roof also afforded shelter to Mrs. Lovell, another sister, when she was left a widow.

At Greta Hall, Southey remained for the rest of his life; and now having fairly adopted literature as the business of his life, he set to work with an untiring industry which has rarely been equalled. Writing to a friend shortly after going to the lakes, he says: "My actions are as regular as those of St. Dunstan's quarterboys. Three pages of history after breakfast, then to transcribe and copy for the press, or to make my selections and biographies, or what else suits my humour till dinnertime; from dinner-time till tea I read, write letters, see the newspaper, and very often indulge in a siesta. After tea I go to poetry, and correct, and re-write, and copy till I am tired, and then turn to anything else till supper. And this is my life." The poem upon which he was engaged at the time when he wrote the above was The Curse of Kehama. It was published in 1810, and is considered his greatest poetical work. It displays passages of great power, and shows a wonderful display of imagination; but the story being founded upon the Hindoo mythology, lacks interest for the general reader.

Long before this Southey had changed his political as well as his religious opinions, and undaunted by the cry of "renegade," with which he was assailed, stepped forth as the champion of Church and State. In 1807, he obtained, through Mr. Wynn, a pension of £200 from the government, and he was thus enabled to surrender the allowance which had hitherto been made him by that kind friend. Two years before this he had made the acquaintance of Sir Walter Scott, who, in 1809, introduced him to Gifford, the editor of the "Quarterly Review," and from this time Southey became a regular contributor to its pages. In 1813, he was appointed poet-laureate, and he composed some courtly strains which did not, however, advance his reputation.

In 1821, he received the degree of LL.D. from the university of Oxford; and in 1825, during a visit to Holland, he was elected a member of Parliament for

Downton, but he declined the honour. A baronetcy was offered him by Sir Robert Peel, in 1835, but he refused it on account of his straitened circumstances, and he received a pension of £300 a-year. The letter in which Southey declined the baronetcy is interesting as a record of his pecuniary circumstances at the time:

conferred upon

"I have," he wrote, "a pension of £200 a-year, me by the good offices of my old friend C. Wynn, and I have the laureateship. The salary of the latter was immediately appropriated, as far as it went, to a life-insurance for £3000, which, with an earlier insurance, is the sole provision I have made for my family. All beyond must be derived from my own industry. Writing for a livelihood, a livelihood is all that I have gained; for, having also something better in view, and never, therefore, having courted popularity, nor written for the mere sake of gain, it has not been possible for me to lay by anything. Last year, for the first time in my life, I was provided with a year's expenditure beforehand. This exposition may show how unbecoming and unwise it would be to accept the rank which, so greatly to my honour, you have solicited for me."

Two years later he lost his wife, the faithful companion of so many years. He contracted a second marriage in 1839 with Miss Caroline Bowles, a lady who had been long known to the public as an authoress and poet. The marriage was, however, a melancholy one for her. The mental faculties of her husband began to give way under the heavy strain to which they had been so long subjected. For nearly three years before his death his mind was utterly gone, and he sat among his books quite unconscious of everything. During this time his devotion, and never

wife attended him with unwearied allowed a murmur to escape her lips. He died 21st March 1843, and is buried in the old church at Keswick, where a handsome monument has been erected to his memory.

As a poet, Southey was not equal to many of his contemporaries. He had imagination and fluency, but was deficient in poetic fire. Besides the works already mentioned, he wrote a poem called Roderick, the last of the Goths, which appeared in 1814, and contains passages of considerable power and pathos. Some of his minor poems, such as The Holly Tree, and the Battle of Blenheim, are

As a prose

well known and will always be popular. writer, Southey takes a high rank. His style is smooth, fluent, and perspicuous, and is at once dignified and vigorous. His Life of Nelson is a general favourite, and he also wrote the lives of Wesley, Bunyan, and Cowper. Altogether, he wrote about one hundred and thirty volumes of various kinds, in prose and verse, besides his contributions to the "Quarterly Review" and other magazines.

THOMAS CAMPBELL.-1777-1844.

THOMAS CAMPBELL, one of the finest lyric poets of the present century, was born at Glasgow, 27th July 1777. He was the youngest of eleven children, and his father, a retired merchant of limited means, then in his sixty-eighth year, predicted that the son of his old age would grow up to be an honour to his country. This prediction was founded upon the extraordinary intelligence which the boy displayed even from his cradle; and when sent to school he attracted the notice of his master, and took the lead in every class.

