The family of Mr. Roscoe, for a considerable period before his birth, had been settled in the central part of Lancashire, where they lived in humble circumstances. The name, which in other parts of the country is an uncommon one, occurs not unfrequently in those districts.* Mr.
* No record of the family is found in the Heralds’ College, except the information furnished by Mr. Roscoe himself, to Sir Isaac Heard, Garter Principal King at Arms, who had expressed a wish to trace its origin. In a letter to that gentleman, written in the year 1797, Mr. Roscoe says, “From all that I can learn, it appears, that whilst other families have rolled on for centuries in distinct and appropriate channels, mine has always been mingled in the common mass, and has composed a part of the immense tide that daily falls into the ocean of oblivion. The Origines Guelficæ occupy five folio volumes, whilst the origines in question will find ample space in five lines. I shall return the pedigree you have been so good as to sketch; and if any of my descendants 500 years hence should be desirous of knowing who was their ancestor, I hope that your kindness will not be lost, and that your records will remain to give them the information.” In a letter written about the same time to his brother-in-law, Mr. Daulby, Mr. Roscoe says, “Amongst my new acquaintances is Sir Isaac Heard, who has been extremely civil to me, and is desirous of tracing the pedigree of the noble family of the Roscoes, which has |
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At the period of Mr. Roscoe’s birth, his father kept a public-house, called “The Bowling-Green,” in the neighbourhood of Liverpool, a place much frequented for the recreation afforded by its garden and bowling-green. His father continued for many years in the same business, to which he united the cultivation of an extensive market-garden.* He was a man below the middle stature, but of remarkable bodily strength and activity; of much vivacity of temperament, and greatly attached to field-sports and other amusements, for which his son never displayed any taste. He lived to attain a very considerable age; and two years before his death, which took place in 1796, he was removed by Mr. Roscoe to his own house at Birchfield, where his latter days were soothed by the continued attentions of his children.
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Mr. Roscoe’s mother, a woman of superior mind and warm affections, exercised an influence over his character, the effects of which, to the latest period of his life, were never obliterated. The grateful respect and attachment which he bore her memory, were frequently evinced when he referred to the period of his childhood; and he always dwelt with particular pleasure on the years during which he had experienced her watchful and affectionate care. The following lines, written soon after her death, though evidently a juvenile production, are interesting, as expressive of his feelings towards her:—
“O! best of Mothers! Thou, whose guardian care Sustain’d my infant life, when, weak and faint, I pour’d the feeble cry! Thou, whose kind hand Through scenes of childhood led my devious steps Towards Virtue’s arduous way, and bade my soul With ceaseless assiduity attempt The glorious road! Thou, whose preserving hand With friendly aid restrain’d my boist’rous speed When maddening passions ruled! To thee I owe Health and existence! and shalt thou not claim One filial sigh, and bid one starting tear Fall from my eye?— What splendid scenes had Hope too fondly sketch’d Of future bliss? But ah! at Death’s approach The fairy colours faded, and the piece Remain’d a gloomy void. No more I saw In distant view, through Fancy’s magic glass, The best of Mothers, when by age oppress’d, Beneath my roof retired, my care to tend Her sinking frame, to raise her drooping heart, |
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With converse sweet—or, if deprived of sight— To lead her where the opening roses shed Ambrosial odours round; and vernal gales Breathe gently o’er the field.” |
Of the childhood and early life of Mr. Roscoe, the following account is derived from a letter addressed by him, a few months before his death, to one of the oldest and dearest of his friends; in which he proposed to amuse himself, during those hours which sickness now disabled him from devoting to more serious pursuits, by tracing for the eye of his friend a brief narrative of the principal events of his life:—
“I was born on the 8th day of March, 1753, at the Old Bowling-Green House, on Mount Pleasant, one of the oldest houses yet standing in Liverpool, and of which an excellent drawing, by that rising artist, Austin, is engraved, and given in the account of that town, now publishing by Fisher and Co.; but in the following year I was removed, with my family, to the New Bowling-Green House, on Mount Pleasant, which my father was building at the time of my birth, but which has since been taken down to make way for more modern dwellings.
