Re-

Letter to the Rev. John Newton, Dec. 17, 1781.

marks on his poems on Friendship, Retirement, Heroism

and Etna; Nineveh and Britain

To the Rev. William Unwin, Dec. 19, 1781. Idea of a

theocracy'; the American war

To the Rev. John Newton; shortest day, 1781.

national miscarriage; with lines on a flatting-mill

To the same, last day of 1781. Concerning the printing

of his Poems; the American contest

2

5

On a

7

8

10

14

Conduct of

To the Rev. William Unwin, Jan. 5, 1782. Dr. Johnson's

critique on Prior and Pope

To the Rev. John Newton, Jan. 13, 1782. The American

contest

To the Rev. William Unwin, Jan. 17, 1782.

critics; Dr. Johnson's remarks on Prior's Poems; re-

marks on Dr. Johnson's Lives of the Poets; poetry

suitable for the reading of a boy

15

To Joseph Hill, Esq., Jan. 31, 1782. Political reflections 22

To the Rev. John Newton, Feb. 2, 1782. On his Poems

then printing; Dr. Johnson's character as a critic;

severity of the winter

To the Rev. William Unwin, Feb. 9, 1782. Bishop Lowth's

juvenile verses; acquaintance with Lady Austen

Attentions of Lady Austen to Cowper

24

27

29

Letter from him to Lady Austen

She becomes his next door neighbour

To the Rev. William Unwin. On Lady Austen's opinion
of him; attempts at robbery; observations on religious
characters; genuine benevolence

To the Rev. John Newton, Feb. 16, 1782. Charms of

authorship

PAGE

30

31

ib.

35

37

To the Rev. William Unwin, Feb. 24, 1782. On the pub-
lication of his poems; his letter to the Lord Chancellor 36
To Lord Thurlow, Feb. 25, 1782, enclosed to Mr. Unwin
To the Rev. John Newton, Feb. 1782. On Mr. N.'s Pre-
face to his Poems. Remarks on a Fast Sermon
To the same, March 6, 1782. Political remarks; cha
racter of Oliver Cromwell

Decision and boldness of Cromwell

38

41

43

44

46

To the Rev. William Unwiu, March 7, 1782. Remon-
strance against Sunday routs
Remarks on the reasons for rejecting the Rev. Mr. New-
ton's Preface to Cowper's Poems

To the Rev. John Newton, March 14, 1782. On the in-
tended Preface to his Poems; critical tact of Johnson,
the bookseller

To Joseph Hill, Esq., March 14, 1782. On the publica-
tion of his Poems

To the Rev. William Unwin, March 18, 1782.

and Mrs. Unwin's opinion of his Poems

Improvements in prison discipline

To the Rev. John Newton, March 24, 1782.

Mr. B. compared with Cowper's

To the Rev. William Unwin, April 1, 1782. On his
commendations of his Poems

To the same, April 27, 1782. Military music; Mr. Un-
win's expected visit; dignity of the Latin language;
use of parentheses

To the same, May 27, 1782. Dr. Franklin's opinion of
his poems; remarkable instance of providential deli.
verance from dangers; effects of the weather; Rodney's
victory in the West Indies

To the same, June 12, 1782. Anxiety of authors respect-

ing the opinion of others on their works

Reception of the first volume of Cowper's Poems

Portrait of the true poet

Picture of a person of fretful temper

Part the Second.

To the Rev. William Bull, June 22, 1782. Poetical

epistle on Tobacco

70

To the Rev. William Unwin, July 16, 1782. Remarks
on political affairs; Lady Austen and her project
To the same, August 3, 1782. On Dr. Johnson's ex-
pected opinion of his Poems; encounter with a viper;
Lady Austen; Mr. Bull; Madame Guion's Poems

The Colubriad, a poem

74

78

Lady Austen comes to reside at the parsonage at Olney 79

Songs written for her by Cowper

His song on the loss of the Royal George

ib.

