Cowper had lent him twenty-five years before. A Mrs. King also, wife of a friend of his brother, introduced herself on the strength of that, and was kindly received. Last, not least, Thurlow, whom Lady Hesketh had found means to reach, interested himself in the subscription to his Homer (August 1788), and they exchanged some letters on the relative merits of rhyme and blank verse. It is noticeable that Cowper, who wrote the first letter, begins "My Lord," and Thurlow with "Dear Cowper." But Cowper sticks to his original form of address.
Whilst engaged busily on Homer, he was constantly throwing off small pieces, as relaxations. Amongst them were the poems on the slave trade,[1] which Lady Hesketh asked him to write. He also composed a few review articles. The poem on the Queen's visit to London (p. 370) was written at Lady Hesketh's request, she probably hoping that he would succeed Warton as Poet Laureate. But when the latter died in the following year Cowper begged her not to think of it. "He should never," he said, "write anything more worth reading if he were appointed." So the honour was not asked for, and Pye[2] was appointed.
The Homer was published in the summer of 1791. His illness and long-continued intervals of incapacity for work had occasioned the delay. Johnson took all expenses, and paid him £1,000, the copyright remaining Cowper's. It was pub-
- ↑ Pp. 363-365.
- ↑ I cannot resist the temptation of laying a specimen of his productions before the reader:—
"AN ODE ON HER MAJESTY'S BIRTHDAY.
"Britannia hail the blessed day,
Ye smiling seasons sing the same,
The birth of Albion's Queen proclaim,
Great Cæsar's fame and regal sway,
Ye gentle tides and gales convey
To foreign lands, that sink with fear;
While victories and laurels come
To heighten joy and love at home:
Can Heaven greater gifts confer?
Can more success a monarch share?
Ye songsters of the serial tribe,
Break forth in sweet melodious sounds;
Ye flowery fields and fertile grounds,
Rich treasures yield for Cæsar's bride.
Ye autumns and ye winters sing,
Due praise and honour to our king.
Air.
"The heavens to ease a monarch's care,
Benignly gave Charlotte the fair;
Who adds such lustre to the crown,
Such strong alliance, great renown,
By royal birth and noble mind,
As claim no wonder from mankind,
That so much worth and goodness prove,
An object fit for Cæsar's love.
