although an old cavalier, he instilled a love of civil and religious liberty, as well as of a monarchical form of government, into the mind of his grandson, who became a distinguished "Whig," when this designation was first applied to a party in the state-and from whom sprung a long succession of distinguished Whigs. The first baronet having died at the age of eighty-two, his heir soon after married Sarah, daughter of Sir Samuel Holled, of London, merchant, a lady of great accomplishments, who took unwearied pains with the education of her A. D. 1664.] children. The eldest of these was William, the subject of this memoir, born in the castle of Hertford in the year 1664. baptismal register has not been found, and the exact day of his birth cannot be ascertained. His parents afterwards resided chiefly in London. [A. His Having been taught to read by his mother, he was sent to a private school at St. Alban's. There lies before me the original of a letter written by him when eight years of age, which I cannot resist my inclination to copy, as the earliest known composition of him who afterwards refuted Bolingbroke's most powerful paper in the "Examiner," and materially influenced the destinies of the empire: Dear Mother, "I thanke you for my Bow and Arrows, which I shall never use But when my master Gives us leave to play. I shall hereafter take more care of my spelling and writing even without ruled lines. My mistress was well brought to Bed of a Daughter on Sunday was Seaven-night, who is to be Christened to day. I hope my Brothers John and Spencer are both very well. I present my humble Duty to my Father and Mother, with my love to my Brothers, remaining "St. Albans, Oct. 27. 1672.” "Your ever obedient Sonne, At this school he continued at least till the 5th of August, 1675, as there is a letter by him written from it on that day to his mother, showing that he had been aiming at a more formal style, which she had not approved of and had suspected to be the composition of the usher: Indeed," says he, "the other letter was my own indicting, and I thought I had pleased you mighty well, but since you like the other stile best, I will wright so hereafter." From this time till he was entered of the Middle Temple, hardly any Sic, although in his subsequent letters he always signs his name CowPER. They are all directed "These For my ever Honoured Mother the LADY COWPER, At her house in the Charter hous Yard in London," They are written very distinctly in large text-giving earnest of the beautiful hand which Lord Cowper acquired, and always retained. thing is known of his education or his history. He certainly never was at any university, and it is doubtful whether he ever was at a public school, although, from evidence given on his brother's famous trial at Hertford for murder, there seems reason to think that they were both for some years at Westminster. Whatever was the nature of his tuition, he became an elegant scholar, and he acquired a taste for polite literature, which adhered to him through life.* His In his eighteenth year he became a Templar, more with a view of mixing with the good society and acquiring the [A. D. 1674-1682.] fashionable accomplishments for which the Inns of Court were still celebrated, than of professionally studying the law. But he made the acquaintance of some black-letter lawyers of agreeable manners, who gave him a liking for their craft, and he had fits of severe application to legal and constitutional lore. Afterwards he fell into bad company, and was seduced into haunts of dissipation. morals for a time were much corrupted, and he formed a connexion which was the pretence for the charge subsequently so boldly and pertinaciously brought forward against him, that he was guilty of bigamy. He had for his mistress a young lady in rather a respectable situation of life, whose family lived near his father's residence in Hertfordshire;† and she is said to have brought him two children, a son and a daughter, the former of whom died in infancy, and the latter grew up to womanhood but there is no foundation whatever for the assertion that he had married her; and, notwithstanding the calumnies of Swift and Mrs. Manley, and the statement with which Voltaire amused Europe, that the Lord Chancellor of England practised and defended polygamy, he had dropped all correspondence with this lady before he was introduced to either of the two wives whom he successively led to the altar. The first of these was Miss Judith Booth, daughter of a London merchant, a young lady of wit and beauty, but no fortune. I will give a specimen of a young lawyer's love-letter in the reign of James II.: "To Mrs. Judith Booth, "Walbrooke, "London. "Dearest Madam, "This present.