. t/tedell' if ^j'/ ^^^ - furnished with astronomical Lnlrl a ""^ Denmark, and death of his benefactorTe hK n ^- f ^'^^ ^^^^^ ^^ter the to retire to Benatek, near Pra ' e Zt '" 'Ti^ Persecution, was built for him, but he di^d 1 ' * ^ ^"1°**^^^ Uraniberg 1601, and Kepler, his^l st^ : ^^^^^ 13th! ^f irAWo::^ /'"^ '' WSttrtti^^^"-^- 1809), is thetlf^g^^i^^^Tn^^^^^^^^ ^-- (1761- from the conduct of a retreat fn l^n« ^' ^^^ ^*«*^"g ^^me gal to join Sir Arthur WeTesiev and \T^' '^"* ^^^O'-tu- in command of the Endi h w!, . ^^' ^^terwards left chief opposing the Frenchl^aders He «r''' f' ^^^""^^'^^ ^^ manca on November 13th?wTere he ^^uT"^ ^' {^' ^« S^^^" events. The Spaniards beilg eve^.^^^^^ hatching to draw the French attack LI I- \^ defeated, he decided as Saha,gun, and on be^ng attaTed^?,^! ^"^ ^.^^f ^^ as far French, he began his mastprlv 7 the superior force of the 56 REFERENCES. I' I January 12th, 1809. Here he learned that the fleet he was expecting to take his army on board, had not arrived and he was forced to offer battle to the French, gaining a decided victory, but unfortunately, he lost his own life. The hardships of the retreat and continual fighting were terrible, and severely tested the courage as well as the discipline of the troops. The publication referred to in the text is probably that of Moore's brother, J. C. Moore, published 1809. 6. William Cartwright (1611-1643), a minor poet, was an associate of Ben Jonson, and enjoyed no small fame during his life. He was a graduate of Oxford, and after hold- ing several offices in that University he entered the church where he became noted for his oratory. 7. Sir Thomas Trouhridge, an English admiral, was bom ia London. He served with great distinction under Lord Howe, and, as commander of the Culloden, was sent to the assistance of Nelson in the Mediterranean, 1798, and served at the Battle of the Nile. He was made a baronet in 1799 and an admiral in 1804. As commander of the Blenheim he sailed for the Cape of Good Hope in 1807 and is supposed to have perished by shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar. 8. Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville (1741-1811), the son of Robert Dundas, President of the Scottish Court of Sessions, was born and educated at Edinburgh. On entering Parliament in 1774 he joined the party of Lord North, and soon distinguished himself in debate. In 1791 he became Home Secretary, and from 1794 to 1801, he was Secretary of War under Pitt, and was afterwards elevated to the p»^erage. In 1804 he became First Lord of the Admiralty. He was, in 1806, impeached unsuccessfully for appropriating the public funds. 9. Sir Ralph Abercrombie, a popular military officer, born at Menstry, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 1734 ; entered the army, 1758; accompanied the Duke of York to Holland, 1793, where he wpn golden opinions from the whole army. He was appointed to the command of an expedition to the West Indies, which he ■accomplished with success, taking Grenada, Demerara, Essequibo, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad. His career as commander of the forces in Ireland, and afterwards as second to the Duke of York in Holland, was not so fortuna-te. He, however, acquitted himself with N leet he was ved and he : a decided 3 hardships ad severely ;he troops, bly that of nor poet, small fame after hold- ;he church , was born nder Lord ent to the ind served etin 1799 lenheim he ipposed to scar. 1811), the Court of n entering forth, and le became scretary of le p»*3Tage. He was, in the public ficer, born titered the and, 1793, rmy. He on to the !ss, taking icent, and n Ireland, L Holland, nself with REFERENCES. ^*r Sd.""He71rd?dth'e: "".r'^ -'-» which he con. 10. Wilham Sothfiby (1757-1833) TtL ?• * , Several books of nn^li /• .^' ^"^ chief works are:— Battle of the Nie^Te' or^r"^ A'"^^^^ ^'^d od««. translations of Wieland's OwT' v''*^f/ ^*"^' ^^♦*^' ^^ Homer's Iliad. '''''^''^^ ^^«^°"' Virgil's Georgics, and T?i-^V^°7^ ^*'*^''» ^^^ Gilbert Elliott a751 ^fi14\ b Edinburgh ; educated under Davi^W,;^ ^^ '' -^°™ ** the bar 1774 Af tPrw«r^! i, i .^^- ^® ^*« called to the party'of Fot iTfitk: " Inls^f JT"^"'' '^"l^^-^^ Governor-Genera, of I^^^^^^^ See of fu^ullTara^tC" ^^^^t^^^^ t^e' ancient who built the^;s vi':rBS^r:;7JTou'-r^ ■■!■ 'if' H / * N'^TES ON ESSAYS III., IV., V. AND VL OF THE THIRD LANDING PLAC^. The nafnire and origin of "The Friend" may be learned from the letter which the author wrote one of hia friends by way of a prospectus (printed in appendix A.). "The Friend" was begun in 1809 as a weekly magazine, but was ccntiiiuad for only twenty-seven numbers. It was subsequently, in Itlh, re-arranged, amended and published in book form, being dedicated to the author's pl>78ician, Dr. r^lUman. Thj book con- sists of essays on the principles of political economy and on the grounds of morals and religion, interspersed with discussions of characters and incidents, taken from real life. It was written, or rather dictated (for the author uid not write it with his own ':.\.id) while the poet was living with Wordsworth, in Allan Bank, the now house of ^^he latter, at the head of the lake of Grasmere. In the same year the poet Wordsworth also produced a prose work • The Essay on the Convention of Cintra," in which he censures England for neglecting to protect Spain and Portugal from the French, as Ooleridgo censurr-i her for neglecting the iilaltese. Appendix B. contains the first cliaj ' er of this Life, which explains its nature and the '>ject wi;h whi' it was written. These two appendices will enaii j the student to understand the position in the general scheme of "The Friend" which this life of Ball occupies. In Essay II. in fcb r^cond Landing Place of "The Friend," Coleridge discusses the tmture of biographies. The motto prefixed to that essay is a quotation from Bacon, which, sayp : " Txie history of times representeth the magnitude J ai;tions and the public laces or deportment of person f nd passeth over in silence the smaller passages and motions of .ar matters. . . . But lives, if thoybe well written, propovmdh ^ofh- ,' selves a person to represent in whom aoioons both greater and suialler, public and pr. ite, have [58] 1^-. NOTE& 59 learned from by way of a dne, but was sequently, in form, being hi book con- and on the iscussions of 8 written, or is own ^.'.lid) n Bank, the [■asmere. In proae work L he censures ;al from i>lio [altese. hioh explains These two 3 position in iall occupies, he Friend," 3tto prefixed 'Tiie history 1 the public silence the But lives, if to represent •h ,ite, have u commixture, must of necessity contain a more true, native and Sr:T''"°"'" "" ''^ '''-' "°^^"^«« deplores r^aninl s nbbhng tnflxng gossip about great names, and says : '• The spirit of genumo biography is in nothing more conspicuous than i^ ho tirmness vvith which it withstands the cravings ot wortWess cu os.^ a. dutmguished from the thirst after useful knowledge F " m the first place such anecdotes as derive their whole and sole mterest from the great name of the person concerning whom th y are related and neither illustrate his general character nor his particular actions would scarcely have been noticed or remembered except by men of .-eak minds. In the second place, these trHes are submissive of the great end of biography, which is to fix the attention and to interest the fed ,s of men on those qualities and actions whichhave made a particular life worthy of beii^recorded " Governed by such principles, Coleridge would have ^en a mo^t m^eresting biograpliy of Ball, but these essays he disLctly s^tes wer not intended t. constitute a biography. The incidents g7ven are few and are merely introductory to the principles and opifiions of the hero which constitute the greater part of tho essays The life he gives is a didactic treatise illustrated by the public career of ^ -rea and good man. The biography in such cases. InsteaTof being the intimate history of a life becomes a philosophical o. mora disc, ion on the principles supposed to govern the actions of the heiu as understood and selected by the biographer. In a tru! biography writer should conceal his own individuality i„ relat mg the pn. e experience of the original, giving the necessarv det^s to show the character of the hero, withTtsZmish Ja! wd^ as ite glories, sbowmg the habitual passions, impulses and elt nients. and narrating the failures as well as the conquests in the hfe «.perience of the hero. But a regular biography Z ^^ Coleridge's intentior. His life of Ball is a sketch of a n.b] character, intended to iUustrate and inculcate certain politic^i^^ J educational prmciples and to form part of the general plan of " The Fnend " ; its effect is intensified by the warm affection shown by the author m h:s " funeral eulogy " of his friend. The language of the essays is characterized by its easy flow its copiousness and melody. Coleridge does not show himself h^k ! aiiu-i writer, xiii s#u*diioes show no art, but tliat of a iirue ear / 60 TUE FRIEND. for rhythm in the arraiiKoinciit of worfln. Tho ncntte is generally iloar, hut it in ufton cuiiched in a supurabundant phraseoldgy careleasly arranged. His iMiragraphs exhibit no regard for the principles usually laid down for tho paragrai h, the ideas presented often losing much of their fnrco from want .riate as "importance." The last phrase in this sentence should come after "therefore." (c) We do not in this country speak of " lower classes," and we believe in educating every member of the community. (d) Observed. This word, like "remark," is often used, as here, us a synonym for "said." These secondary meanings of the words have grown by the law of generalization out of their primary mean- ings, but they are perhaps not yet quite sanctioned. (e) One arm (each). (/) And. that (and naid that). This incorrect use of the conjunc- tion "and" to connect a principal and a dependent clause, is fre- quently found ia this work. NOTES. ESSAV Ilf. 61 (g) Chndif inn—rank nosifwm . « * .^u^.t;t:::r:::;;^rj;''r'^'''r"°''*""'""°-«'«- t-- fon„ „f „„g,.tT„,° """" "'""■ "'"' ""•"" '•»'« th, co„,ple.., 'linger „f „„„,,,(,, .;|!^,''™ "7 ''7 •" ™«'m<.a .g.i...t th.. i» .. t™.t weak"! i„ ,h " ""'"■"" '■"'•'" °f '"""'i"-- It animation ; besides it ,v,.i,l. .>, "irtctiiess, clearness and "bserved," eto. ""* '"l"'"!""', "h« said," "he (k) .SV/;„„s Sctuse;the Irishman ,17. ',"''"'"«"'""*. "'crious and IToud and haX tirFr™,''""''''"™'"'' Englishman, Spaniai,!, vindi t™', the f.^^" :;,'' ™"' """ '»"'«"' ^ «-■ "cute "and tricky Th™, „ f' """T^' ""' *» y^koc, , (0 ».,< is her^gjitr^ ;i;tt: t'tr; t-r-- .