Cowper, William, 1731-1800. Poems: by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple, Esq. London: printed for J. Johnson, 1782. [4],367,[1]p. ; 8⁰. (ESTC T14895; OTA K027775.000)

POEMS BY WILLIAM COWPER, Of the INNER TEMPLE, ESQ.

POEMS BY WILLIAM COWPER, Of the INNER TEMPLE, ESQ.

Sicut aquae tremulum labris ubi lumen ahenis

Sole repercussum, aut radiantis imagine lunae,

Omnia pervolitat laté loca, jamque sub auras

Erigitur, summique ferit laquearia tecti.

VIRG. AEN. VIII.

So water trembling in a polish'd vase,
 Reflects the beam that plays upon its face,
 The sportive light, uncertain where it falls,
 Now strikes the roof, now flashes on the walls. 

Nous sommes nés pour la vérité, et nous ne pouvons souffrir son abord. les figures, les paraboles, les emblémes. sont toujours des ornements nécessaires pour qu'elle puisse s'annoncer. et soit quon craigne qu'elle ne découvre trop brusquement le défaut qu'on voudroit cacher, ou qu'enfin elle n'instruise avec trop peu de ménagement, ou veut, en la recevant, qu'elle soit déguisée. CARACCIOLI.

LONDON: Printed for J. JOHNSON, No. 72, St. Paul's Church Yard. 1782.

CONTENTS.

CONTENTS.

TABLE TALK Page 1
Progress of Error 41
Truth 73
Expostulation 103
Hope 140
Charity 180
Conversation 212
Retirement 258
The Doves 299
A Fable 302
A Comparison 304
Verses, supposed to be written by Alexander Selkirk, during his solitary Abode in the Island of Juan Fernandes 305
On the Promotion of Edward Thurlow, Esq. to the Lord High Chancellorship of England 309
Ode to Peace 310
Human Frailty 311
The Modern Patriot 313
On observing some Names of little Note recorded in the BIOGRAPHIA BRITANNICA 314
[Page]Report of an adjudged Case not to be found in any of the Books 315
On the burning of Lord Mansfield's Library, together with his MSS. by the Mob, in June 1780 318
On the same 319
The Love of the World reproved; or, Hypocrisy detected 320
The Lily and the Rose 322
Idem Latine Redditum 324
The Nightingale and Glowworm 326
Votum 328
On a Goldfinch starved to Death in a Cage 329
Horace, Book the 2d, Ode the 10th 332
A Reflection on the foregoing Ode 334
Translations from Vincent Bourn 335
The Shrubbery 344
The Winter Nosegay 346
Mutual Forbearance 347
To the Rev. Mr. Newton 351
Translation of Prior's Chloe and Euphelia 353
Boadicea 354
Heroism 357
The Poet, the Oyster, and the Sensitive Plant 362
To the Rev. Mr. William Cawthorne Unwin 366

TABLE TALK. / William Cowper
THE PROGRESS OF ERROR. / William Cowper
TRUTH. / William Cowper
EXPOSTULATION. / William Cowper
HOPE. / William Cowper
CHARITY. / William Cowper
CONVERSATION. / William Cowper
RETIREMENT. / William Cowper
THE DOVES. / William Cowper
A FABLE. / William Cowper
A COMPARISON. / William Cowper
ANOTHER. Addressed to a YOUNG LADY. / William Cowper
VERSES, supposed to be written by ALEXANDER SELKIRK, during his solitary Abode in the Island of JUAN FERNANDEZ. / William Cowper
On the Promotion of EDWARD THURLOW, Esq. to the Lord High Chancellorship of ENGLAND. / William Cowper
ODE TO PEACE. / William Cowper
HUMAN FRAILTY. / William Cowper
THE MODERN PATRIOT. / William Cowper
On observing some Names of little Note recorded in the BIOGRAPHIA BRITANNICA. / William Cowper
REPORT Of an adjudged Case not to be found in any of the Books. / William Cowper
On the Burning of LORD MANSFIELD'S Library, together with his MSS. by the Mob, in the Month of June, 1780. / William Cowper
ON THE SAME. / William Cowper
THE LOVE OF THE WORLD REPROVED; OR, HYPOCRISY DETECTED. / William Cowper
THE LILY AND THE ROSE. / William Cowper
IDEM LATINE REDDITUM.

IDEM LATINE REDDITUM.

1.HEU inimicitias quoties parit aemula forma,
 Quam raro pulchrae, pulchra placere potest? 
Sed fines ultrà solitos discordia tendit,
 Cum flores ipsos bilis et ira movent. 

2.Hortus ubi dulces praebet tacitosque recessûs,
 Se rapit in partes gens animosa duas,
 Hic sibi regales amaryllis candida cultûs,
 Illic purpureo vindicat ore rosa. 