‡ My father hath been with me and employed me some part of this * Mrs. Manley, speaking of his father under the name of Volpone, in her calumnious manner, says " Whether it were that he was sordidly covetous, or that he could not spare so much from his own expenses, he did not bestow a liberal education upon his son, but bred him to the practice of the law in that manner that is the least generous and most corrupt; but HERNANDO (Lord Cowper) had natural parts that surmounted all these inconveniences."-New Atalantis, i. 195. Yet her friend Swift is compelled to admit that he was what we usually call a piece of a scholar, and a good logical reasoner." Miss Elizabeth Culling, of Hertingfordbury Park. He usually writes this complimentary word in a contracted form, at the right hand bottom corner of the letter, thus: "pEsent." When he was a member of parliament, on the opposite corner he wrote "Frank, W. Cowper," or "Free, W. Cowper." afternoon with himself, and hath ordered me to make [A. D. 1686.] some inquiries after a servant; so that I must be worse than my desire in not seeing you this afternoon. I wish my thoughts that are so often with you when I am not, were not invisible: then you might save yourself the trouble of reading such like notes, and see at one view how discontented and vexed they are when I cannot waite on you. You would see how forward and impatient they grow under any other business, and I'm sure without farther apology would excuse me and forgive my absence for their very looks. But since this cannot be, be so good as to think 'em truly and plainly expressed in this paper of "Your very humble and affectionate Servant, "WILL. Cowper. "Temple, June 19, -86.” The match was an imprudent one, for he was still only a law student, with the prospect of his profession being to him a source of expense rather than of profit. His father was still a young man, and had other sons to provide for. Nevertheless, after a year's courtship, and before he was called to the bar, the marriage was celebrated. Though deeply regretted by his family, it proved his salvation, and it may be considered the foundation of all his future prosperity. Mrs. Cowper was soon "as women wish to be who love their lords," and he saw that she and her children must for years depend almost entirely upon his exertions. He therefore forthwith set himself steadily and doggedly to work to fit himself to practise as an advocate in Westminster Hall. No one ever had by nature finer qualities for that profession-handsome figure, a most intelligent and winning countenance, a silver-toned voice, a quick perception, a lively imagination, and "a head for the law.' He gained considerable distinction in the "moots," which still went on under the cloisters in the Temple, and great expectations of his future success were formed by those who knew him best. In Trinity Term, 1688, he was called to the bar, and in a few days he had his first brief-which was to make a motion of some importance in the Court of King's Bench. His [A. D. 1688.] wife was then on a visit to his father in the country, and he sent her an account of his performance in a letter thus addressed :— "To Mrs. Judith Cowper, at "Hertfort Castle, "Present. "I have to tell you, my dear Judith, that. I have made my maiden motion in the King's Bench, and that by the help of self-persuasion and reasoning with myself, without much of the bashfulness I am naturally inclined to. Upon asking the standers-by their opinion of my Performance, they only found fault that I did not interweave what I said with civill expressions enough to his Lordshipp, as May it please your Lordshipp,' and, I am humbly to move your Lordshipp,' and the like. But that fault will be amended for the future, and to that end you shall find me begin to practis my extraordinary civility on your sweet self. 6 I delivered your letter to your Father with my own hand, who is very well except that his leg begins to trouble him a little again. I was yesterday in the afternoon to see my Lady Parker, who is very well, and sends her service to you all at Hertford. I must keep room to present my Duty to my dear Mother, and to subscribe myself as in duty bound, "Your very faithful and obedient Husband, "Middle Temple, June 28, -88.” WILL: Cowper. He chose the Home Circuit, which began soon after, and at Hertford he had several briefs; but he was made more nervous than he had been in the Court of King's Bench, by his mother, and his wife, and a party of ladies whom he knew, coming from the Castle and placing themselves near the Judge on the Bench to hear him plead. However, his courage rose as he advanced, and he acquitted himself to their satisfaction, taking care to interlard his speech with a sufficient number of May it please your Lordshipps." He did not make enough to pay his expenses at Chelmsford, Maidstone, Horsham, or Kingston, but he had a little sprinkling of business at each of these places; and upon the whole he felt encouraged by the start he had made. When Michaelmas Term came round, the laws were