Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 2.djvu/58

 NOTES AND QUERIES. po* s. IL JULY ie,

LETTERS OF WILLIAM COWPER. (See ante, p. 1.)

ON pp. 157-60 we find: "Letter of Wm. Cowper to the Park,* having never wrote to himt since his{ illness and recovery."

Letter from Huntingdon, 18 October, 1765, printed in Wright, i. 51, 52. P. 51, 1. 16 from foot, "but I am no such monster " omitted by mistake in MS. L. 8 from foot, " could," MS. "would." L. 3 from foot, "might," MS. "would." P. 52, 1. 4, "have," MS. "who have." L. 7, " those," om. MS. L. 10, " all," om. MS. L. 15, " to do so," MS. "so to do." L. 16, " of intercourse," om. MS. L. 4 from foot, "as," MS. "which." At end of letter MS. adds" W m Cowper."

Of the quarto commonplace-books of Cow- per's cousin, 'Maria Frances Cecilia, nee Madan, wife of Major William Cowper, I have access at present to vols. iii. to v., bound in vellum. On p. 33 we read: "Let. 11 th Continuation of a series of letters from Mr. W. C. to myself and others (see back my 2' 1 v. common place)." Not dated here, and not complete (Wright, i. 94, 95, Huntingdon, July 13, 1767). P. 94, 1. 5 from foot, "fracture," MS. " wound" in text, "fracture" in margin. P. 95, 1. 2, "home," MS. " the house." P. 95, 11. 7-11, " The effect

to a son," om. MS. L. 14, " us," MS. " me."

L. 17 seq.j "We. ..we. ..we. ..we.. .us. ..us," MS. "I...L. .I...L. .me.. .me." What follows after

" rest for us " from " We have employed

family," om. MS. For "and am, my," MS. "I remain."

Pp. 34-6 :

Letter 12.

DEAR COUSIN, Your letter brought me the first

news of 's success at H. I heartily wish that

all the members of a certain august assembly, were equally worthy of their office, and the confidence reposed in them : which will be the case, when they are all nominated and chosen in the same dis- interested manner ; and of mere respect to their honour and integrity, and never before.

I was never much skilled in politics, and am now less versed in them than ever ; but this I know : that when I see a great building full of cracks, weather-beaten and mouldering apace, and much declined from the perpendicular, the downfal of that house is not far distant ; unless it is set right again by an extraordinary repair. This is too much the case, I am afraid, with our poor country ! I am neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I know that the natural tendency of iniquity is to ruin ; and every kingdom that has fallen in pieces, in the past ages of the world, gives testimony to the truth of the assertion. May God raise up many to intercede with Him, on behalf of a sinful land ; for I am sure if the prayers of His own people, those


 * Park House, near Hertford.

t To Major Cowper, his cousin.

t William Cowper's.

" At this time a great bustle about Wilks."

that love and fear Him, do not prevail for a blessing, not all the contrivances of the wisest heads amongst us, will be able to divert the storm that threatens us.

My dear cousin, how happy are they who have been taught of God, that this is not their rest, that here they have no continuing city ! who can look from this mass of perishing things, to a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God I whose hearts glow, with a comfortable hope, that amongst those many mansions which Jesus tells us, are in His Father's house, there is one reserved for them ; where no fear of dissolution and ruin shall ever find them out, where nothing shall enter that can defile them, consequently nothing that can grieve them, and of which Jesus Himself, the un- changeable and everlasting Saviour, is the chief corner stone ! Blessed are we indeed, if God has given us this precious hope, through faith in His Son's name, this hope that purifies the soul, even as He is pure, makes all sin hateful, and all that is holy, and according to the will of God, lovely and desirable in our eyes, and is day by day bringing us to a greater meetness for an inheritance among the saints in light.

May you, and I, and all dear to us, be made in- timately acquainted with the things that belong to our peace ! have more and more experience of the transforming power of the grace of Christ, and follow Him, through this poor fleeting world, that we may rejoice in Him forever, and reign with Him. in His 'own heavenly kingdom.

Yours etc. etc.

O y (Olney), April 15, 1768.

Pp. 36-9 :

This letter bears date H n n (Huntingdon), June 4, 1767.

Letter 1. To Mrs. M[adan].

MY DEAR AUNT, When I might have enjoyed your company as often as I pleased, not being fit for it, I declined it, and now that I should rejoice to see you, my Heavenly Father having in His great mercy in some measure qualified me for the society of them that believe, I have it not in my power to converse with you in person. This, which I dare not call my misfortune, because it is the dispen- sation of His will who hath called me, I must make my excuse for writing to you, and doubt not, but you will admit it as a sufficient one ; for I know you will not be sorry to hear from a person, not only nearly allied to you by blood, for that is little, but now more closely united to you, I trust, by the unspeakable gift of God, in the same spirit. I never recollect the kindness of your behaviour to me, when we met, notwithstanding all my apparent neglect of you, without seeing in it an instance of that meek and forgiving temper, which the Lord has been pleased to work in all those, who believe in the name of Jesus. I beg your pardon for my strange behaviour, my dear aunt, and can venture to assure you, without danger of dissimulation, that, were it in my power to give proof of the change I have undergone in this respect also, that

froof should not be wanting. Alas ! How could truly love a disciple of the Lord, while I was at enmity with her Master? How was it possible, that one of the dear children of God, should find a place in my unrenewed, unsanctified heart? I would not, neither need I, represent myself as worse than I was ! I always respected you, but it was