^ we„ .earned men, the best lea^^ed ^f^mTtf, ttilS *.^*ni-Lrtit:tr;;::r^^^^^^^^^^^^ itifcroducfcory "it." Moreover .t T ' ' ""'^ """"ing the J 'i-. luoieover, the reference of "Tf" ;» fk sentence would then be clear. *^^ "®^*^ •M 62 THE FRIEND. If! (p) Tempts — causes, susgesta. They find. Does this word refer to ordinary men, or to men in power, or to men who have been educated ? The pronouns in this sentence do not indica'a their antecedents with sufficient clearness. Remarks. — This paragraph might have been divided into two, the first terminating at "considerations." There is at least a sufficient break for a ne\v paragraph at that point, but the whole paragraph treats of the details of Ball's life and opinions when a subaltern. The laws of explicit reference and of proportion are not followed with any care, and the paragraph lacks picturesqueness and distinct- ness in not having one leading subject. The sentences are full and musical, but the very abundance and facility of expression has frequently led to careless grammatical arrangement and indistinct reference. The haste necessary in writing for a weekly periodical, and the fact tkat the matter was dictated instead of written by his own hand, no doubt will account for much of this apparent carelessness. Exercises. — 1. Write a paragraph discussing the statement quoted from Harrington. 2. A paragraph on any one of the sab-divisions given in the note 'on Harrington. 3. A paragraph on the advantages of a free national education. 4. Discuss any of Coleridge's state- ments given at the end of the note on Harrington. 5. Write out the sentiments of Ball in direct quotation. 6. Re-write the paragraph dividing it into two, and make what changes you think desirable. 2. (a) This clause is too remotely connected in sense with the first. It introduces the paragraph topic, viz., his reading habits through life, and should have the prominence of a separate sentence. (6) Save ever heard. Say "ever heard." As Ball was then dead, the time must have been entirely past. (c) Thi3 (poem). (d) Bvt that. See note (l) in par. 1. Tlie press in this sentence evidently includes books, though its general meaning is restricted to newspapers and periodicals. (e) Each other. Where more than two are spoken of, aa here, the tendency at present is to use "one another," and to confine " each ether " to cases where two only are spoken of. (/) To ha/ve heard. We now generally use the form with " ing " offor " T>omoirr»VM»i» " '♦ T rom*"!'^*"' haafitnrr " aha NOTES. ESSAY III. lis word refer 10 have been ndica'.i their into two, the at a sufficient le paragraph I a subaltern, not followed and distinct- undance and graimnatical necessary in ) matter was will account )ment quoted sab-diviflions e advantages ridge's state- »Vrite out the he paragraph desirable, ase with the ading habits ate sentence. IS then dead, ;hia sentence is restricted , as here, the onfine " each with *'ing" 63 would lead us to e^Z^ h rdlS,^" ^i^^T'""^^^^*^"^^ J=s^:Td=i:rofs:^:^^^^ .raph, like the opening, is foreign, a'nd J^Lflt ;:! " ''' '''"- the s.ate.nent in the ^:r^2n;:Z^T''''-' /' ^^^^"^^ book-learned men. 3. Ue-write tholTfew e^ ^rtf^^.T"^ agraph, making the first sentence introduce the m °l*^^t-^^'" col;^ir''Thr zritet'' "■"^^-"™-^. -. -^.m ,e. ab,„nl. The uZhZllZ: T ""•" '" """ •"""«. "Wch i. .mnd. and sLrit .oj^f " 'L "l.'Tr"'' '" "-^ ""*-'^ etc., than I am of „y„™ being. -"'^'yl^ convinced that, M.4n'»in«l by on asauming c„„L„d ofa^ruttu/^ ,tcttrc7L''t " ^- aevere d,.cipli„e, he adopted a new method. H dxell ' T'l hws, wth a penalty attached to e»„h ™i.J„ "If "f » '"' "^ taught tutliecrewr--^ ■ ■' "~ ™™"™' |[ ■ and hung up in the abJp. He'thus made iiia mil aiiiiift fi :ria!aa'.,'jr')^i.| ■"H'lihM ! :> Ml f54 THE FRIEND. discipline resemble the action of ordinary law. Time was allowed tlie accused to prepare his defence before trial, anJ for meditation between conviction and punishment. The system met with great success. " An invisible power it was that quelled them, a power wliich was, therefore, irresistible, because it took away the veiy will of resistance. It was the awful power of law acting on natures pre -configured to its influences." This system has the advanfciige here mentioned in appealing to the spirit of law and justice in each ; but, like all penal codes, it is only negative. It is also defective, for we cannot provide for every misdemeanour. Moreover, its eflFect depends on the officer administering ic ; the letter of the law might be wrested into jus'ifying the culprit in dis- obedience, or the officer in partiality or severity. (6) Thus. Read " that " the humane plan, etc. Plan will then be in apposition with system as the subject of " could furnish," the whole clause being subject of " must be." This and the following sentence have the periodic order, the sense being left incomplete till the close. Remarks. — The paragraph opens well with the leading idea, which, however, is only referred to, and after a warm burst of feel- ing for his departed friend the author closes the paragraph and the essay with a vindication of his friend's memory in a few noble sentences in his best style. Exercises.— 1. Write an essay on popularity, taking as motto the anecdote about the Athenian at the end of paragraph 3. 2. Write an essay on discipline, taking the following as paragraph subjects : General introduction ; its necessity ; its effects ; its recjuirements in the commanding and in the obeying party ; the modes of enforcing it. 3. Write an essay on fame, taking as motto the expression " By her children shall Wisdom be justified." ESSAY IV. 1. (a) Among . . . one. the usual preposition, or say, " Nolsou. An unusual expression; "of" is Ajnong the other, etc., was Lord NOTES. ESSAT IV. was allowed r meditation a met with led them, a >k away the w acting on )em has the ' of law and dtive. It is sdenieanour. (ring it ; the ilprit in dis- will then be irnish," the de foliowing ; incomplete lading idea, •urst of feel- aph and the a few noble ig as motto 5h3. \a paragraph effects ; its party ; the eseion " By 65 on n; "of" is ., was Lord (h) Business. Thig ia «*i,^> (0 Tuy ««, J" "rr IT "r '*' -^ "' «■•' •"•«'• I""- • '°"*'^- "Both »;,„„„„„,„,;" tl'e fault is to be .voided J, ,,, '° '"""' " «'»»■• Mougl, but •• at last." '"'"^ -^^ ''"»"' - perhaps less acouratTlha!, (/) Considered. ♦• Pi¥i«^„i j ^. . , . t^i« word, but it is oftr: ?:' t:^; ^^ i^i ^^"^ ---^ ^^ H synonym for '« think." ' ^^°"-^^ ^^ss accurately as (9) All the ardour of arknr^.,l«-i l«d«me„tdoe. „„t i4;tl'„?7'' " -"""vague, a,ack„o,v. m ;r"'""'' 'rom iLltece/ent ~' '" ""^ ""^^ »"'-« is W Th.» sentence and the remarks in n. SdT """" '-^ "" - «p«-»o::th':r irrX'srii'^^j^ f t'i."ra^tJ:;rt^itt ti 'r ?.~ -- .entence, and oause. J^^r ^t to^"*l"" ='"'i-' » *o no,: cedent of the word ■• hi, " CZ thiM ? "' *" «« '''•e ""to- W ^nd. Omit .. and " ZT,^ "'"'™™- W If. I.ther<,anylw«„i*l "'"■'" '"»° "«"&" --1 fa.tead of the B^nX^Ce """' '"" ^"«'"'' "«* '-« kind .■ here it is n«<,e to' J„ ct a nrinTr*"/'"""" "' "«' »«™' wh.eh, h„w„„,.. ,^, , „, ^^^» P™ P|;l and a subordinate, s.y the nature the engagement wa. exn^?^? ™««8ement " or (/) «»c««W fe,V 0^tC'i„,f """"""■" *«<*y„-«« ;«rt., «.y "in thZ' pv- *" r' *"'"«^' '»' « tin inmUent.) "" P' (e)Andnever; say "and he never," etc. (/; rhe quality of mind here attribwf-Pfl f,. t? • sessed in some degree by every one Fv ^^ '" ^'"^"^'^ P^^" Pleasure clear logFcal rea'on nTwhen he 17 T'' ''""^ "'"^ 4/ \ n , ~ "'""o) wuen iieard, afivos Jiim . (a) Cosais. The neonlo „f ivr.u ^ ■ , .« tw«„ty-»ii of these co,„,„„„itie, called r "'V' ^'•"' old b.v, and custom, peculiar to sTch :;"!!"""' •"""■"« """«■ lentintLadjele ™;* ^^'■'^tlT•''"f?'rf"°"'«^•"-■ betore it, the expression vonu l "' '""' "■'"•='' ™ ' would lead to t^eTuZMr ' ^T™ T'"'' "'" «"" """"Se of the whole series (tS ttl , T ° """" ""^ «P'»"»'™A to "sagaeity," „Mlo Jh t:tiC::lf:^ "'?^ ^^'°"«°"'y by the three "that." does not " „ ot7e " I^ ^T" ??"?'" begmningwith "at the union I, ^'"■"'""* ™l«»s " ■» that ide.,b.i.^pe>.eotlye.;raand:erurr '" *" '" (c) iVbr. This use of '«nor " for "and ,.n^ " i , The ci..„n,stance .elated is rath„; triflta' Toon e aZ ^T"'''- ous sentences without some of the .ffoots ^f an aTt -oh nx '"""' arguments bein- placed in th^ „ .P"""'""'" «0'"^'mng the chief of the column , ^^I^^^S^f^Z^-^ "' "'» '-'' m erruptod by explanatory reuurks the Jl ."'"';' "^"'""^ '' M the close. The whole i. well munded'ind bj^^: '"^'^. 68 THE FBIEND. enfchetic clause, however, is no addition to fcho fifcrength of Ihe sentence, and there is evidently a contrast intended to be drawn between the effects of English government as a whole, and of the English people as individuals, which might be improved by a simi- larity of expression and arrangement under the rules for the parallel structure. Remarks.— Essays 5, 6 and 7 contain a discussion of Ball's opinion of English and foreign soldiers. Paragraph 5 shows him free from the English weakness of despising foreigners. Paragrapli 6 traces the origin of that weakness to national circumstances, and paragraph 7 refutes the accusation that Ball did not sufficiently esteem the British troops. All three are well formed and couched in expressive language. Coleridge is seen at his best in such philosophical discus- sions ; he is then always clear and logical. In the narrati ve passages his genius seems less happy. Exercises.— 1. Write an essay on Sir A. Ball's fitness for his position at Malta. 2. Write an essay on the English character as shown in the text and account for the success of the English as colonizers. 8. (a) Were involved. As the subjects of this work are all con- nected by " or," it should strictly be in the singular. (b) See Southey's " Life of Nelson." The lower classes of Naples had joined the French invaders, and the royal family escaped to the British fleet. (c) Remonstrances are generally made to prevent an action, not to promote one, as here. "Permission to " is shorter and more usual than the form in the text. The student will, no doubt, have noticed the author's frequent use of long Latin words. Supply is now usually plural in this sense. 