Part 6 (1/2)
It is true, as has already been said, that Coas ”extramundane,”
and that his political reasonableness was in part the result of the fancy that he and his fellow-saints had nothing to do with the world but to keep theo its oay to destruction But it must also be admitted that while the wealth of Establishments, of which Burke was the ardent defender, is necessarily reactionary in the highest degree, the tendency of religion itself, where it is genuine and sincere,about class or position, and toto sacrifice the present to the future, especially where the hope is held out of moral as well as of material improvement Thus it has coined themselves to have no interest in this world, have practically been its great reformers and improvers in the political and material as well as in the moral sphere
The last specimen shall be one in the more sententious style, and one which proves that Coas capable of writing in a judicious manner on a difficult and delicate question--even a question so difficult and so delicate as that of the propriety of painting the face
TO THE REV WILLIAM UNWIN
”May 3rd, 1784
”MY DEAR FRIEND,--The subject of face painting may be considered, I think, in two points of view First, there is room for dispute with respect to the consistency of the practice with good morals; and secondly, whether it be on the whole convenient or not, itation I set out with all the forical disquisition, but do not proularity any further than itas fast as I can
”As to the immorality of the custom, were I in France, I should see none On the contrary, it seems in that country to be a symptom of modest consciousness, and a tacit confession of what all know to be true, that French faces have in fact neither red nor white of their own This hu found aain, before we can prove the practice to be in of those who use it; either that they intend a deception, or to kindle unlawful desires in the beholders But the French ladies, so far as their purpose coes nobody supposes their colour to be natural for a reen: and this una to two causes; first, to the universal knowledge we have, that French women are naturally either brown or yelloith very few exceptions; and secondly, to the inartificial manner in which they paint; for they do not, as I am most satisfactorily informed, even attempt an imitation of nature, but besmear themselves hastily, and at a venture, anxious only to lay on enough Where therefore there is no wanton intention, nor a wish to deceive, I can discover no iland, I am afraid, our painted ladies are not clearly entitled to the say They even imitate nature with such exactness that the whole public is soreat warmth the question whether painted or not? This was remarkably the case with a Miss E----, whom I well remember Her roses and lilies were never discovered to be spurious, till she attained an age thatnatural impossible This anxiety to be not merely red and white, which is all they aiht very beautiful, and much more beautiful than Nature has made them, is a symptom not very favourable to the idea ould wish to entertain of the chastity, purity, and uilty of a design to deceive is certain Otherhy so much art? and if to deceive, wherefore and hat purpose?
Certainly either to gratify vanity of the silliest kind, or, which is still le, and carry on more successfully the business of temptation Here, therefore, my opinion splits itself into two opposite sides upon the sah painted an inch deep, to be a virtuous, discreet, excellent character; and in no instance should I think the worse of one because she was painted But an English belle must pardon me if I have not the same charity for her She is at least an impostor, whether she cheats me or not, because she means to do so; and it is well if that be all the censure she deserves
”This brings me to my second class of ideas upon this topic, and here I feel that I should be fearfully puzzled, were I called upon to recommend the practice on the score of convenience If a husband chose that his wife should paint, perhaps it ht be her duty, as well as her interest, to comply But I think he would not much consult his own, for reasons that will follow In the first place, she would aded the ht heher virtue under trials, to which otherwise it ht never have been exposed In no other case, however, can I iine the practice in this country to be either expedient or convenient As a general one it certainly is not expedient, because in general English women have no occasion for it A swarthy complexion is a rarity here; and the sex, especially since inoculation has been so much in use, have very little cause to complain that nature has not been kind to theood one, but they cannot, at least they hardly can, give theedy in the sequel, which, should h the use of rouge be general, the use of white paint is far froland, she that uses one, commonly uses both Now all white paints, or lotions, or whatever they may be called, are mercurial, consequently poisonous, consequently ruinous in time to the constitution The Miss B---- abovecertain that her flesh fell from her bones before she died Lady Coventry was hardly a less melancholy proof of it; and a London physician perhaps, were he at liberty to blab, could publish a bill of feth that would astonish us
”For these reasons I utterly condeland; and for a reason superior to all these I must disapprove it
I cannot, indeed, discover that Scripture forbids it in so many words
But that anxious solicitude about the person, which such an artifice evidently betrays, is, I ahout Show me a woman with a painted face, and I will show you a wos of the earth, and not on things above
”But this observation of mine applies to it only when it is an imitative art For in the use of French women, I think it is as innocent as in the use of a wild Indian, who draws a circle round her face, and makes two spots, perhaps blue, perhaps white, in the hts upon the matter
”_Vive valeque_, Yours ever, W C”
These letters have been chosen as illustrations of Cowper's epistolary style, and for that purpose they have been given entire But they are also the best pictures of his character; and his character is everything The events of his life worthy of record es
CHAPTER VIII
CLOSE OF LIFE
Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs Unwin, and hiain went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction
His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon hith failed He was now sixty The Olney physicians, instead of husbanding his vital power, had wasted it away _secundu, and emetics He had overworked himself on his fatal translation of Homer, under the burden of which he moved, as he says hietting up to work at six, and not breakfasting till eleven
And now the life froan to fail Mrs Unas stricken with paralysis; the stroke was slight, but of its nature there was no doubt Her days of bodily life were numbered; of mental life there remained to her a still shorter span Her excellent son, William Unwin, had died of a fever soon after the reed in the work of his profession as a clergy often at Olney But he was in constant correspondence with Cowper, in whose heart as well as in that of Mrs Unwin his death reat void, and his support ithdrawn just at the moment when it was about to become most necessary
Happily just at this juncture a new and a good friend appeared Hayley was a mediocre poet, who had for a time obtained distinction above hisan excellent heart, he had not been in the least soured by the downfall of his reputation He was addicted to a pompous rotundity of style, perhaps he was rather absurd; but he was thoroughly good-natured, very anxious to make himself useful, and devoted to Cowper, to whom, as a poet, he looked up with an ad Both of theed on Milton, and an attempt had been e of it to introduce himself to Coith an effusion of the warmest esteem He was at Weston when Mrs Unas attacked with paralysis, and displayed his resource by trying to cure her with an electric-machine
At Eartham, on the coast of Sussex, he had, by an expenditure beyond his means, ht to gather a distinguished circle To this place he gave the pair a pressing invitation, which was accepted in the vain hope that a change ood
From Weston to Eartham was a three days' journey, an enterprise not undertaken without much trepidation and earnest prayer It was safely acco to meet his poet and philosopher on the way Hayley had tried to get Thurlow to meet Cowper A sojourn in a country house with the tremendous Thurlow, the only talker for whom Johnson condescended to prepare hi pleasure; and perhaps, after all, it was as well that Hayley could only get Cowper's disciple, Hurdis, afterwards professor of poetry at Oxford, and Charlotte Smith
At Eartham, Cowper's portrait was painted by Romney
Romney, expert infallibly to trace On chart or canvas not the form alone And semblance, but, however faintly shown The mind's iht never to erase, Thou hast so pencilled h I own The subject worthless, I have never known The artist shi+ning with superior grace; But this I mark, that symptoms none of woe In thy incomparable work appear: Well: I aht the cause is clear; For in uest and sat to thee