[Page 325]

3.Ira rosam et meritis quaesita superbia tangunt,
 Multaque ferventi vix cohibenda sinû,
 Dum sibi fautorum ciet undique nomina vatûm,
 Jusque suum, multo carmine fulta, probat. 

4.Altior emicat illa, et celso vertice nutat,
 Ceu flores inter non habitura parem,
 Fastiditque alios, et nata videtur in usûs
 Imperii, sceptrum, Flora quod ipsa gerat. 

5.Nec Dea non sensit civilis murmura rixae,
 Cui curae est pictas pandere ruris opes. 
Deliciasque suas nunquam non prompta tueri,
 Dum licet et locus est, ut tueatur, adest. 

6.Et tibi forma datur procerior omnibus, inquit,
 Et tibi, principibus qui solet esse, color,
 Et donec vincat quaedam formosior ambas,
 Et tibi reginae nomen, et esto tibi. 

[Page 326]

7.His ubi sedatus furor est, petit utraque nympham
 Qualem inter Veneres Anglia sola parit,
 Hanc penés imperium est, nihil optant amplius, hujus
 Regnant in nitidis, et sine lite, genis. 

THE NIGHTINGALE AND GLOW-WORM. / William Cowper
VOTUM.

VOTUM.O matutini rores, auraeque salubres,
 O nemora, et laetae rivis felicibus herbae,
 Graminei colles, et amaenae in vallibus umbrae! 
Fata modó dederint quas olim in rure paterno
 Delicias, procul arte, procul formidine novi,
 Quam vellem ignotus, quod mens mea semper avebat,
 Ante larem proprium placidam expectare senectam,
[Page 329] Tum demùm exactis non infeliciter annis,
 Sortiri tacitum lapidem, aut sub cespite condi! 

On a GOLDFINCH starved to Death in his Cage. / William Cowper
The PINE APPLE and the BEE. / William Cowper
HORACE. Book the 2d. ODE the 10th. / William Cowper
A REFLECTION on the foregoing ODE. / William Cowper
Translations from VINCENT BOURNE.

Translations from VINCENT BOURNE.

[Translation] 1. THE GLOW-WORM, / Vincent Bourne; William Cowper (translator)
[Translation] 2. THE JACK DAW. / Vincent Bourne; William Cowper (translator)
[Translation] 3. THE CRICKET. / Vincent Bourne; William Cowper (translator)
[Translation] 4. THE PARROT. / Vincent Bourne; William Cowper (translator)
THE SHRUBBERY, Written in a Time of Affliction. / William Cowper
THE WINTER NOSEGAY. / William Cowper
MUTUAL FORBEARANCE, Necessary to the Happiness of the Married State. / William Cowper
To the REV. MR. NEWTON. An Invitation into the Country. / William Cowper
TRANSLATION OF PRIOR'S CHLOE AND EUPHELIA.

TRANSLATION OF PRIOR'S CHLOE AND EUPHELIA.

1.MERCATOR, vigiles oculos ut fallere possit,
 Nomine sub ficto trans mare mittit opes;
 Lené sonat liquidumque meis Euphelia chordis,
 Sed solam exoptant te, mea vota, Chlöe. 

2.Ad speculum ornabat nitidos Euphelia crines,
 Cum dixit mea lux, heus, cane, sume lyram. 
Namque lyram juxtà positam cum carmine vidit,
 Suave quidem carmen dulcisonamque lyram,

3.Fila lyrae vocemque paro, suspiria surgunt,
 Et miscent numeris murmura maesta meis,
 Dumque tuae memoro laudes, Euphelia, formae,
 Tota anima intereá pendet ab ore Chlöes. 

[Page 354]

4.Subrubet illa pudore, et contrahit altera frontem,
 Me torquet mea mens conscia, psallo, tremo;
 Atque Cupidineâ dixit Dea cincta coronâ,
 Heu! fallendi artem quam didicere parum. 

BOADICEA, AN ODE. / William Cowper
HEROISM. / William Cowper
THE POET, THE OYSTER, AND SENSITIVE PLANT. / William Cowper
To the Rev. WILLIAM CAWTHORNE UNWIN. / William Cowper
FINIS.

FINIS.

ERRATA.

ERRATA.

Pag. 3, line 4, for naught read nought.

7, l. 19, for stiffen'd r. stiffens.

8, l. 6, for In compassing r. Incompassing.

11, l. 12, for ear, r. I hear.

25, l. 10, p. 28, line last, p. 32, l. 2, p. 48. l. 4. for a comma place a full stop.

33, l. 12, for never r. neither.

46, l. 8, instead of a full stop after world, place a comma

48, l. 4, for salt'ry r. psalt'ry.

242, l. 4, for come r. comes.