Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 2.djvu/9

 ii. JULY o, 1904.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

LOXDON, SATURDAY, JTLY g, IDOL

CONTENTS.-No. 27.

NOTES : Letters of Cowper, 1 Cobden Bibliography, 3- Black Dog Alley, Westminster, 5 Descendants of Mary Queen of Scots, 6 Cardinal Giudiccioni ' The Most Impudent Man Living ' " The beatific vision," 7.

QUERIES :" Go anywhere and do anything " Swett Family Croquet or Tricquet ' Paisley Annual Miscel- lany 'King of Sweden on the Balance of Power "Birds of a feather" 'The Gospel of God's Anointed 'Quota tion in Ruskin, 8 German-English Dictionary Beer sold without a Licence Owl and Athenian Admiral Blackett Family St. Helena Medal Runeberg, Finnish Poet- Bennett of Lincoln" Kolliwest " Female Incendiary, 9 Lancashire Toast, 10.

REPLIES :-First Wife of Warren Hastings, 10 Biblio- graphy of Publishing, 11 Ramie, 12 Well-known Epi- taph" Alias" in the Sixteenth Century White Turbary France and Civilization Bunney, 13" There 's not a crime" Cold Harbour Flaying Alive, 14 Kentish Cus- tom on Easter Day The Lobishome, 15 Tituladoes Trial of Queen Caroline Phcebe Hessel, the Stepney Amazon" The better the day," 16 Tea as a Meal Potts Family Our Oldest Military Officer Mother Shipton, 17 Hertford Borough Seal Dryden Portraits Poems on Shakespeare Dictionary of English Dialect Synonyms Legend of Constance Audyn Family, 18 Paste Mayor's Seal for Confirmation Tynte Book-plate, 19.

NOTES ON BOOKS : Thomas's ' Swimming ' ' Printers' Pie 'Henderson's Life of Burns.

Notices to Correspondents.

LETTERS OF WILLIAM COWPER.

THE following letters are copied from quarto manuscript books long in the possession of Charlotte, younger daughter of Joseph Stephen Pratt, LL.B. of Trinity Hall, 1805, collated to the fourth stall of Peterborough Cathedral, 28 March, 1808, who died 3 April, 1838, aet. 77. She married, 5 October, 1813, in the parish church of South Collingham, Notts, my uncle Joseph Mayor, Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, who held the rectory of South Collingham to his death, 19 April, 1860. His widow died 21 October, 1871.

The volume from which the present instal- ment is taken is bound in half-calf, and has on the fly-leaf the following notes : "Charlotte Mayor." "The contents of this book to Page 181, were copied from a Manuscript Book by Mrs. Judith Madan."

On p. 1 we read :

" As so many months, my dear Maria, are to pass, before I can hope to converse with you, I have a sudden thought, very pleasing to me, to throw together my thoughts, and those of others, as they occur, on any interesting and important subject, v.-ithout formality or disguise : and I am persuaded, should it please God to take me into eternity before

your return, you will value the faithful transcript of a heart that loces and esteems you. If my life is prolonged, it will serve as a testimony that I am ever mindful of you, and with the greatest truth, and most tender affection, my dear Maria's* faithful friend, as well as affectionate mother,

"J. MADAN." On pp. 182-3 we read :

" (The following was written by Mrs. Cowper, on a loose bit of paper, in Mrs. Madan's MS. book, from which all in this book, so far, has been copied.)"

"The angel writer of this precious manuscript is (as she has in the former part mentioned concerning a pious man) ' translated to that kingdom, where, after a most exemplary life, she, by an easy transi- tion from what she has been on earth, shines forth, I doubt not, as an angel of light.' She entered into glory this year 1781, Dec r 7th. Her honoured remains now rest in St. George's Burying ground, Mount Street, Grosvenor Square. The following significant and valuable text I added under her name, etc., upon her gravestone. 'Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season,' Job v. 26.

"How am I indebted to God for such a parent, What thanks I owe for his vouchsafement of her so long ! He hath now taken her into his rest, and given her that glorious inheritance purchased for believers, by the Redeemer of the world. Praised be His Name ! And how can I sufficiently acknow- ledge the Lord's goodness, for the consolations she has been permitted to leave me, in her inimitably pious manuscripts ! O rich bequest ! My soul, thou art largely and liberally supplied with spiritual food, pray that it may be duly sanctified, leading thee on in the paths of righteousness, till thou arrive at the gate of glory, and meet with her again."

I am happy to add that Mrs. Cowper, following in her mother's steps, bequeathed to her family at least five quarto note-books in her own hand, full of letters from John Newton, Cowper, the Countess of Huntingdon, <&c., poems by her "Sister Maitland." They have been honoured in the third and fourth generation of owners, by careful and loving perusal, and three of the five have been placed in my hands. The first instalment of Cowper letters is valuable as being written from Huntingdon, and addressed to Martin Madan.

In pp. 147-53 is a copy of the letter written to Lady Hesketh, 12 July, 1765 (Wright's edition, i. 33-5). On collation with Wright's text I find (Wright, p. 33, four lines from beginning) " all that pleasure I proposed," where Wright has " which I proposed " ; Wright, p. 34, 1. 9, " closed the conference," MS. "closed up the conference"; Wright, p. 34, 1. 10, " two considerations," MS. " three considerations"; Wright, p. 34, 1. 13, '"''the three cardinal articles," MS. "these cardinal articles " ; p. 34, 1. 8 from foot, " Testaments,"

Cowper [Maria Frances Cecilia Cowper]."
 * Note in later hand : " Her daughter Mrs.