Hannah More to Sir W. W. Pepys-Health. Cowper, Corinne. Support from Religion.

when the rigors of the month of May are past, I trust I shall again experience the blessings of fresh air.

"He does not scorn it who has long endured

A fever's agonies, and fed on drugs."

How have I felt, how have I tasted these lines of Cowper. I remember it was said more than twenty years ago, that I was the only one of the old school who strongly relished Cowper ; but then he had not published the "Task," which I am sure must have converted you, though I think our friends Mrs. Montagu and Lord Orford were never brought over to the faith. Beattie came over but slowly, and I took the credit of his conversion to myself; I believe I rather frightened him into it. And so you agree with me that conversation is absolutely extinct. The classic spirit has, I think, declined with it; and I should think poetry extinct also, did it not in Walter Scott give signs of life. I have not read "Marmion," but hear it is not unworthy the author of the "Lay."

I would have given something if I could have drank tea with your family party the evening after I had finished "Corinne," which your account led me to read. There never was such a book! such a compound of genius and bad taste! such a fermentation of sense and nonsense! The descriptions of Italy are the best; and the descriptions of love the worst I ever met with. There are no shades. As there is little nature, it excites little interest; and the virtuous hero is to me a gloomy specimen of frigid sentimentality. Corinne herself gave me too much the idea of Dr. Graham's Goddess of Health, or the French Goddess of Reason, or the English Attitudinarian of Naples, for me to take a very lively interest in her. Yet let me acknowledge that,

Hannah More to Sir W. W. Pepys-Health. Cowper, Corinne. Support from Religion.

though like Pistol I swallowed and execrated, yet I went on swallowing; and I must own it is a book which requires great knowledge and very considerable powers of mind to produce. She never stumbles so much as when she attempts to introduce Christianity, as there is no subject on which she appears so completely ignorant. You see, evidently, that she drags it into play as a creditable novelty, having, I am told, tried Atheism without success in Delphine, which I have never read.

I have been reading through two books sent me by the authors, my friends, both clergymen of Bristol. One the Life of Thuanus. One felt glad to be introduced into such respectable company as the authors and statesmen of the days of Henri Quartre, the Sullys, the l'Hôpitals, the Casaubons, the Heinsiuses and the Grotiuses. I counselled the author to translate the huge works of Thuanus, but he says the irreclaimable prolixity must ever prevent their being popular. The other is a pamphlet, "Latium Redivivum." The object is to repress the universality of the French language, that provoking criterion of the ascendency of France, and to restore the popular usage of the language of Rome; at least to make it the colloquial tongue of schools and universities, and the medium of our communication with foreigners; and especially that ambassadors shall negotiate in Latin. And why not as well now as in the days of our once "right-learned" Queen? Though I fear some of our corps diplomatique would not be very Ciceronian.

But it is time to revert to your kind letter; and allow me to say, that from no part of it did I derive such heartfelt satisfaction as from the evidence it afforded me of the pious feelings of your heart, and your devout recognition of the merciful hand whence your multiplied blessings flow. O, my good friend! there is no

Hannah More to Sir W. W. Pepys-Health, Cowper, Corinne. Support from Religion.

other stable foundation for solid comfort but the Christian religion; not barely acknowledged as a truth from the conviction of external evidence (strong and important as that is), but from embracing it as a principle of hope, and joy, and peace, and from feeling its suitableness to the wants and necessities of our nature, as well as its power to alleviate and even sanctify our sorrows. Little as has been my own progress in this school, yet that little was an unspeakable support to me on the bed of sickness; and in my weak and helpless state, I often thought what would have become of me if I had then had to begin to learn the elements of religion !

You have doubtless heard that I have had far greater trials than any which sickness could inflict. I will only say, in a few words, that two Jacobin and infidel curates, poor and ambitious, formed the design of attracting notice and getting preferment by attacking some charity schools (which, with no small labor, I have carried on in this county for near twenty years), as seminaries of vice, sedition, and disaffection. At this distance of time, for it is now ended in their disgrace and shame, it will make you smile when I tell you a few of the charges brought against me, viz. : that I hired two men to assassinate one of these clergymen; that I was actually taken up for seditious practices; that I was with Hadfield in his attack on the King's life. One of them strongly insinuated this from the pulpit, and then caused the newspaper which related the attack to be read at the church door. At the same time, mark the consistency! they declared that I was in the pay of Mr. Pitt, and the grand instigator (poor I) of the war, by mischievous pamphlets; and to crown the whole, that I was concerned with Charlotte Corday in the murder of Marat!!! That wicked and needy men should invent this

Hannah More to Mr. and Mrs. Huber-Genius not Exempt from the Duties of Religion.

on.

is not so strange, as that they should have found magazines, reviews, and pamphleteers to support them. My declared resolution never to defend myself, certainly encouraged them to go How thankful am I that I kept that resolution; though the grief and astonishment excited by this combination nearly cost me my life. I can now look, not only without emotion, to this attack, but it has been even matter of thankfulness to me; it helped to break my too strong attachment to the world, it showed me the vanity of human applause, and has led me, I hope, to be more anxious about the motives of my actions, and less anxious about their consequences.

I am happy in the esteem of neighbors, and my schools flourish. I have a sister whose associated labors supply my lack of service. I had intended to have said more in answer to your letter. Your two eldest sons I well remember, and Miss Pepys. I rejoice they are all such blessings to you and their excellent mother.

I beg my affectionate respects to Lady Pepys. How glad I am at your honorable and profitable retreat from your professional labors. May God bless your clerical son, and make him an instrument to His glory!

Yours very sincerely,

H. MORE.

XXI.-NO DISPENSATION FROM THE DUTIES OF RELIGION

TO GENIUS.

Hannah More to Mr. and Mrs. Huber.

1820.

MY DEAR FRIENDS: It is only a few days ago that I could prevail on Messrs. T. & Co. to let me have the book. Imprisoned

Hannah More to Mr. and Mrs. Huber-Genius not Exempt from the Duties of Religion.

in my chamber for three weeks, it was only yesterday that I could finish it. I have read it with mingled feelings; pain and pleasure had by turns the upper hand. But first let me, through you, thank the admirable author, not only for her kind present, but for the elegant and delicate hand with which she has reproved me. As to the work, it indicates a kindred genius with the subject it celebrates; a similarity of striking thoughts, brilliancy of style, and happy turn of expression, the same ardor in feeling, the same generosity of sentiment. I wish my sacred regard to truth would allow me to stop here, but you insist on knowing my sentiments. I really feel myself so entirely inferior to both ladies, that I am not worthy to offer them, and I feel, also, that I am going to expose myself to the charge of want of taste, of want of candor, or of envy of such eclipsing merits. It appears to me, then, that from the excess of her affection and the warmth of her generosity, Madame Necker, not content with making the eloge of Madame de Staël, has made her apotheo sis. It would be a satire on my own judgment and feelings not to allow that I am one among the innumerable admirers of Madame de Staël. Corinne, as an exhibition of genius, is a chef-d'œuvre; of Delphine I have no right to speak, as I have never read it; but, having been assured that it was offensive to morality, I was sorry to observe that Madame Necker's warm heart had led her pure mind to defend it. I am at present too unwell to look over the passages on the admirable work "de l'Allemagne," on which I took the liberty to hazard a remark or two, in my essay on St. Paul. A passage in Madame Necker's book serves to recall the substance of it to my mind; the passage is, “Le Juge suprême sera clement envers le génie.” I humbly conceive this is a dangerous sentiment; Voltaire, Rous