9. (a) Implicit faith. This use of "implicit, "though questioned, is now recognized. The remainder of the sentence breaks the sequence of thought too abruptly. The description of the Maltese in the text would not lead us to deem them capable of exercising the powers of self-government advocated for them later on by the author. (6) Aided id removed too far from its pronoun "which." The pUi-ase siiouid have been thrown into the next sentence to which it NOTES. ESSAY V. engUi of the to be drawn e, and of tliu ed by a sinii- )r the parallel Sail's opinion lim free from raph 6 traces ad paragraph j^ esteem the in expressive :)hical discus- tiv-e passages tness for his character as le English as are all con- ies of Naples leaped to the K;tion, not to I more usual doubt, have I. Supply is uestioned, is bhe sequence b lead us to •government hich." The ) to which it helongs, the necessary words of reft dejecti( ion was aided by," etc rence being used :o 69 - „« „j,, epo, - -; say, "This "istanceof outwitting the French but 1 '?''^'^ ««'»« additional witting his subordinates. The ow" «. ,f '" ^"''""'^^ «^ «"t- The incident is transitional, and ,e"d ™ '? '^^" ^"^'"-^-l- (e) Ana one. These .taternentsltlZke Tr T "' ''^ «^^««- connected with the subject. The info!.! !.''' ''''''^' ^''^ "«t have been interesting if L had Wn^^^^^^ about them „,ight 18 nothing gained by alluding to it ' ^^ ^^^ "«t' t^ero 10. (a) ^*-«m/e,- of services has annfl,^« text, ha„ee the. Ua.«ghjXT"rr"^ '!■'■' *»"" «■» .hetorioal p„,i«™. Moreover the u., Tf^ "^^ """"'"""■ "^ its bedde, being ;,eak, ha. the Z.ulZ°« *%'"'""''""o'y "it is," influonoe with either of them ' °°"''' "'" '«'™ '■"'I a..y (e) See Appendices D and B -1 wetiis :2::ithr,r:/T""" ^"»-- ..ew state of a&in, „^ inaugurati w fb.? °"""' *°"S'' "« (,) ^»rf «.,„ (and who now) ifi. ^""'"'^" Revolution. "^ !» repeat the relative pr nounXT iT""' '° *"- one clause. ^®" " introduces more than (h) Was. The past tense is here used because h« • • • opmions expressed at the time spoken of " ^'''"^ ^^"'« (i) ^< fAc same time. This nJi«.»^ • , • r «.- ready," a„, mean at h'Xe':;Thr°°r . """ " ""^'^ .tn^ify the inH„i,i..., e„ „!„« rtal :,7''"'f "" ■' "' ''"^' moan '-.t ouoe " , Probably the latterf"' '" '"-'"'°*"-'^S«. »ik1 70 THE FRIEND. (j) Are. Say "is" ; the subject is singular ; so with "their." Its plans; "her plans " woultl be more correct, as "partizans" and "plans" would require the pers(jnal metaphor. Remarks. — This long paragraph is well constructed. It consists of three distinct parts, however, — the injustice t» Ball's fame, the injustice to the Maltese, and the impolicy of the British conduct — and might have been so divided. The whole essay is more regularly constructed than the previous ones. The earlier paragraphs discuss Ball's characteristics as fitting him to be a leader of men, and the most suitable for the post at Malta. His wisdom during the tedious course of the siege is then shown, and the essay ends with his disappointment at the result of the capitulation and his argument for justice to ths Maltese. Exercises. — 1. Write a paragraph on the character of the Maltese as shown in these essays. 2. Write the subject of each paragraph in the essay, and epitomize the contents. 3. Re-write the first and third paragraphs, using Saxon words for Latin where possible. 4. Re-write the last paragraph, dividing it into three separate par- agraphs, and using the direct form of quotation. 5. Write an essay on the treatment of the Maltese by the British. 6. Write an account of the siege of Malta, using the following as paragraph subjects : — The political importance of Malta ; the condition of its people and government at the time ; conduct of the French ; the revolt and allies secured ; the siege ; the treatment of the Maltese at the treaty. ESSAY VI. L (a) Both is here unnecessary. (b) And who. "And " here coimects two relative clauses correctly enough, but there is an unusual strain in the meaning arising from the nature of the statements, " who " in the first clause being restrictive in meaning and not so in the second. (c) Casals which. The tendency of writera at present is to use ' 'that" as the relative instead nf " v/ljich " in rostrictive clauses like this ■ ■ their." Its zans" and It consists ) fame, the conduct — le previous ;s as fitting he post at Jge is then e result of 38e. he Maltese paragraph le first and » possible. 5arate par- je an essay Write an paragraph tion of its ench ; the le Maltese 8 ci^rrectly sing from use being use "that" ■til.- ii-'- ■ NOTPJS. ESSAY VI. 71 " which " is hero ambiguous Does it refer to nil n,« i (d)SuAwho. "SuohM"i,themoro common ph^, sh.V„ fron^WaUensteh., especially that par, ^M^'Z^Z^t'" [The passage „ taken from the author's Imnslation T" Th„ Piccolommi, ■■ the tot part of WaUenstein. Oot^yTu utuJ^' son to join the conspmicy against Wallenstoin mIj tl.!^ ,, ^d that the^mp calls forth the grcatestT;a,i^%fZ"''tL°: there he must depend on himself, not on " dead ZZ \ nances, nor mould-rotted pape»" Octovio reSes^j!l t" °''''': not judge too lightly of old irrow ordinlnce! h!*^ """' guards against the tjr^y „f despl ^'Zll' It'eXTt" passage quoted.] proceeos as in the 2. (a) The transition here from the time of distress to fh. f when this " evil dav " waa «« ann« >.„ » • T- ,. ^^ ^ ^^ time The pleasure gi,e/by™e 171^ o^Zt^"^ ^ ""^• would arise from tte menW contrS of tCw^t „" fe" Z" 3- (a) Not unproductive. This form of ernrpoaj^r,/-!-* .. x so^equently in these essays as almo^^brrn^Sm^ ^^^"^" butt fy!""" ''I- ''"^'^ " "^ "^"^^ "«^^^ *^J^ figurative sense but a^ that word occurs in the next clause, the author sought varS by changmg the word. This is an expedient that must, however bt used wj h cauhon. as words and phrases are rarely ex. tXo'ms (c) Of connection, is included in "bond." J'^onyms. (d) The old Crown Colonics wpro c^^f.^^^^ r^.^. ™ , . . Who. not heiu^ -.onsihieto th.-peo;,::;t:;:s;::ih^C "M^ffiSE^fei tmi^mii^s^^,. ■^ Vf'.'^^'^fWH^^f'^- _ 72 THE FRIEND. often made thia form of government not only burdensome rat iajuri- OU8 in every way. (e) And to reside in Ungland. Say, " With the privilege of resid- ing in England. " (f) Yet inspired. " Yet (it) inspired. " (gr). Manchineel. A West Indian tree of which the sap la poison- ous. (h) By tlie natives. Say " by a native, " as oflSce is singular ; and cliange "they " into "a native. " 4. (a) These arguments are all Coleridge's own, but lie suggefits them as the probabl' opinions of Ball. This departure is allowable !i8 the essays are professedly not a biography. (b) System of policy. Say " policy. " (c) The coast. Say, ' ' on the coast. " (d) Enclosure. This law term means bringing the land under cultivation. Part of eveiy old feudal estate waa left uninclosed and for the common use of the tenants : hence our term, "commons" for vacant, unfenced districts. (e) Finally tdkimj. Say, " And enable it finally to take, etc." (/) Thisis nov ■;,,; case. See Appendix E. 5. (a) As thtt 5«-o'/ious sentence is about the Maltese the word " people" &i^-^fM< rhe Maltese also, but we learn from the context that it is the Ep'} *^*' '» Hiotographic Sdences Corporation «^ N,^ iV \\ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 0~ A ^^ "J^ ^ r ,> ,.v <^c 4 ^ i/.A "k 74. THE FRIEND. APPENDIX A. PROSPECTUS OF "THE FRIEND.' A Weekly Essay, by S. T. CoLERimiB. [Extracted from a Letter to a Correspondent.l lb is not unknown to you, that I have employed almost the whole of my life in acquiring or endeavouring to acquire useful knowledge by study, reflection, observation, and by cultivating the society of ray superiors in intellect, both at home and in foreign countries. You know, too, that at different periods of my life 1 have not only planned, but collected the materials, for many works on various and important subjects ; so many, indeed, that the number of my unrealized schemes, and the mass of my miscellaneous fragments, have often furnished my friends with a subject of raillery, and sometimes of regret and reproof. Waiving the mention of all private and accidental hindrances, I am inclined to believe that this want of perseverance has been produced, in the main, by an over-activity of thought, modified by a constitutional indolence, which made it more pleasant to me to continue acquiring, than to reduce what I had acquired to a regular form. Add too, that almost daily throwing off my notices or reflections in desultoiy frag- ments, I was still tempted onward by an increasing sense of the imperfection of my knowledge, and by the conviction that, in order fully to comprehend and develope any one subject, it was necessary that I should make myself master of some other ; which agani as regularly involved a third, and so on, with an ever-widening hori- APPENDIX A. 75 ND." t.] ost the whole ul knowledge he society of gn countries, lave not only cs on various imber of my IS fragments, raillery, and 3ntion of all believe that main, by an i\ indolence, ring, than to dd too, that jsultoiy frag- sense of the hat, in order ras necessary lich again as idening hori- to me from rthout, and .11 the ZlX:a^TZ 7T^ i^. The number of the.e nofera^d Irei 'tZe^ J'^J Ianeou8a.they were, to one common end "IsT ^' T become," »" '° objects, tot encoun.gad me to undelk l^ WeekT eITJ Not only did the plan seem to accord h«f f^/^-u the natu.. of my o™ mind, ^h nl^^Lt" „7 T' "f «».; but ..n.ciou» that, in upholding 1 "rfnlr^Mi; of".:: " and philosophy, adopted by the great men „,*""*"» ""^te middle of the fifteenth til/towaXthe dl^f 1?'" T *" century, I must run counter to the preMcaf T ■»™"'!™"' reader, (for oUfaitk is often »^™ .«Tl : rlrfj'- ""^ penodical essay, the most IMy meaj of S„, in'tea^'of forcing my way. Supposing truth on m, ,m. rtl i , ^ , first day might be so far lessened brreSectons' of thfr."" days, as to procure for my next wee/s W aZ,l *7"«''''''-S than it would have met 4h, hod ifblen r4\tnextcLT'' r' present volume. 1 hoped to disarm the mind of thoarfll. ," ' prelude conviction by contempt, and, as " „.