His health being rather delicate, he was sent, when eleven years of age, to reside for a while in the country; and even at that early period his poetical powers began to develop. At the age of fourteen he entered the university of his native city, where he remained six years. He still maintained the character for efficiency which he had gained at school, and carried off several prizes. He especially excelled in his translations from the Greek, and his translation of the "Clouds" of Aristophanes was pronounced by the Greek professor to be the best exercise ever given in to him by any student of the university. He was also much commended for his English exercises, and earned the title of the young "Pope of Glasgow." When seventeen years of age he had a great desire to see Edinburgh. Travelling was not so cheap and expeditious in those days as it is now, and money was not plentiful

N

in Campbell's home. The following is his own account of the affair:

"I watched my mother's mollia tempora fandi [moments of good humour]-for she had them, good woman-and eagerly catching the propitious moment, I said, 'Oh! mamma, how I long to see Edinburgh! If I had but three shillings I could walk there in one day, sleep two nights, and be two days at my aunt Campbell's, and walk back in another day.' To my delightful surprise she answered: 'No, my bairn; I will give you what will carry you to Edinburgh, and bring you back; but you must promise me not to walk more than half the way in one day'that was twenty-two miles. 'Here,' said she, are five shillings for you in all; two shillings will serve you to go, and two to return; for a bed at the half-way house costs but sixpence.' She then gave me--I shall never forget the beautiful coin!-a King William and Mary crown-piece. I was dumb with gratitude; but sallying out to the streets, I saw, at the first bookseller's shop, a print of Elijah fed by the ravens. Now I had often heard my poor mother saying confidentially to our worthy neighbour, Mrs. Hamilton, that, in case of my father's death-and he was a very old man-she knew not what would become of her. 'But,' she used to add, 'let me not despair, for Elijah was fed by the ravens.' When I presented her with the picture, I said nothing of its tacit allusion to the possibility of my being one day her supporter; but she was much affected, and evidently felt a strong presentiment."

Meanwhile, Campbell trudged off to Edinburgh with four and sixpence in his pocket.

During the long summer vacations, Campbell occasion. ally acted as private tutor. One summer he spent at Sunipol on the northern shore of Mull, and there he read the "Pleasures of Memory" by Rogers. The perusal of this poem quickened his poetic sensibilities, and no doubt suggested the title of his own great poem. On another occasion he spent his vacation at Downie, in the peninsula of Cantire, and a gentle but commanding eminence which he was fond of ascending, is still called "The Poet's Hill." During these summer engagements he spent his leisure time in translating largely and carefully from the Greek dramatists; and he occasionally indulged in original composition, chiefly amatory verses.

When his university career was finished, Campbell found himself without a profession, and without distinct

prospects of any kind. He supported himself for a while by private tuition, and afterwards accepted the post of domestic tutor, and retired with his pupil to the shores of Lochfyne. Here he wrote his poem entitled Love and Madness, and several minor pieces, and he also composed a considerable portion of his Pleasures of Hope. He thought at one time of following the legal profession, but he found the drudgery of the lawyer's office uncongenial. He next thought of entering the Church, but soon abandoned the idea. At length, induced by a certain amount of local celebrity which his poetical compositions had gained for him, he determined to go to Edinburgh in search of literary employment. Here he made the acquaintance of Graham, the author of "The Sabbath;" Francis Jeffrey, the great critic; Mr. Henry Brougham, and others; and he worked hard in a dusky garret preparing his great poem for the press. It was about this time that he composed, at the instance of a lady, various lyrics to favourite airs. One of these, The Wounded Hussar, became universally popular, and was sung about the streets of Glasgow, somewhat to the poet's annoy

ance.

At length Campbell's great poem was completed, and the Pleasures of Hope was published, April 1779. Few poems written at so early an age have been so popular. The melody of its verse, the purity of the language, its lofty sentiment, and the variety and beauty of the episodes, at once placed the author in the front rank of the poets of the age. The stanzas relating to the downfall of Poland are familiar to every one. The copyright had been sold for £60, and on the call for a second edition, the publisher presented Campbell with another fifty. He was now able to gratify a desire, which he had long entertained, of visiting the Continent. He started from Leith for Hamburg, June 1800.

He proceeded from Hamburg to Bavaria, then the seat of war, and from the monastery of St. Jacob witnessed an engagement between the French and Austrians (Dec. 3, 1800), which he has immortalised in his Battle of