“Of that interval of time I know little worth recording. Yet, when
I tax my memory, I find some circumstances which give indications of my future
character. One of these is, a decided
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 7 |
“This incident reminds me of the following Address to Liberty, in the second part of ‘The Wrongs of Africa:’—
‘At my birth, What though the Muses smiled not, nor distill’d Their dews Hyblean o’er my infant couch; What though they scatter’d not their fading flowers; Yet thou wert present, thy diviner flame Play’d round my head. Impatient of control, My young step follow’d where thou led’st the way, And, far as memory traces back my years, My soul, though touch’d with human sympathies, Revolted at oppression.’ |
“At six years of age, I was taken from under the care of my good
old schoolmistress, and placed under the tuition of Mr. Martin,
who kept a daily school for boys in Paradise Street, in the middle of Liverpool, where
I improved myself in reading English, and where I was frequently admitted to the use of
his little bookcase, filled with the best authors of that period. To his care, and the
instructions of a kind
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“After remaining about two years with Mr.
Martin, I was removed to Mr. Sykes, who kept a
school in the same house, for writing and arithmetic, to which were added, instructions
in English grammar. As he had a numerous school of boys, I found myself here obliged to
fight my way till I had taken a certain station, and could distinguish my superiors
from my inferiors. With respect to my new master, he was a good instructor in what he
professed to teach, and a kind-hearted man, although on one occasion I incurred his
severe displeasure, by having been guilty of whipping a top, with one of my
schoolfellows, a few minutes beyond the time appointed for commencing school in the
afternoon. On this occasion, the master proposed to make an example of us to the
scholars. His mode of cor-
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“When I was twelve years of age I quitted school, my master
having reported that I had learned all that he was capable of teaching me; which
included a knowledge of the common
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“According to my best recollection, I was at this period of my life of a wild, rambling, and unsocial disposition; passing many of my hours in strolling along the shore of the river Mersey, or in fishing, or in taking long walks alone.* On one occasion, I determined to become a sportsman; and, having procured a gun, and found an unfortunate thrush perched on the branch of a tree, I brought him to the ground
* “Most persons,” says Mr. Roscoe, in his Life of Pope, “can relate some dangers of their youth from which they have escaped with difficulty.” He has, however, himself forgotten to relate, in this narrative, an incident which had nearly proved fatal to him. During one of his strolls along the shore of the Mersey, while the tide was out, he lingered so long, that the returning waters had closed round the bank on which he was standing, before he perceived the danger of his situation. Being unable to swim, his only chance of escape was by fording the water while it was yet passable. This he was fortunately able to accomplish, with considerable difficulty. |
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“Having quitted school, and committed my English grammar to the
flames, I now began to assist my father in his agricultural concerns, particularly in
his business of cultivating potatoes for sale, of which he every year grew several
acres, and which he sold, when produced early in the season, at very advanced prices.
His mode of cultivation was entirely by the spade; and, when raised early, they were
considered in that part of Lancashire as a favourite esculent. When they had attained
their proper growth, we were accustomed to carry them to the market on our heads, in
large baskets, for sale, where I was generally intrusted with the disposal of them, and
soon became a very useful assistant to my father. In this and other laborious
occupations, particularly in the care of a garden, in which I took great pleasure, I
passed several years of my life, devoting my hours of relaxation to reading my books.
