which was beginning to be called evangelical. He was now curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire. The vicar, Moses Browne, was non-resident, and Newton's income was only about 70l. a year. John Thornton, famous for his liberality, and the father of a better known Henry Thornton, allowed him 200l. a year for charity, and Newton worked energetically. At Olney he found a house called ‘Orchard Side’ for Cowper and Mrs. Unwin. Newton employed Cowper as a kind of lay-curate in his parish work. Cowper took part in prayer meetings, visited the sick and dying, and attended constant services. The strain upon his nerves was great (see Early Productions of Cowper, 68–70, for Lady Hesketh's view); his correspondence declined, and he became absorbed in his voluntary duties. He did his best to help a poor population, and was much respected at Olney, where he was called the ‘Squire,’ or ‘Sir Cowper.’ On 20 March 1770 his brother died at Cambridge. Cowper was with him for a month previously, giving religious advice. He wrote an account of his brother's conversion in a pamphlet called ‘Adelphi,’ published in 1802 by Newton from the original manuscript. Cowper was now composing hymns at Newton's request, both for edification and to commemorate their friendship. William Unwin, the son, had settled as a clergyman at Stock in Essex. His sister in 1774 married Matthew Powley, a friend of Newton's, who had been in trouble at Oxford for methodism, and appointed by Henry Venn to the curacy of Slaithwaite, Huddersfield. Powley became vicar of Dewsbury, and died in 1806. Mrs. Powley died 9 Nov. 1835, aged eighty-nine. She had a devotion to a Mr. Kilvington, resembling her mother's to Cowper (Southey, vii. 276–90). It is now known, although Southey denied the fact, that Cowper was at this time engaged to marry Mrs. Unwin (John Newton, by Josiah Bull, p. 192). The engagement was broken off by a fresh attack of mania, possibly stimulated by the exciting occupations encouraged by Newton. In January 1773 the case was unmistakable. In March Cowper was persuaded with difficulty to stay for a night at Newton's house, and then could not be persuaded to leave for more than a year. When feeling the approach of this attack, Cowper composed his fine hymn, ‘God moves in a mysterious way’ (Greathead, Funeral Sermon, p. 19). In the following October suicidal tendencies again showed themselves. He thought himself bound to imitate Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, taking himself as the victim, and that for his failure to do this he was doomed to eternal perdition. This last illusion seems henceforth never to have been quite eradicated from his mind. It was not till May 1774 that he showed improvement, and Mrs. Unwin was then able to induce him to return to his own house. Newton's kindness was unfailing, however injudicious may have been some of his modes of guidance. It was at this time that Cowper sought relief in keeping the hares whom he has immortalised. It was not till 12 Nov. 1776 that he broke silence by answering a letter from Hill.
At the end of 1779 Newton was presented by Mr. Thornton to the rectory of St. Mary Woolnoth. He had failed to attract the people of Olney, and had a name, as he says (Southey, Cowper, i. 270), for ‘preaching people mad.’ He adds some facts which tend to justify the reputation. The influence of Newton upon Cowper has been differently estimated by biographers according to their religious prepossessions. Facts are wanting to enable us to say positively whether Cowper's mind was healthily occupied or overwrought under Newton's direction. The friendship was durable. Newton, if stern, was a man of sense and feeling. It seems probable, however, that he was insufficiently alive to the danger of exciting Cowper's weak nerves. In later years Cowper's letters, though often playful, laid bare to Newton alone the gloomy despair which he concealed from other correspondents. Newton was, in fact, his spiritual director, and Cowper stood in some awe of him, though it does not seem fair to argue that the gloom was caused by Newton, because revealed to him. Before leaving Newton published the Olney hymns. He recommended Cowper to William Bull (1738–1814) [q. v.], an independent minister, an amiable and cultivated man. A cordial affection soon sprang up between them.
After his recovery Cowper had found recreation in gardening, sketching, and composing some playful poems. He built the little summer-house which has been carefully preserved. Mrs. Unwin now encouraged him to a more prolonged literary effort. In the winter of 1780–1 he wrote the ‘Progress of Error,’ ‘Truth,’ ‘Table Talk,’ and ‘Expostulation.’ Newton found a publisher, Joseph Johnson of St. Paul's Churchyard, who undertook the risk. Both Newton and Johnson suggested emendations, which the poet accepted with good-natured submission. Newton also prepared a preface at Cowper's request, which was afterwards suppressed at the suggestion of the publisher, as likely to frighten readers of a different school. It was, however, prefixed, at Newton's request, in an edition of Cowper's poems in 1793. Publication was delayed, and Cowper continued to