^ 2' 1^/^°" the face of reasoning by ^pre.u,npti^ of itelwS' a T "" too for honoumble ambition was'^supplied by tie ftt tlT ' penodical paper of the kind now attempted whlh M b. "^ ducted with zeal and ability, „»s not Ly' "^Ue^t^^ 7:- tmie, but has become permanently, and in the best !! ^ word, popular. By honourable ambition I mean .f T 1 *' to be useful, aided by the wish to be ^LX .eta ^'^ "."'r have been so. As I feel myself act.,at„I („ "Ctnowledged to this desire, so the hope of^relTntt ppel°tl^/f«^ ''^ sumptuous to me, since I have r«.e ved fromTen"f vVT ''"• and established character in the Repub ^^1 L«"t ^'f strong encouragements as to my own fitness I.T^^^i-t^" but nkew«e promUes of support from their own .toli.. ^' 76 THE FKIEND. The object of " Tlie Frioiul," briefly aiul -oiit-mlly exprossod, is- to uphold those triitlis and th(j8e merits, which are founded in the nobler and permanent parts of our nauue, against the caprices of fashion, and such pleasures as either depend on transitory and acci- dental causes, or are pursued from less worthy impulses. The chief mbjects of my own Essays will be :— The true and sole ground of morality, or virtue, as distinguished from prudence. The origin and growth of moral impulses, as distinguished from external and immediate motives. The necessary dependence of taste on moral impulses and habits, and the nature of taste (relatively to judgment in general and to genius) defined, illustrated, and apjiliod. Under this head I com- prise the substance of the lectures given, and intended to have been given, at the Royal Ins-titution, on the distinguished En-lish poets, in illustration of the general principles of poetry; together witli suggestions concerning the affinity of the Fine Arts to e.ach other, and the principles con)mon to them all— architecture, gardening, dress, music, painting, poetry. The opening out of new objects of just admiration in our own language ; and information of the present state and past history of Swedish, Danish, German and Italian literature (to which, but as supplied by a friend, I may add the Spanish, Portuguese and French), as far as the same has not been already given to English readers, or is not to be found in common French authors. Characters met with in real life. Anecdotes and results of my own life and travels, etc., etc., as far as they are illustrative of general moral laws, and have no immediate bearing on personal or immediate politics. Education in its widest sense, private and nationaL Sources of consolation to the afiiicted in misfortune, or disease or dejection of mind, from the exertion and right application of the I'eason, the imagination, and the moral sense ; and new sources of enjoyment opened out, or an attempt (as an illustrious friend once expressed the thought to me,) to add sunshine to daylight, by making the happy more happy. In the words " dejection of mind, " I refer particularly to doubt or disbelief of the moral government of the world, and the grounds and arguments for the religious hojies of human natwe. exprosHod, is founded in tho the caprices of itory and acci- jes. The chief > distinguished nguished from les and habits, jeneral and to 3 head I com- ri to have been En-lish poets, together witli to each other, e, gardening, I in our own >ast history of which, but as Ttuguese and en to English oro. results of my Uustrative of n personal or e, or disease, ication of the 8w sources of s friend once dayUght, by ion of mind," avemment of ligious hopes APlMiNDIX B. ^y APPENDIX B. Position op the Tkxt ix "The Friend." After the first sixteen essays of "ThA F,.;.. i .- r. , • , nated the next section-also of \.vf ' ^"^''"dge desig- Place;" the ^leven s« ceedL ' "''^'-" ^""^ ^"<1»"« Landing PlacF-" and tlW^ T ^^'"''"^^^ "The Second "The T\ird Landing V;^^^^^^^^^ ""^^ ^'^^^ ^^^ up the last section, ''^Z:^'^^^-'''^ '- r "^-^^"^Piace'Ms Musa3 nihilom- IVrT^r^^^^^^^ «P-' et illis inter se libere colloquentes " ' '^'*"' "' ^" ^* In Essay 1, of - Tlie Third Landing Place " Col^r,-^ ^• tlie proverb «' Fortune fav(.urs fools " u.rf • ^''^""^^^^ d'««"««es that the proverb is wron^ /„ f1 TI T^' ** *^" conclusion " Does Fortune favoTrl'ols V' Zlrl nL^^: '"'V''' ^"-*- year previously, by Sir llexaX S ^^7^ ''' ^'™ ^^^"^ "»« scribed, from a meiLranduin tt ^ ' T** ^' ""^^^^ ^«« '^^■ Friend. " '"^"^^randum teken then, for publication in " The " Oh ! with what different feelinan " n^i j •.at a .harp „„<, .„dde„ em" i3'™efhe""'"' """' upon which it was written t j P*^® this conversation I waa indebted for *fV« fJ*^ T""" ' ^'^^^^'^ ^ with which he afterwardrhonotr!^ rn ^"l^"^'^ ""^ ^^^^'^^^'^^ .nemoiy of one of the moT de^^^^^^^ because it recalled the when a; we were riding toother hf """""''^' ^ ''''' P^««d . principal evente of Ws own ,1 ' n/ ^7'""" '•"^^'^^ *^ >«« '^^ to this'conve.ation. It Teea^Sl too thlt ^'^^ '^ '^'^^^^""^ n.nd by that narrative-thrll^^^s^t^^^^^^^ architect and bureV of ht ^ " ' "" ^ "''""^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ .« uuimer ot nis own success. The sum nf hia i,.--* may be comprised in this one sentence- H^*/!.7 "^^^ ...pienua d^ice, foHuna permUtertte ; (i.e.. These things 78 THE FRIEND. ander God, we have doue for ourselves, tlirough the guidance of wisdom, and with the permission of fortune). ]ju(;k gave him nothing : in her most generous moods, she only worked with him as with a friend, not for him as for a fondling ; but more often she simply stood neuter, and suffered him to work for himself. Ah ! how could I be otherwise than affected, by whatever reminded me of that daily and familiar intercourse with him, which made the fifteen months, from May 1804 to October 1805, in many respects, the most memorable and instructive period of my life ? — Ah ! how could I be otherwise than most deeply affected, when there was still lying on my table the paper which , the day before, had conveyed to me the unexpected and most awful tidings of this man's death ! his death in the fulness of all his powers, in the rich autumn of ripe yet undecaying manhood ! I had been stunned by the intelligence, as by an outward blow, till this trifling incident startled and disentranoed me ; the sudden pang shivered through my whole frame ; and if I repressed the outward shows of sorrow, it was by force that I repressed them, and because it is not by tears that I ought to mourn for Sir Alexander Ball. ** He was a man above his age ; but for that very reason the age has the more need to have the master-features of his character portrayed and preserved. This I feel it my duty to attempt, and this alone ; for having received neither instructions nor permission from the family of the deceased, I cannot think myself allowed to enter into the particulars of his private history, strikingly as many of them would illustrate the elements and composition of his mind. For he was indeed a living confutation of the assertion attributed to the Prince of Conde, that no man appeared great to his valet de chamhre — a saying which, I suspect, owes its currency less to its truth than to the envy of mankind, and the misapplication of the word great, to actions unconnected with reason and free will. It will be sufficient for my purpose to observe, that the purity and strict propriety of his conduct, which precluded rather than silenced calumny, the evenness of his temper, and his attentive and affec- tionate manners in private life, greatly aided and increased his public utility ; and, if it should please Providence that a portion of his spirit should descend with his mantle, the virtues of Sir Alex- ander Ball, as a master, a husband, and a parent, will form a no less I APPENDIX B. fie guiflanco of U(;k gave him ed with him as lore often she liimaelf. Ah ! r reminded me hich made the many respects, te 1 — Ah ! how there was still id conveyed to .n's death ! his utumn of ripe tunned by the cident startled ugh my whole row, it was by y tears that I reason the age his character attempt, and or permission elf allowed to ingly as many I of his mind, ion attributed to his valet de cy less to its ication of the free will. It rity and strict than silenced live and affec- increased his it a portion of s of Sir Alex- form a no less 79 re-„a,.k„M„ „,,„ch in tho ,„„ml Imb.ry „t u„ MM..«, .K u- age and the previouspeculiargovrmento th ? 7"? '' '^'' religious order of knfghthood! WrL H ' ^ t "^^^^ Knights of St. John),? at that' tire.i in^onlvt ^""''^ ^^^ very demoralized state ..ave ri«« . '^"'f ""fy '^ "ame and in a influenceof Sir A. BJi^a^d his b er„ltT; "''^'' '' *^« and the condition of Maltese society Si'' T! '""^"^'^ B.11 is eulogized by Coleridge for hij ^:Z^^t^;.. '^ ^' meudable direction, because, nrobablv if i. • , *^" ^°"- apirit o, the first ..y.c< „, hif ety f CeW T^^r "'* '"" ground of morality, or virtue as diltLT I i . "'"'' »""' »»'« In continuance^^ this sn^^ecTotSr!!^"" '""'-"■"* ^ise a public „,o„„,„e„t to thlirn eC™ "rk"' "°""' pmtely when we relate their acS tj^7 "" "W'"- preserving their example for Z \ ""^ ' "<' "•»» alleviate the loss, whilfweUltX ^ "' "" "™«' funeral eulogy of Sir Alexander BauLtst H, T'^'"' ^^ rative of his life ; and this friend of IZ td tuit I"- -- of honour in proportion as that narrative i. V^^ • '^"'"""''e'l ...entaiy. It shaD, however, be .IT'" ,»t ""' °°'' '■'^■ enables, and as prud^ee a„d'pr:prr rt» ttl? r'°™"""" hving permit me t« render it. His famf^T i f« 'od'ngs of the elder write™, is so great thoroughoutre jl^dtttrl "'"" need of an encomium j and vet his wnrf) i" ^^'''^^ ^» "o W_I^»n^..,;n^^^ 'Appendix D. t Appeiicii;^ A. 80 THE FRIEND. will be very diflBcult to speak what he deserves. But ciistom requires that something should be said : it is a duty and a debt which we owe to ourselves and to mankind, not less than to his memory ; and I hope his great soul, if it hath any knowledge of what is done here below, will not be offended at the smallneas even of my oflfering. "Ah ! how little, when among the subjects of 'The Friend' I promised ' ChHracters met with in Real Life,'* did I anticipate the sad event, which compels me to weave on a cypress branch those sprays of laurel which I had destined for his bust, not his monu- ment ! He lived as we should all live ; and, I doubt not, loft the world as we should all wi'y palpable absurdi s «L 2^ " .'' '"^«""^«™<-"'*^'^' Elphinstono, was on the 7th A^tlf Trfi " '''^'*"" ''''''' Atalanta sloop as lieutenant, an^ L L,''^^"^^^^^ "^ ^^e American and Newfonnrll.n.' TI- "* ^®'' °" *he North August, 1780, he oteThel:^^^^^ f*^' ''''■ ^ ^^^^ fi-om the Spaniards, and wentt hf T?^ * '"«*^ '^^^^ <«P*"red April, 1781, he haci the ZdTor'll'K ^''' '""««' "^^^ '" "^■<^h, Sir George RodnevrL I . ^' "''""'* into the ^a,ui- Gibraltar, for a%asstr Enl.atd'' ^' '"'T^' ^'^^ ^--' *« Sir George's new flag-ship the £lw aT " ^' ''** *PP°^*«d *« went out with him !gai f ^f thXt^^^^^^^^^ " ''!S ''"^"'^'' ^^^^ '' in his great victo^ o/ 12tr Iprirm^^^^ ^"/ '^"'^^ -*h hi-" received his commander's comnissionaL *^' '*^*«'^«^« ^e main, in which he continued on fT' 7^*PP°^«<^ed to the (?er- 20th March, 1783. WshortlvaVT '*"'"" ""'^^ P^«*«d+ «" lil^e many other navalTfliferrwet^ov^: Tf^:::^ ^"^^^"' '^' eave partly for economy whilst on LZav JZ ^ ' -^"'^'^ learning the language Nelson f ),. ^ ^' ^^^^ "^'^^ * ^^^w to those who did the same, "and wai It St •,r"\T*''"' ""^ ^"^ ^^ He wrote to Captain Looker o;^1 '^o^rb^,:';^^^^^^^^ *'^^^- captains are here-Ball and Shena,^ fT ' I^ '' ^''*' "°b'« which I think them great .ov!^^ *W wear fine epaulettes, for and I shall not. bels^^' court T. "^^'^ '^"^ "°^ ^'«*^ ™e> were not worn in ouTnamiirm^^^^^ ^P*"^«"- ~^^i;;i;ei;;i;:n f!!l!!!!i!?MutmFrance they marked the aprwinted him to the coiWand of th« r*"*^ H'° ^.