This mode of life gave health and vigour to my body, and amusement and instruction to
my mind; and to this day I well remember the delicious sleep which succeeded my
labours, from which I was again called at an early hour. If I were now asked whom I
consider to be happiest of the
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“Being now in my fifteenth year, I was called upon to make choice of a profession, when my attachment to reading induced me to prefer that of a bookseller. I was accordingly placed with Mr. Gore, a respectable tradesman in Liverpool; but, after remaining there for a month, and not finding the attendance on a shop reconcilable to my disposition, I quitted him, and returned to my labours. In the following year (1769) I was, however, articled, for six years, to Mr. John Eyes, jun., a young attorney and solicitor in Liverpool; and thus entered upon an anxious
* This narrative of Mr. Roscoe’s early history resembles, in very many of its circumstances, the account he has himself given of the youth of Pope. The Poet left school at the age of twelve, and went to reside with his father, who, like Mr. Roscoe’s, supported himself partly by the cultivation of a garden. The same desultory studies, amongst which an attachment to poetry appears pre-eminent, were pursued by both; and the description which Pope has given of himself, at this period of his life, might well be applied to the youth of his biographer:—“I followed every where as my fancy led me, and was like a boy gathering flowers in the woods and fields, just as they fell in my way; and these five or six years I still look upon as the happiest part of my life.” (Life of Pope, p. 16.) In their aversion to compulsory instruction, also, they closely resembled each other. “I never learned any thing,” says Pope, “at the little schools I was at afterwards, and never should have followed any thing that I could not follow with pleasure.” Both Pope and Mr. Roscoe may “be properly ranked amongst that class of remarkable persons who have been their own instructors.” |
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O Shenstone, favourite
of the Nine, What sweetly varying powers are thine! ’Tis thou canst bid the soul to glow With purest joy, or melt with woe; O’er thee bright Fancy waves her wings, And strikes for thee the trembling strings, And soft Simplicity combines To warble through thine artless lines. Far from the glitt’ring scenes of care, Thou breathed content thy native air; Too good for wealth, too great for pride, Thou lived beloved—respected died. When first thy genuine warblings stole With gentlest magic on my soul, So soft, so sweet, so clear, so strong The tide of music roll’d along, That, quite enraptured by the strains, Methought with thee I trod the plains, Reclined with thee in shady bowers, Survey’d with thee the opening flowers, The spacious lawn, the rising hill, The rural cot and sparkling rill; But soon the dear delusion fled, And left reflection in its stead.’ |
|
* Written January, 1771. |
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“On one occasion, my master having unexpectedly made his appearance in our office intended for business, into which he seldom entered, found a copy of these lines lying on the desk, which, having read, he asked if they were mine, and being answered in the affirmative, paid me what I then thought a great compliment, by observing, that I must have copied them from some other writer. This admiration of Shenstone, I retained for several years, as I find by some lines, written at a subsequent period, where, referring to the animosity with which poets too often regard the talents of each other, I have said,—
‘Why pour’d sweet Shenstone
his enchanting lay, Stamp’d as a trifler in the page of Gray, Or why should Gray deserve a better fate, Below the good, but far above the great, While Johnson tears the laurel from his
bust, Degrades his memory, and profanes his dust?’ |
“Shenstone was not,
however, long the sole object of my poetical adoration; his claims being divided with
Goldsmith, whose ‘Deserted Village’ was first published about
this period, and passed through several editions. That these authors have fallen into
neglect, when compared with the more energetic and ambitious poets of the present day,
I am well aware, and yet I know not whether these writers are not as deserving of
estimation as those of modern times, who, in
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Here, unfortunately, the manuscript abruptly concludes. The lassitude of illness, and the unfavourable effect produced upon Mr. Roscoe’s health by any mental exertion for the last year or two of his life, prevented him from proceeding with his projected sketch,—a circumstance the more to be regretted, as the materials which remain for delineating the incidents and feelings of his youth are few and imperfect.