silent amidst arms. On the 5th of November, the Prince of Orange landed at Torbay. Young Cowper, early taught by his father, Sir William, the true. principles of the constitution, had indignantly beheld the tyrannical acts which marked the close of the reign of Charles II., and the systematic incurable despotism which threatened the permanent overthow of the religion and liberties of the people since the accession of the reigning Sovereign. He saw no possibility of redress from the ordinary means prescribed by the law; he thought that the original contract between the King and the people was broken; and he declared that resistance being necessary, and on account of the spirit displayed by the people, being likely to be effectual, it had become a right and a duty. So enthusiastic was he, that he induced his brother Spencer, and several other young gentlemen who shared his sentiments, to the number of twenty-eight, to form themselves into a little volunteer corps, and, arming themselves in the best way they could, to march under his command that they might join the Deliverer. James was still at Whitehall, struggling to maintain his authority, when, in the beginning of December, they set forward, and it was thought that a battle might be necessary before he could be expelled. Cowper sent to his wife, in the form of a journal, a minute account of this expedition. Unfortunately the beginning of it is lost, but I am enabled to lay a subsequent part of it before the public. From James's flight the expected campaign had been turned into an ovation: "Windsor, Saturday, Dr. 15, -88. "The continuall hurry wee have been in, & our not coming to posttowns at convenient times, have hitherto hindered me fro writing since my last, fro Ailesbury: Fro whence wee sett out on Tuesday last, & dining at Thame, came about 5 in ye evening safe to Oxford; in this day's journey I came to understand that our delays at London were fortunate, for ye day before a party of 12 of ye King's horse had been as far as Wheatly Bridge, within 5 miles of Oxford, to rob or intercept, wch Bridge was our way necessarily att ye gate of Oxford wee were stopt by a guard of ye town militia and disarmed, & it being put to my choice who of severall Lords that were in town wee would wait on, I chose La Lovelace, who, knowing my name and business, dismist me & company with civility and arms returned: I found ye University preparing an entertainment of musick for ye Prince (who they expected the next day fro Abington,) at ye Theatre & a Dinner at Christ Church College, but ye news of ye Ks departure coming at 12 at night, ye Prince sent word to Oxford of ye alteration of his intentions & yt he would march ye next day to Wallingford (9 miles fro Oxford) for London; so yt on Wednesday morning wee went, & about 2 that day mett ye Prince at Wallingford, where wee saw him dine at a little Inn wth great variety of meat and sawces, sweetmeats, etc., wch it seems is part of ye fatigue wee admire in great Generals; he lay at ye Mayor's house. The next day being Thursday, he rode all ye way a foot-pace fro thence to Henley, wth a small guard of about 12 horse, but a very large attendance of Lords & Gentry, and abundance of acclamations and expressions of joy fro ye country People. Fro thence on fryday wee came with ye Prince to Windsor Castle, where he was received with usuall expressions of joy, wch is now unfeigned. I have hitherto quartered in ye same town wth ye Court without difficulty, & intend now to stay till ye Prince comes to London: you cannot conceive ye pleasure there is in seeing ye fountain of this Happy revolution, and ye new face of things at Court, where is nothing of ye usuall affectation of Terror, but extreme civility to all sorts of People; you shall see country women admitted to see him dine, & as many of ye Nobles & Principall men as there is rome for dine with ye Prince covered. I omitt private particulars, because I hope twill not be long till I see you at London, wch I guess will be on Tuesday; ye Prince, I am informed, stays here to day, how much longer I cant certainly tell. The army is much short of ye opin: you conceived of it at London as I'm informed, & ye foot I see are very little men. Sr. H. Ashurst has ventured to come hither. The coach by wch I send is near going. We are all very well.” This must be considered an important historical document, giving a most lively picture of public feeling in the great crisis of our fate as a free nation. The reader will probably be surprised by the language respecting "the usual affectation of terror," contrasted with "the extreme civility to all sorts of people" now supposed to be shown by the future King, for Charles II. was partly redeemed from his vices by his extreme affability, and even James we regard as rather amiable in private life,—while William's reserve and frigid manners from the commence15 VOL. IV. |