^'^ Admiral Blake who killed m an encountflr wifh ??- DnAjf ^ '«'»/>*. on board of whioh^ -J? t... Confirmed in *^er«^o?^;LL"""'' ^^''- ''' '"^ 82 THE FllIKND. rank, and possibly enough were found to serve in lieu of letters of nitroduction. On 4th November, 1784, Ball, writing from GIoucoh- fcer, reported himself jw .having returned from foreign leave. He continued, however, on half-pay, notwithstanding his repeated applications to the Admiralty, till July, 1790, when, on the occasion of the Spanish armament, he was appointed to the Nemesis, 28 guns a fngate which he commanded on the home station for the next three years. He wa^ then appointed to the Cleopatra, 32 guns, and continued for the three following years on the Newfoundland station under Vice-admiral Sir Eiclmrd King and Rear-admiral Murray. He was then transferred to the AryonaMt, 64 guns, and returned to England in August, 1796. On his arrival he was appointed to the Alexander, 74 guns, and spent the following winter oflF Brest under the command of Vice-adniiral Colpoys. Some little time afterwards he was ordered out to join Lord St. Vincent, oH' Cadiz, and in the beginning of May, 1798, was sent into the Me hours after y opposed to APPENDIX C. gg the French flag-ship VOrient, which blew up about ten o'clock The o.lmar, story of the ship having been set on'fir by some iaSl" ^vord Of truth ; for at thritme lth:rf:r;:ft ^ EngH^h navy was intensely opposed to all such dovioo. Sn 4 h O I 1 08 Ball .-as ordered to go to Malta and inst tute a close b^cS nf the .land The blockade then begun was contx^ed witW nterm,ss,on for the next two years, when the French garrison capitulate. Ihe force employed in the siege was exceedin.'ly small n shore there were not more than 500 marines. En^h a "d 1 ortuguese, and some 1,600 of the Maltese, who hated the French .u,d were devoted to Ball. Ball, on his part, devoted hUeTto he,r mterests. He left the Alexanderin charge of hT fi heutenant, and personally took command of the mi itt Th gcrnson was reduced entirely by famine, which prTsed almost as .severely on the islanders as on the French Th/ t. ? »ent h» Meander to Gii^outi, „„d seteod a „mnl.<,r of sUdTwH Y were Men with corn and ,yi„g there, with rtringen o detCuho Noapolmu. court not t., move. After the reduction of Malta Bjl »^s for some tune connuiaaioner of the navy at Gibraltar T' i u ■ ace NoWn wrote to him from the BalfTon 4^ jltl; T'"" My dear invaluable friend, . . bfili«v^ r„. u ' ■— tains the very warmest affection fo'r y-ou.^'dTt w' bTeif I fa^ mine, and not a little mortification, that you have not tt 1 ribbon and other rewards that would have k'ept yu afloat but'as I trust the war is at an end, you must U.ke your flag when i't coil o you for who is to command our fleets in a future war? e.c-t-atners . . . Believe me at alltimes and places, for 8« THE FlUEND. ever your gincere, affecHonato, and faithlul friend. " Ball's services were, however, soon after rewarded, not, indeod advice, ho in counio of 9tod his flag. many of the ust ; but he irgely by the ill, a8 fellow- ored. When •d uncovered vore hushed nd welcome. most affec- elson's part n habitually lis language tters which, p Alexander st affection, on, William t of Ball by eenwich, to APPEf^DIX D. 15 Jerusalem "ere a reli- i the 11th w« n.m^ .ft„r St. JoU thl llT"'"' """ '^ "»"• "'■'''' l«>tri.roh„f Al„xa„drk"b,« r;^ T? "' ''^'""" •"" l«.vi,i„M t„ Jeru»„le„,, i,. 014 X "l, "'I' "'""*'^ "'"' Ui» direow™ of Gerard (colM «].„ «■ 7 ' ""'l'"""""- "nd«r ;^u.[>y „„,,«, The member. >::!ZtU«ZlrZ'"'-'' the hospital, for lite "as the servant- „f ,. "'""°'™» "o hhour m Their dress, or habit for bottl .''°"' ""'' "' '"■™'-" Aug„sti„i„„'s, beT„r'.bllk'h! "';."'" "■""" '" """"f «■« »itha -hit, i„e„ !r„l „f'-ti2'"„ "" \" f'""'*'' ''"O"'. "domed OMer.a„„p,rovedbXSlT;t;eb"i:r,1irr ,?r their name from a niacmifioflnf ^ . u . , ' * ■^'lejtook the Baptist e™.ted oXf^SlliritofirbSri !''• '-'*■" of their patron saint. Several \<.«„if„l. ^*7'*.^°^ *^« Parents ^™ i„ Wester.. E„..pe, wSV^ t..Z.d'tUaKr;'1'"" h.™g central stations called priories „„d u,„rf„ T ""*"■• *n of pilgrin.,. Ray...o.,d lu ply 'suclded O.L rT""""" ..r guardian , he formed an arn.ed bodv^„ „ f "','" *"«»' several noblemen havi..^ joined hem for fh-.T '/''»""'»• '"'» «nd .11 Christians, he dC ^ .T. l . "'°'''' "''™''»''™» which wasconfirmL. XX^^aSx^^i"' ^to"d "" "'" ''"'- into knights, priests, and servanto and an JrmSfr T """""■ se^nts (old Fr. serfyents, or servingll "Sntht"' r^'" good service in the field and the hoL J. ? " Sl"". "l-odid were assigned separate comn.anderir1n',,r ''"■"°'"'" ""« Templars, »as tom,ed and the two orfer. 1 ved „ h ' "^' °"'°'' ""> lem was taken by Saladin in 11 W iZll^ 1 '^""^ tiU Jerusa- • Supposed to represent the eight Beatitude* latfrtittymwfm i .■--■..■...,, *-r i V"fff " ati' THE FRIEND. they were defeated a^ain by the Asiatics in 1244. The remnant settled in Acre, where they continued their quarrels until the Hospit- allers finally conquered their rivals. When Acre was taken by the Saracens, 1291, the Hospitallers re- tired to Limisso in Cyprus. They then became renowned for their sea fights, and under Grand Master Foulkes de Villaret seized Rhodes and seven adjacent islands in 1309 (hence Knights of Rhodes) and held them for 200 years against all the powers of the Turks. In 1319 the Order was divided into seven sections called Langues or Languages, and about this time they began their long struggle with the Pope about the appointment of the Grand Masters. They were at last forced to abanJon Rhodes after having endured two sieges, first in 1480 under Grand Master D' iubusson, and secondly in 1522 under Grand Master Lisle-Adam. They took refuge successively in Candia, Messina, and the mainland of Italy, and subsequently were put into possession of the islands of Gozo and Malta, and the city of Tripoli by the Emperor Charles V. Malta, which the Knights made one of the strongest places in the world, became thenceforth the stronghold of Christendom and gave its name to the Order. Tri- poli was taken from them in 1551 by the Corsairs ; aod the Turks made a fruitless attack on the island in 1551 and renewed it in 1565 with an armament calculated to command success, but Grand Mas- ter Jean Parisot de la Valette, after four months' incredible endur- ance, forced the beseigers to depart. This defence raised the fame of the Order to the highest pitch. They held Malta till June 10th, 1798, when it was taken by Bonaparte,* and the cowardly and trai- torous GrandMaster Hompesch, having aljdicated, was sent to Trieste. After this event thb Order declined, became demoralized, and exist- ed only in name. It was protected for a time by the Emperor Paul I., of Russia, whose reported conversion to the Roman Catholic Church caused him to be chosen Grand Master : since his death no Grand Master has been appointed. The seat of the Order was removed to Catana in 1801, to Ferrara in 1826, and to Rome in 1834. A fruitless attempt to restore it was made in 1850. Since 1805 the Order has been administered by a Lieutenant and a Col- lege, residing in Rome. The property of the English Langue was * Appendix E. The remnant until the Hospit^ Hospitallers re- lowned for their Villaret seized ights of Rhodes) ra of the Turks. lUed Langues or fg struggle with jrs. They were ired two sieges, lecondly in 1522 ige successively id subsequently Malta, and the ich the Knights me thenceforth he Order. Tri- aod the Turks tewed it in 1565 )ut Grand Mas- credible endur- :aised the fame till June 10th, vardly and trai- sent to Trieste, ized, and exist- Emperor Paul Oman Catholic ce his death no he Order was d to Rome in I 1850. Since ant and a Col- ish Langue was APPENDIX E. 87 by the French and Spanish Lan^^.r^^ '^ ""^^ resusciteted John's Gate. ClerkenLrEngland " "" " ^^°'' «^^^ ^^S^' E S 7 I fO i-ALBTTA SO APPENDIX E. Malta. (,S'ec iifap.) The Maltese group consists of Malt-i Hio i .. , . B. Long. , Comino, which Iie» bet'weeTa!!. and th T" "?»' Commoto, Dear Comino. and Filfola, south of Mai tt '"' "'''' tantfrom 65 to 60 miles directly south ^?Si.l ?' ^""y »'»<«»- remains of a„ .„cient chain of ilnd, ' ^ '"'""' '»'««><' ing away, by the sea. They a e an iZ .' T"' ""'' '"" "<«■ BritUh crown, acquired in l4 jLlZm rT"'™ "' «■» 9i broad, and Oo^o, 9 milea b^ 6 -rt ^ "If '"''« ""y »*««" U7 8,. miles, and the ponuTaU™ V"' "' ■">* '»8««'« » is 149,782* eLlusive of'*"' Z^f *" *' '='""' "' ^881 amounting to about SO.OoTtLo"!!, '"??"'' "'^'' *"»»i«« Eocene. There is little' water he d rtHa T"""™ " '"'» porous or spongy nature of the rocks Td th . """"« '^ ">« There is no river, brook .,rla^„;? "'"*'^"»''»»Mow. The highest poini of Malt! i nlrS n" T °' ""> '^■■'^'■ above the level of the sea, to he ™ u.h 1 M*",' !^"' '^ '»«' the ancient capital, Citt. Vecehia old ciiv) kt ^' """'' "'" a^d Notabile, upon another steep ie^h^^'onTh? ?" '"""^ the cliff, rise sheer from the sea, ml ^ f ! Tl' ""'' """^ north the rock in many places shdv^ ^ Z^Ztt ^ «>' ■l^^^^^l^^Soiroceo^^ *The Statesman's Year-Book, 1884 THE FRIEND. with full force. The soil, though thin, is in many places very productive, grain, sugar-cane, aloes, orangeg, and olives being diligently cultivated . Salt and soda are manufactured, and there are quarries of marble, alabaster and soft limestone. Malta is divided into 26 casals or village districts, Gozo into 9, and since 1570 the chief town has been Valetta, a city built on a ridge of rock (Mount Sceberras), which runs like a tongue into the middle of the bay, which it thus divides into two great harbours, subdivided again by three other peninsulas into creeks. On two of these peninsulas and at their base, are built the aggregate of towns called the Three Cities, part of which (grown up under the obi Fort St. Angelo) is much older than the comin.t{ of the Knights and is called Vittoriosa in commemoration of the siege of 15G6. Valetta including the suburb Florian, is about 2 miles long and | mile wide. In it are several fine public buildings, as the governor's palace, the new opera house, the! public library— founded by the Knights in 1760 and containing 48,000 vols.,— open free daily ; the auberges, or lodges, of the knights, especially the Auberge de Castile ; the English church, built by Queen Adelaide, and others. Roman Catholic churches are very numerous in Malta and the majority of the population are of that religious denomination. The Cathedral of St. John in Valetta is famous for its rich, inlaid marbles, its Brussels