81

To Joseph Hill, Esq., Sept. 6, 1782. Visit of Mr. Small 85

To the Rev. William Unwin, Nov. 4, 1782. On the ballad

of John Gilpin; on Mr. Unwin's exertions in behalf of

the prisoners at Chelmsford; subscription for the widows

of seamen lost in the Royal George

To the Rev. William Bull, Nov. 5, 1782.

pected visit

On his ex-

To Joseph Hill, Esq., Nov. 11, 1782. On the state of

his health; encouragement of planting; Mr. P

of Hastings

To Joseph Hill, Esq., Nov. 1782. Thanks for a present

of fish; on Mr. Small's report of Mr. Hill and his im-

provements

To the Rev. William Unwin, Nov. 18, 1782. Acknow-

ledgments to a beneficent friend to the poor of Olney;

on the appearance of John Gilpin in print

87

To the Rev. William Unwin. No date. Character of Dr.

Beattie and his poems; Cowper's translation of

Madame Guion's poems

To Mrs. Newton, Nov. 23, 1782. On his Poems; severity

of the winter; contrast between a spendthrift and an

Olney cottager; method recommended for settling

disputes

To Joseph Hill, Esq., Dec. 7, 1782. Recollections of the

coffee-house; Cowper's mode of spending his evenings;

political contradictions

PAGE

96

98

101

To the Rev. William Unwin, Jan. 19, 1783. His occupa-

tions; beneficence of Mr. Thornton to the poor of Olney 102

To the Rev. John Newton, Jan. 26, 1783. On the antici-

pations of peace; conduct of the belligerent powers

To the Rev. William Unwin, Feb. 2, 1783. Ironical con-

gratulations on the peace; generosity of England to

France

To the Rev. John Newton, Feb. 8, 1783. Remarks on

the peace

105

107

109

To Joseph Hill, Esq., Feb. 13 1783. Remarks on his

To the same. Feb. 20, 1783. With Dr. Franklin's letter
on his Poems

ib.

114

115

ib.

To the same. No date. On the coalition ministry; Lord

Chancellor Thurlow

Neglect of Cowper by Lord Thurlow

Lord Thurlow's generosity in the case of Dr. Johnson,
and Crabbe, the poet

To the Rev. John Newton, Feb. 24, 1783. On the peace 116

To the Rev. William Bull, March 7, 1783. On the peace;

Scotch Highlanders at Newport Pagnel

To the Rev. John Newton, March 7, 1783. Comparison

of his and Mr. Newton's letters; march of Highlanders

belonging to a mutinous regiment

To the same. April 5, 1788. Illness of Mrs. C.; new

method of treating consumptive cases

To the same. April 20, 1783. His occupations and

studies; writings of Mr.

conversion in his last moments

118

120

122

; probability of his

123

To the Rev. John Newton. May 5, 1783. Vulgarity in a
minister particularly offensive

To the Rev. William Unwin, May 12, 1783.

Remarks

on a sermon preached by Paley at the consecration of

Bishop L.

Severity of Cowper's strictures on Paley

PAGE

126

127

129

Important question of a church establishment

Increase of true piety in the Church of England
Language of Beza respecting the established church

ib.

130

131

To Joseph Hill, Esq., May 26, 1783. On the death of his
uncle's wife

ib.

To the Rev. John Newton, May 31, 1783. On Mrs. C.'s

death

132

To the Rev. William Bull, June 3, 1783.

With stanzas

on peace

133

To the Rev. William Unwin, June 8, 1783.

the green-house; character of the Rev. Mr.

To the Rev. John Newton, June 13, 1783. On his Re-

view of Ecclesiastical History; the day of judgment;

observation of natural phenomena

Extraordinary natural phenomena in the summer of 1783 139

De la Lande's explanation of them

Earthquakes in Calabria and Sicily

To the Rev. John Newton, June 17, 1783.

must not expect to scold men out of their sins
Tenderness an important qualification in a minister
To the Rev. John Newton, June 19, 1783.

Dutch translation of his " Cardiphonia"

To the same. July 27, 1783. A country life barren of
incident; Cowper's attachment to his solitude; praise

of Mr. Newton's style as an historian

Remarks on the influence of local associations

Dr. Johnson's allusion to that subject

To the Rev. William Unwin, August 4, 1783.

inquiry concerning the sale of his Poems; remarks on

English ballads; anecdote of Cowper's goldfinches ib.

To the same. Sept. 7, 1783. Fault of Madame Guion's

writings, too great familiarity in addressing the Deity 153