tapestries, its roof, painted by Matteo Preti (1661-99) and the picture by Caravaggio, "The Decollation of St. John the Baptist." The Hospital of the Knights contains one of the longest rooms in Europe, being 503 feet in length, without a central support. In Malta there is a University and two Lyceums, one in Vittoriosa ane' thte other in Valetta. The common schools are under the English Board system and are superintended by a Director of Public Education. The English language is generally used but the natives speak a patois composed principally of Italian, German and Arabic. The extensive bagnios under the rock, formerly occupied by the slaves of the Knights, are now used as naval stores. Enormous quantities of coal are annually imported and sold — 384,272 tons in 1880. The strength of the naval force at Malta is usually about 6,000 men, and the military about 6,500 men ; the largest garrison in any British colony. " The knights strengthened Valetta and its APPENDIX B. .ny places very id olives being iied, and there its, Gozo into f), a city built on a tongue into the great harbours, reeks. On two le aggregate of ip under the ol(i he Knights and 15G5. Valetta, nd I mile wide, or's palace, the the Knights in ; the auberges, le Castile ; the thers. Roman the majority of The Cathedral id marbles, its i (1661-99) and St. John the I of the longest lout a central ^^ceuma, one in )n schools are ntended by a ;e is generally ally of Italian, scupied by the s. Enormous 14,272 tons in usually about irgest garrison /"aletta and its 80 ILeretho Sne,t naval 1,,,C w"^ ''''™'"™'' *'''"'' '"""''''°' grain."* "unieuse subterranean stores of ''The importance of Malta lies, as of old in if. 1, i. render it a splendid port of call, repair or r'f ^""' ^^''^^ naval station ; in its capabilitie as HepTt orT'^ T '' ' ""'^ Its hospitals and it. strength as a nxHita^ Z ^""^ '^''^ ' ^» the Mediterranean is of the utmost v!l !*'""' ^*' P°«'"«« i» highway to the Ea.t and t\:^'''^Xtet '"'^^^ ^^^- occupation the population trade and nrnTu y®*" of British consists of a council of 18 members 8 «W A .. ^*^' ^^9' chosen by the Crown, and the gov Ir "fth I' '' V'^'"'^ ' who is usually a military officer To TL ^"^ ""^ ^'''^' )>Htent of May, 1881, an^exeTuTve c?unciro73T. 't' '^ '^^^^- and assist the governor The onunn^T "^embers to advise vote money ; tL last was 'est^ed^;;^^^^^^^^ "^ "^^"^^ '-« -^ WMeaclingtoaprotestintheJlw.^;;^^^^^^^ Malta IS self-supporting, costing the ImperTal if. ^'"'^^^^ nothing beyond the militanr and n^vtr Tm.^ ^**"^'' ^'^^^« or oone„^„M„,.5,«X.a„„„a?,:irll™'^-«'»- ^^ ^ Modem History . "In June 17Qs *i '"*''•/ (Knighte of St. John) i, Fran^'hS "T TT™' " "" '''«« Kepublioan,, Bonaparte on T'lTEt^M '7."'"" "^ "" force in a bay behind Valetta ; .^ relS '° '^7'"' » ""S" few hour, the French were in p^nZZT.u^f": *"* ^ " M,^t., except the town of ValeteZrone ^t flrt , f"" """ ...ore, without bombardment, the Orier IT . '"'""Jay. •md practically ceased to exiit IW.. ^* »"™"<1"«<1 Valetl, down laws anlregulatiol w«i . teTa''nd'1,\''"^'' "^'"^ from the churehe,, ete. He left Xw ' , "°"'«""'« P'under than 3 months the' MaltcfhaitvIreS^L: ^heT' '"' ^ '- .«n.m..r,.a,,dVa^b,i^^ Wc,.„..,„i„ ,«..„„.. ?Ar„e...-„ cyco^i— 90 TEDS FBIEND. a siege and blockade lasting two years, during which time Portu- guese, Neapolitans and a small force of English, assisted the Maltese. Sir Alexander Ball commanded in the name of the Sicilian king and was put at the head of their national council by the Maltese. On 4th Sept., 1800, Vaubois surrendered to the British troops under General Pigot, and the Maltese, who lost 20,000 men, put them- selves and their islands under the protection of the Engliah— re-union to the crown of Sicily, which they had sought, bein- no longer thought of. The treaty of Amiens (1802) provided that" the islands should be restored to the Order of St. John, obviously to the advantage of France, but repugnant to the Maltese. War breaking out again, the islands remained in the hands of England till, in 1814, they were secured to her by the treaty of Paris* (Art. 7), under which she still holds them." (Encycl. Brit.) ' Confirii^ed at the Congress of Vienua, 1815. Iiich time Portu- isted the Maltese. Sicilian king and ;he Maltese. On ish troops under men, put them- f the English— Bousfht, being no )rovided that the hn, obviously to Maltese. War ands of England y of Paris* (Art. fit.) 515. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF HlSTOmCAL EVENT*! ivtxr^ *- VENTS WHICH OCCirKRED DURING THE UFE OF SIR ALEXANDER BALL. (For reference only.) 1760, 1767 1769. 1760. 1763. 1767. 1769.- 1774.- 1776.- 1776, 1777. 1778.- 1779.- 14 -Beginning of the Seven Years' W . Theresa, of Austria, and fX^^^^^ '^.t;- .^-ia the possession of Silesia ' ^ ^^"ssia, for -B-th of Sir Alexander BaT' -Quebec taken by Wolfe (Sept. 13) -Accession of George III L l',t^' -Peace of Hurtsbufg. E^d 'f s/"' v '^'^^'*'^^ ^^«*- ^^X Peace of Paris a .""^ ""^ ®even Years' War -Death of Lo„i, XV TSr"^'"' °''"™ (Aug. 16) XVI. ,o the throne (M:'fw "'* — -» of i„„i -American Revolutionarv Wo u (April 19). *'^"^^^^V*r begun. Battle of Lexington Gibraltar was defended bvo" f^'^^^ ^''""^ ^l). Lord Heathtield. ^ "''"'*' ^^'o"' afterwards [91J '!« 92 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 1780.— Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and France, in alliance against England. 1782.— Naval victory of Admiral Rodney over the Contfe d& Grasse in the West Indies (April 12). French and Spanish fleet at Gibraltar destroyed by red- hot shot fired from the fortress by General Eliott. 1783.— Siege of Gibraltar abandoned (Feb. 5). Treaty of Paris between Great Britain and the United States of America (Sept. 3). Treaty of Versailles between Great Britain, France and Spain (Sept. 3). William Pitt became Prime Minister of England (Dec. 18) 1789.— Assembly of the States-General of France (May 5).' This was a convocation (established 1302) of the repre- sentative body of the three orders of the French kingdom— clergy, nobles, anu citizens or commons, and was convoked at this time by Louis XVI. A rupture was caused at this meeting which led to the Revolution. The nobles refused to sit and vote in one chamber with the third estate and the latter thereupon formed a new body, inviting such of the other orders as wished to join, and assumed the old title—not used since 1614— of National Assembly (June 17), and the right to act in the name of France. The Court attempted to annul their proceedings (June 23), but the deputies of the third estate, with the liberal members of the other two orders, had bound themselves by oath not to separate until they had given France a constitution. The Court yielded and commanded the nobles and clergy to join the National Assembly. This was the beginning of the Revolution and the Assembly proceeded with astounding rapidity to metamorphose old France on the principles of (1) the sovereignty of the people ; (2) the independence of the communes ; (3) the limitation of the royal power through a conditional veto ; (4) the separation of the political authorities ; and (5) the responsibility of ministers. ce, in alliance ;he Contb de royed by red- lal Eliott. 1 the United , France and md(Dec. 18). ice (May 5). I of the repre- the French ^r commons, lis XVI. A ch led to the and vote in id the latter such of the imed the old al Assembly le of France, edings (June te, with the J, had bound kil they had yielded and the National 5 Revolution ling rapidity ciples of (1) idependence f the royal e separation Jsponsibility CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. ^.^ The Bastile destroyed (Julvl4^ Tu n .■■, (strong fortress) wL orig LJ thf P h' '" f"^'"^' built (1370-83) bv VfnJ 1 u- ^^""^ ''^ Paris, at the Porte St A^r ""'' ^""'"«^ «^ P«ris English. It wa:aft;^^^^^^ Zel '^'^"" '^«*'"«^ ''^ ^He upper classes of roSrZr""^^^-^- ^■- 1791._DeathofMirabeau(April2) I„ i7fia ,-, -emberof the Nat Lnal Asseml Iv M K ' P''"""^"*^ the National Guard <.f France Hfl"" '"''^"*^^^ nf the National AssemWv / '""' ^'"'''^^''^ decease. His ren.a S"^ ^^o n.onths before his for him great inZ! 7 ''''"^ P"^«^« obtained ''The ShaVetrr^TEH^^^ ^-" ^^^ -e of Capture of Louis XVI ««■ v endeavouring to e!tpe ou^or^V'""^ ''^ ^''^ Antoinette, his ou^en fro,! I "''' ^^''"^ ^^^^ie vindictive Assembly ' ^ '^' ^'^"^^^^^^ ^^ the 1792. -War declared by France against tJi« Fn, April 20). Louis \vf T ^™P*^'-"r «f ^iennany fortheir deftt VI -ei'r""^^^^ family in the Ten.ple Jug lo) " '' "^'' ""'' The National Convention called ..nri It was also clesignated "r rMoZa""p ^'^^"- '«^' the high seats in the council .^''"" ^^^y " from Jacobin section, which "^^ •f'^-ber occupied by the It was fomxed b; the NatToll i "if ^" *^^ '^'^^^^ throw of the thVe^'w "i::t r"""^'^^- declare France a republi (lept ^O) "' "" '^ made a marshal of Fra'ncf ndC'd^t?"^"^^^ command of the army of the Cenf ^*^'"^^' ^» The battle is known L "The Cann''' 7 '^^ ^^^^"«- and was the first triumph of the 7f ''''''y'" arms. ^ ''^ '^''^ I^^ench republican 94 CHRONOLOCilCAL TAHLE. IN 179S.— Louis XVI. Kuillotined (Jan. 21) for alleged treason against the republic. Marie Antoinette, his unfor- tunate (lueen, daughter of Francis I. and Maria Theresa, Emperor and Empress of Germany, and sister of Maria Caro'ina, Queen of Naples, was also guillotined (Oct. Hi). Committee oi Public Safety established. This was the name of a new executive body in whom the National Convention vested the government. Robespierre, Couthon and St. Just, members of the extreme or "Mountain Party," became the triumvirate, under whom the guillotine was the only instrument of punish- ment. War declared by France against Great BritJiin and Hol- land (Feb. 1). England, Holland, Spain, Naples, Sardinia, and the German States, united in alliance against France. Reign of Terror. Under the malevolent guidance of Maximilian Robespiarre, the revolutionary govern- ment supported itselit by the i)ure operation of terror, exterminating with the guillotine all the enemies, or supposed enemies, of the democratic dictatorship. 'Toulon surrendered to the British fleet under Lord Hood, and was retftken by the French (Dec.) after being fiercely attacked by the republicans, whose guns were commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte,— then a simple officer of artillery,— who here evinced for the first tune his genius and self-reliance. 1794.— Corsica annexed to Great Britain (June 17). Robespierre guillotined (July 28). He had many enemies on account of his harsh nature and the thousands he had condemned to the scaffold, in particular the friends of Danton, one of the innnolated, who were eager to avenge his death. After a fierce tumult in in the Convention his arrest was accomplished. 1795. — Peace between France and Prussia and Spain. War carried on with redoubled vigour by France against Austria. lleged treason tti, his unfor- I. and Maria Jerniany, and iples, was also This was the I the National Robespierre, e extreme or ivirate, under ent of punish- tivin and Uol- iiia, and the ; France. guidance of nary goveni- ion of terror, e enemies, or ;atorshii). t' Lord Hood, after being 3e guns were hen a simple for the first lany enemies housands he articular the d, who were ce tumult in •ihed. pain. War ance against CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 95 were ca„varte,l i„r ^. I f ""' """" ""'" 'hoy DeatJi of Louis XVII ,,f V. ^'VL (June 8). TJ i u^f'^^' T""^' '^" ''' ^-"'^ enthroned. He ]ed ' ""^^^""^*« P"nce whs not Louis XVIII next V l''^ '''' '^"^ ^"-' >-""g.i -.nedth;r:fZT.„:t^^ '' ^-^« ^'^> by the allied powers hnA \ ^'^"^"^«"' hs such from France at th!' ' '" ''"'• "" ^^'^ ««d '^eorge ili, announced (Dec H\ <•),„ i ,, British Parliament, he re e;tl^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ f "' *« ^^e fe'-vennnent in France ami ?"'"* '>f « regular ^ith that country ' ^'' ''"^'"««« *" "^^g"tiate J796. -Bonaparte tk connnand of the F. », (March 30), a few da,, .fl ^ ''"^ '" '**^^ Josephine, wid.,w of 1^/ f , '' "'^^^'^^^ ^^^h , ^f been\.uiiL:Vi::-vvtr^^^^^^ adopted Eugene atv? w * • " ■Bonai)arte Bea„han,a«-7H";e" ::""'•'"" ""'' ''"'S'"'' "' Loma Bonapartl k1?" r,,"''^-™"'' ""^ed to ■"Other of L„;, vL! "*"''• '«"' '««»me the t»ry commander aiTwt ff "■"" "'""'"M mili- ^ appointed Viceln'fr J^" ''™- ", F^nceand ^irdmia compelled U) sue fnr Victor AnLleus I . lee fed to^.^T"^ ^^^^" ^8). against France and T 1 ' r ' ^"'"^^^" ^^'^^^^^-^ Savoy and Nice in i792T ^"' ^'^ ^^^^"^'^^^ "^ and the Pope, he raisecl .n '"''*^""'' ^^ ^"g^'"^"** I , raised an army and maintained him- 96 M«OX()T,Ooic'iL TAHLE. 1797 solf in hw kingd.iiu till 17!Mi, when Bonaimrte forced hilM f 'nm*lly L.» reliiuiuish the n-rritorios he had loat. Victui ■♦""Mieus 11. died Hoon afterwanls. Naples comi(i.iiud t.. '"U>8e her ports to tho BritiHiV in con- sequenuo of Freneilj occupation. Corsica evacuated by the British and occupied by the French (October). War declared by Sjiain against Great Britain. Charles IV., a weak-minded monarch, was king nf Spain at that time, and (iodoy, Duke of Acadia, his favourite mijiister, who was a good musician but an incapable statesman, led liim into the rupture with England. —Naval battle off Cape St. Vincent (Feb. 14) between 15 British line- of- battle ships and (5 frigates, under Admiral Sir John Jprvis (afterwards created Earl St. Vincent), and 27 Spanish ships of the line with ten frigates, ••esulting in the totid defeat of the latter and capture f six of their largest ships, of which, however, four only were ultimately secured. This victory frustrated the formidable Spanish-French schenie of invatlin,.; Eng- land. Nelson created Admiral and Knight of the Bath Peace of Campo-Formio between France and Austria (Oct. 17)concluded by Bonaparte with the Count of Coblentz, in which Austria ceded the Netherlands, Milan, and Mantua to France, and received as compensation the districts Istria, Dalmatia, and the left bank of the Adige in the Venetian States, and the Capital, Venice; while France took the remaining territory of Venice, its possessions in Albania and the Ionian Islands. Campo-Formio is a village in the province of ^dine. Northern Italy. Admiral Duncan gained a complete victory over the Dutch fleet off Camperdown, coast of Holland (Oct. 11th). The latter had stolen out of the Texel, under com- mand of AdniTM Von Winter, with the intention of joining the Frtnc)- ■ -, tBicHandwas intercepted by Admiral Duncai . , -o on? -tared the Dutch Admiral CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. iiapiirto forced IB lie hud luat. 8. BriiiHh in con- iupied by the rain. Charles g of Si)ain at his favourite an incapable 1 England. I) between 15 inder Admiral St. Vincent), ten frigates, r and capture iver, fouv only rustrated the nvailin;.; Eng- kth Austria (Oct. tof Coblentz, 1, Milan, and )ensatioD the bank of the pital, Venice; ry of Venice, lian Islands, ce of ITdine, ^er the Dutch (Oct. 11th). under coni- intention of I intercepted ntch Admiral 97 and eight sail of the line ,iff.... PuMio, and one "'"'""'" ''"I""'""" Ro- .ll.i»e R„,,„„L w i .; "'"""l "...l.r tUe title „f Ci,. D"0liy..fMoae„. T"p T""' "'"■'«°' "'" »-. L,. the z; ;f:::r^, ■•' •^'«' -< ^w. Mik„ L the 1 of tl, f '""""" "' •'* '"'"'"■"• »"d the pl„„„ o ;„e.t ' T;';;':"'"™''.- fi-Cry, wWoh w„, „,„„p,„e.. r: , *. ^;«;"''""« A«,„l,ly, Great Council ,f 1^0 T " """"'""■' '""' » ^-ch troop, ,j'-;th?R:;:;L:"'"""'*"'^"'""« pmdence o'f a Fre. j,; ?'""• """""' '"■ "■" ""• ville, and resultio!.,, f! "■'"'*°"' " "'' !>« B""'"' -to'ty .» :^'h i r rtx r '■^^°"'"*'- against Pope Piu, vr n n continuing thier...e,/the ti ; (tb'",;::;:::? "^'r ^"" «'^ of St. Angelo Piu. 1 lW')and8e,.ed the CaatJe temporal S erei™"v and k ""°° *" '"'"""•"' '"» andi„,pri,oneTn "," " '^'"'^^ *"» »<"'«<» by force' fWerTZTtT' '"""'">'■' "'-I-- HCvetian Repuhiri .^ ^f ';^ 7°- land had Wen ,ei.ed by thl k", c , '' """ *"""-°'- '%i'^ "•^ «T?^Si^RSBSWH!??TI f'l ¥■ K CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. Threatened invasion of England by the French. Under the pretext of attacking England, the Directory equip- ped a fleet of 400 ships and an army of 36,oJpiiked inen . Their destination, however, was Egypt, whither Jionaparte was sent, aconipanied by samm who were to explore the antiquities of that country. Bonaparte sailed from Toulon (May 19) Nelson sent to the Mediterranean to watch the French expedition. Malta captured by Bonaparte (June 10th), and Valetta left m charge of a garrison under Vaulois ^aval battle of Aboukir, or " The Nile," (Aug Ist^ About 700 French troops were landed in Ireland to help the rebels (Aug. 22nd). They landed at KiUala Bay, County Mayo, and being reinforced by the native con- jngent, niarx^hed on Ballina, a town on the confines of the County Shgo, which they took. Three weeks afterwards (Sept. 8th) they were defeated by the roy- ahst troops and surrendered at Ballinamuck. Valetta blockaded by Captain A. Ball (Oct. 4th) Nelson created a peer (Baron Nelson of the Nile and Bur- nam Thorpe). 1799.-Parthenopean Republic declared. Ferdinand IV. of Na- Flo^r .T"^ '^' '^"'"^P^^" ''-'^'^''-^ against France, his states were invaded by the French army ana the kingdom erected (Jan. 23rd) into the " Par- thenopean Republic" (from Pcnihenope, the oldest name of the city of Naples). It lasted only till the fol owing June when the invading army was forced to retreat. About a month before the republic was formed Ferdinand and his court had to retire from the city, and only for the tact and intelligence of Lady Kami ton m planning and effecting their escape to Brush ships of war in the bay, they would have been badly treated by the infuriated populace. Nelson re h11 ! ^Vf ^"''^^' ^''^' ^^' ^"•'-"^ -"d Lady Hamilton who had to abandonnearly all their property) on board the r«..,w.rrf and conducted them to Palermo French. Under Directory equip- }f 36,000 picked ' Egypt, whither arans who were iry. Bonaparte tell the French i), and Valetta ois. Aug. Ist). Ireland to help at Killala Bay, the native con- the confines of Three weeks ed by the roy- nuck. 4th). Nile and Bur- nd IV. of Na- ilition against French army to the "Par- >e, the oldest only till the »y was forced republic wa» itirefrom the 3nce of Lady sir escape to Id have been Nelson re- am and Lady leir property) n to Palermo. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 99 Sir William Hamilton was at fh«f .• the Court at Naples ^""^ Ambassador to "»"» ami Austria,., fI'/*" T'"™' °' "" «"• "uwed the TOr anrf L. , ' '*""'■■» liaving re- FieldMarsharCo 'ntS :;: r f'""'' ^'^^^ ^^-• ;« Jtaly and depriverthe F .'''"'^'^"""^^"^^d ^^'^thern Italy (A^ i5tM T'^ "^ *''^ ^^«^« ^^ was created Prince iLiisky '^''' '"'"'''^^ ^^ loifr^^-^^^^-'inwhich Naples subsequently Death of Pope Pius Vr K-. the Rhone, in the 82n7 "^ .r''"""" ^^ ^*^^"««. on Bonaparte's se ret r Lfnt ' "^ "' '" '^^^ ^^"^"«*) -g the command of th?" ''''' ^'''''- '^^>- ^^'g- hu^cled in France at F •"'' '° ^^'^^'•' ^^^^P^^te capital, at once succeeded^'' T^ P^^^^^ding to the and securing hrol^^^^^''''''''^'^'''^^''<^tory ^g _^ (Nov. 10th) nomination as First Consul ' ^^^^:Zi^^:^^^-y(^^y Having re- tion which secured fthr"";'"' ^" ^ "«- -nstitu. ^-.but,inreaii;:^::-t&:t^r"^«-- tive power, Bonanar<-A o,. , , "^®" *ne sole execu- and attacking the L.Vl * "" """^ »'"■■ "-^ Alp, field) »-as a vilhl of Pfl I '' '■'^'«" <""> "»" V j-»t t„ which Cf.^^rh'aJ'^f''''""''™' -^ 36.000 A^triam under 9!^? ^^f^''°<>l"- Seated yield up Piedmont and Lol^ . """"P""'"' "■«"■ ^ Cisalpine Republic re ™. >,, ^^"'^ '" *^ f™*- „ o'eonstitSrand tt^e I:'''""™ """'■""'"on, Peace between F™nce rnTp;; S'^, „ "slored to the nana] „„.l, V "■ ''"'"e was i"*" '.is capital J^, ') '""'^ """ "" ^""^ entered l^.guria.,(„rOen„e,e) Republic re.e.t.b,i.hed. iwc:^' 100 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. Valetta surrendered by the Frencli garrison (Sept. 5th). Vaulois after two years' defence, having capitulated to the British troops under General Pigofc. Emperor Paul I. orders an embargo to be laid upon all British ships (x\ov. 7th) until the British Govern- ment should deliver up the island of Malta to the Knights of St. John of whom he was the elected Grand Master. Captain A. Ball stationed at Gibraltar, which was the headquarters „f the Mediterranean station at that time, as Commissioner of the Navy. 1801. -The Union with Ireland (Jan. 1). By the articles of Union 100 Commoners represent Ireland in the Imperial Parliament, and 28 Lords and 4 Bishops represent the peerage and the clergy. (On the dises- tabhshmene of the Church of England in Ireland July 26, 1869, the right of Irish bishops to sit in par- liament ceased. ) Peace of LuneviUe between France and Germany (Feb. 9), on the basis of the Peace of Campo-Formio. LuneviUe is a town in the department of Meurthe-et- Moselle, France-a former residence of the Dukes of Lorraine. Peace between France and Naples (March 28), Ferdinand having signed a treaty with the First Consul, on which he was restored to his throne in Naples Dissolution of the European coalition. Russia withdrew because England would not recognize Paul I. aa Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St. John. Jl-ngland remained hostile to France. Coalition of Russia, Sweden and Denmark against Great Britain, for the purpose of opposing the right insisted upon by England of searching neutral vessels Nelson sent to the Baltic, under Sir Hyde Parker, with a fleet, to dissolve the coalition (March) Assassination of Paul L, Emperor of Russia (March 24) He was strangled in a scuffle with conspirators who ion (Sept. 5th); 'ing capitulated got. > be laid upon British Govern- ■ Malta to the e elected Grand which was the station at that the articles of reland in the md 4 Bishops (On the dises- id in Ireland, s to sit in par- irerniany (Feb. anipo-Formio. I Meurthe-et- the Dukes of !8), Ferdinand t Consul, on faples. ssia withdrew ul I. as Grand of St. John. igainst Great right insisted ssels. arker, with a I (March 24). pirators who CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 101 XdfallT' ' '1' "^ ''^ ^*^"'^'""« ^-I-^-» under ctvd battle of Copenhagen (April 2). Dissolution of the Northern Coalition (May). JVelson appointed Commander-in-Chief of tl.P K. stationed in the English Channel. """'^ "^' French troops definitely withdrawn from papal territory 1802 P ""'^^ *'^^ ^'^^^Pt'^n of tlie Legations. ^' l«02.-Bonaparte made president of the Cisalpine Republic wlue ... thereupon called the Italian^Bcubir '^' (Ma h t r Si 'Tr "r ^"^^ ^"^^"^ -^ France q^rofr ^r'^^y-^-^^V^^ Bonaparte, the Mar- qui. c^ Cornwalhs, Azara and Schimmelpennink and ^-aed to settle the disputed points betJ^l'E^ i^nd France. Spain, and Holland. By this treatv England retained possession of Ceylon and Trin dad ritv Tl, / ^^y """^ ^'' ^'^^^"^ its integ- nty . These terms were not satisfactory to the Eng- Bonaparte created First Consul for life by a decree of th« French Senate (August 2) "'^ Captain Alexander Ball created a Baronet and appointed Civil Commissioner for the Island of Malta and its 1803.-War between France and Great Britain declared (May 18) , Napoleon's policy in Italy irritated the B it Ih ruptured. Napoleon, who was disappointed at not r 3 ir ^^^''^ ^'^ ^^^^'^' ^'^-iLd fo tr 1 Tu '^ "^ ^"'"''"^^ ^''"''i^^ he would be wel c^ome^by^ ■■'^.™^w^7?5-~ 102 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 1804.- ^1 Nelson sent in command of the fleet to the Mediterranean • blockade of Toidon. ' ^'1^'' rr"^'' 'V^l ^"''"'^ '^"'"''^'«"«' I»dia (Sept. fL w r" ^^ ^"'^ ^'"'^^ ^'ictory of Major-General Arthur Wellesley, afterwards Duke of Wellington h 10 000 of whom were commanded by French officers, and the nuhtaxy supremacy of the conquerors was soon tZ ^^'^"^^^^^^^'^ -- ^ Mreat portioHf Conspiracy of George Cadoual, aChouan chief or royalist -Bonajarte proclaimed Emperor of the French at St. Cloud (May 18), and crowned (Dec. 2) by, or rather in the presence of, Pope Pius VII., (for Napoleon ruddv waXd a "''^- ^"'^"' ^'^ ^'''' ^'"-^ «^^t wanted an empire as a symbol of permanent security An appeal wa^ made to the nation and upwards of three milhon votes were given in favour of the proposed new form of Government. proposed ""Thl f'^; r' "?"*'' '^^ ^^""'^'^'■^'^^^ '^^-'-t the life of tne If ,rst Consul (June 25) War begun between Great Britain and Spain in conse 1805. The Frencl. fleet escaped from Toulon (Jan. 18). Ihreatenedmvasion of England frustrated by Nelson's pursuit of the French fleet under Villeneuve Coahtion of England, Russia, Austria, and Sweden agamst France (April 11) owetlen Bonaparte crowned King of Italy (May 2«) in the .reat cathedral of Milan. Eugene Beauharnais, his step son appointed Viceroy of Italy step-son. Sir Alexander Ball promoted to Rear-admiral. Great naval battle of Trafalgar; xXelson victorious (Oct. Death of Admiral Lord Nelson (Oct 21) Napoleon defeated the allies at Austeriit. (Dec. 2). lediterraiiean ; , India (Sept. Major- General Wellington, in '00 MahratUs^ 'ench officers^ erors was soon it portion of efor royalist sassinate the 1 at St. Cloud' ather in the jleon rudely nsul stated, snt security, upwards of he proposed it the life of ti in conse- y Nelson's e. d Sweden the great s step-son,. ious (Oct. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 2). 103 ''T C:f:rr?^''^^/?' '^^-'^-^ Austria ceded months aftez^trX^ solved and " ThTLTv ■ "'*'' ^'"P'''« ^*« dis- The Elects ^^::^^:!: ^'^'^^ " 'r-'- to the dignity of u,- . ^"'^^^'"^^''g ^^^e elevated other Oemal'n.T'/';^ they, together with 14 1806.-Naples '^,.rZZZ\t^^^^^^^^ ^^''^ ^^ > compelled to ret'l to s ^^ /""^ '"^ Ferdinand the British. ^''"^y ""^^^ ^^»« protection of Joseph Bonaparte, eldest brother of the Fn„ king of Naoles Th. iiniperor, crowned of the tJsLJJ '"""" ^^^^ ^^ -« '-»« ruler Louis Bonaparte, third brother of the Fm king of Holland (June 5) P'''''' '^^^^^^^ Trba'tilfl f' '°^"""" ^^^'-^ ^-nce. (Oet%:' t;^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^--^^ -^ Prussians ^•ilated IheTr^roVprsr^"^ and nearly anni- (Nov. 21) and issued his clbrated . B^rl n ^'''"' against British f^nm», «;«"rated Berlin Decrees " ^^^^ ^ theEngiishti:a:rn:v^^'^^^^^^^^^ "X^rridT^^^^^^^^^^^ r-^ - ^^P^es for that wo^ tirettTr^^r ^^^^^ ^-"^ ^^- treachery, into the powe of Z . f "^'"^ ''"' '^ Bayonne, was held a prisoner Lp ^Z""" ^' relinquish his rights Th. '*'''* ^^'^"^ "" Seville, had declared ;. The supreme junta, that of (June 6). Engtnd on" TT' ""^P^^"" ^"^ ^^ance Spain (July) "to^^^^^^ "^-«^e Peace with and sent a^Cv Td , /"'''^ ^"^ *^ ^^*^ ^'"g mandtoaidthTsp^I?" '''"' "^^"^^'^^'^ -- (Aug. 5) at ijo B ' r;:r^" r^^^ ^^^^^^^ Peninsular War A nl ««»"»enced the famous ations commenc;d a/ cTntrT^'"'^"'! ^ "^^«^^- French withdrew ^L ' ^"""^ '^'« ti'"^ the and Nan-le P ^^''^ Proposals wer« ..«j..^.a "wer^ with an army of 100,000 1 ' ^f ({ ■1 1 1 : ! 104 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. entered Spain, and for some time was completely sue- cessful. In December he occupied Madrid Joachim Murat, brother-in-law of Na>,oleon and a bnlhant general of the French arn.y-'. the handsome swordsman ' -proclaimed king of the Two Sicilies at Naples, by the style of Joachim 1. Napoleon (Aug 1) The Bourbon, Ferdinand IV., held Sicily, uoder the protection of the British. 1809. -Death of Sir John Moore at Corunna (Jan. 16) This brave general, who was in command of the allied forces at th,s „„e (General Wellesley having returned to England), retreated from Salamanca to Corunna and there, with only 14,000 men, defeated the renowned irench general, Soult, who opposed him with 20 OOa 'nen. In this battle Sir John Moore fell, mortally wounded, and shortly after his death, was buried on the ramparts in his military cloak. Three months Hfterwards (April 22), General Wellesley arrived at Lisbon and assumed the command. He drove Soult and Victor out of Portugal and won a splendid victory at lalavera (July 27, 28). Sir Arthur Wellesley created a peer, by the titles of Baron Douro of Wellesley and Viscount Wellington of Talavera (Sept. 4). Death of Sir Alexander Ball (Oct. 20). Jubilee held in Great Britain in honour of George III attaining the 50th year of his reign The fortress of Cuidad Rodrigo carried by storm, (Jan. ly). Wellington advanced in the peerage with title of Earl, and created by the Spanish Regency a grandee of Spain with the title Duque de Cuidad Kodrigo. 1812.-.Napoleon invaded Russia (May). This remarkable and disastrous campaign was the first step to Napoleon's 'o.^"^^''''^ "'^ '' ^^^y) ^>th a magnificent army of 250,000 men ; when he retreated from Mos- cow, sickness starvation, and the frigid climate had reduced it to less than one-half that number, and when CHRONOLOGICAJ. TABLE. 10^ he crossed the Ber«s;nu .f v i iieresHu ,t barely amounted to 25,000 A treaty of peace signed between Great BnW • . Russia (July 18| ^^^^^ Britain and War declared bv United tjf„^ (July 18). ^ ^ ^'^''' ^g^'"«t Great Britain Salamanca won (July '>'>\ . F..ri wr n- to purchase lands to be ettZ, i f""" I""-""™™' successors. For nrevin,, ""• '"' '"''■'• »»=> pensions „,.«2,Mo'e:ch ""'™" "" '■'^'"''=' '« and Indian, under ott Lek""' Huu"" °' ^"^''"' of Quee„s.o„ and OerrafBrr™'" *^ '««'"• forcen,ents„avingarrrved.he 4 "" ■"""'■ «'""- ">%«« Niagara River Thrr"''''" "*"" impfored in vain a laroe b„dv t C'"'"'""' 8™<"»' opposite bank to cross ove^ to ' b "'""'" °" *» brethren in arms, but they re LS" T""'' "' ""='■■ rtwas unconstitutional to send tb- , "^ •"^''°<' «>at frontier. . The Federal ! ""'"» "cms the tended this 0^:^ anTtnT^t 'b'"" "^ '■'"' '" ""''Sust. uenerai Van Renssalaer 1813. -General Proctor, at the head of . British troops and I„dtn;L;:d":,'T' '""' "' »nd defeated General WincC 7 '' "^'"" "'^ An American army of I'^on ». Toronto). About the sleZ "f ""' "^"^^ ^"«- cans was defeated w tiraV t T '' "'" ^'»«"- Tecumseh. Commodorf p r? if ^ ' '"''^"^ ""^^^ American fleet of 9 vesHPl- ■ ^'^""""nd of an ty vessels carrymg 54 guns, captured . 106 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. the Lake Erie s ">•, «« sovereignty of the island „f till 'T'"": "'"' "'" 6,000.0 fought at Chippewa :reat Falls. General nvasion on the Sorel A British force of !ir George Prevost, kke Champlain, with ^orts were productive Dearborn and Com- sn. issian forces entered )leau (April 4). He f fmperor with the t and an income of French government, ba, where he arrived fter 24 years' exile, land, at Hartwell, ', Maria Josephine IS ni., of Sardinia, n. (Way). He was France, and while his return to Eng- ived the thanks of ^0,000 per annum dated Fund, and ' of £200,000. Treaty C'HUoxoLOmCAL TABLE. 107 15 of Paris (Mnv) Ti x *^ «««^^t«l, anu.ng who,,, Hu '•^■I'^'-^entur.ves K">g of rvussia, wi.h H. d ! 1 ' r"^"'^^'"''^'^' ^ ^^^ '"'^^ '^'•'-■H-nrds the Duke o w ;''^ ' ''' Castlen-a.^h, •-^"J Count Talle;.. d ,;t ""■' '"' ^^'^'^'^ ^ P'^'-'t-s settled were L '"'''*'■ '^''^ Pnnoipal ''ti»^'kingdo.,,of tJe^J^?''" "'^' «"^'-'^n ^he ^"«tria; and of Sav, v n ,^ ' ''^ I^^"»''--"cly to ,^-.^.sia were cl,.., ' ^ ^ f^^^""" '"«^- ^-^ ^^retter„ich and Ta] eyra .d i ^'^'^"^'^^^8" i'^'"-l with '-^''^fensive, which' .: ZT:' ''''''' ^ '^^^^'■'--" ^^•'« J,'ivon to Ru,3ia as a se,^lr T ""'"'''''■ ^'^''^"^1 '^^'- -f the Car, with ,, T '':. '^■"^^"'"•» "'-'- tll'^oc.Iinhisfor...u.;oiti<^ ''":• '''"' ^-I-' -- the a.,cie,.f constitut o f s " " " """^''"^ ^''^^-'fe'" ; and «enoa-despit ti ! ^^"'""' '■^-tabiisl.;, '^f its mhal.ita..tLL 1 ,. , :; f ^ . TP^'^^^'^^ ---on -- --ogni.uI.as a bS'T "'? ^'^"'-^ ; Malta '"ent which .-rettlv .. i , '''''{^^"^^^i^y-an a,ran.a>- Rhine and its tribut u I ' ^''' "-'■^'atio.. .j tj>e ^, and .atisfacto..i,y :e;;;:^' ''''' ^-"^^^^ "P h England ^i'oaty,.f peace between Great Bri^ • ^--fAme..a.guedrGt::p::i,j;:^^--^ 3 3