Absence of restraint, and perfect freedom of thought and of action, during
the early period of life, though favourable to originality of mind, do not always
contribute to form a useful and well-balanced character. The sequestered studies which add
strength and fervour to the poetical temperament, and which inspire a love of intellectual
pleasures, too often unfit those who pursue them for the irksome duties and the active
engagements of life. We, consequently, seldom find, in the history of men of letters, that
they unite with their mental pre-eminence that capacity for affairs which is often
possessed by persons of meaner endowments. In youth, more especially, it is difficult to
impress upon the mind devoted to intellectual pursuits, the wisdom and the necessity of a
strict regard to the routine of
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Throughout the whole of his clerkship, therefore, his literary improvement was made a secondary object; his great design being to acquire a competent knowledge of his profession, and to render himself useful to his employers. After the death of Mr. Eyes, he served the remainder of his clerkship with Mr. Peter Ellames, an eminent attorney of Liverpool, to whom his industry and talents gave great satisfaction. During the whole of this period he resided with his father, having had the misfortune to lose his mother some years previously.
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Notwithstanding his strict attention to business, some hours were still left vacant, and these were gladly devoted by him to the improvement of his mind and to the cultivation of his taste. In this agreeable task he was stimulated by the sympathy and society of several friends of his own age, with whom he passed much of his leisure time, and in the selection of whom the character of his own mind was clearly manifested. An attachment to elegant literature, a love of study, a relish for the beauties of nature, and a heart capable of returning the warmth of friendship, were the qualities which distinguished the early companions of Mr. Roscoe. Of these, no one was more loved or admired by him than Francis Holden, of whom he has said, in recalling the superior qualifications of his friend, “that he seemed to realise in himself the accomplishments both of body and mind which have been attributed to the admirable Crichton.”*
Francis Holden was descended from a family, many members of which had distinguished themselves by their progress in scientific pursuits. At fifteen years of age he had arrived at manhood
* The following account of Francis Holden is derived from Mr. Roscoe’s own notes. He appears to have had, when he made them, some intention of recording the incidents of his own early life; but he did not persevere in his design; and the pages contain merely the history of that youthful friend, whose genius and acquirements first excited his literary ambition. |
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At a very early age he became an assistant in the school of his uncle,
Richard Holden, at Liverpool, where he taught
the mathematics, and the Greek, Latin, French, and Italian languages. In his extemporaneous
translations his talents were very conspicuous. So correct, elegant, unembarrassed, and
concise were his versions, that they might, without correction, have been committed to the
press. Soon after his arrival in Liverpool, he became accidentally acquainted with
Mr. Roscoe, who, although he was at that time
very deficient in the acquirements by which Holden
was so much distinguished, attracted the regard and friendship of the youthful scholar.
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After remaining a few years in Liverpool, Holden removed to Glasgow, with the view of improving himself by attending the lectures of the professors in that University. He resided there with the widow of his uncle, John Holden, well known by his learned treatise on music. “My uncle,” he says in one of his letters to Mr. Roscoe, “died the morning after I arrived. He declared all along that he only lived to see me. I cannot say any more. You shall hear more of this shortly.” In the midst of his studies, which he describes as extending to twelve hours a day, Holden found time to maintain a correspondence with his friend; and his letters, many of which still remain, are full of the animation and intelligence which distinguished their writer.
Having finished his studies at Glasgow, Holden accepted an offer to accompany a young gentleman of fortune to
France, where he resided for some time. Upon his return to
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 21 |
During the absence of Holden,
Mr. Roscoe had devoted much of his leisure to
the acquisition of the dead languages,—a study which he prosecuted in conjunction with two
other friends, Mr. William Clarke and Mr. Richard Lowndes, with whom, to the close of their
lives, he remained in habits of the strictest intimacy. After the return of Holden, the
four associates were accustomed to meet early in the morning, and to pursue their classical
studies till the hours of business arrived. Hitherto Mr. Roscoe had made no attempt to
acquire a knowledge of the Italian language; and it was by Francis
Holden that his attention was first directed to the literature of that
country. In their evening walks, Holden was accustomed to repeat
passages from the most celebrated poets of Italy; and the pleasure with which he recited
their verses, producing a strong impression upon the mind of Mr.
Roscoe, led him to apply himself to the study of the Italian language;
which, however, he describes himself as having acquired rather by slow degrees, and by
gradual application, than by any sudden and laborious effort. The first idea of writing the
life of Lorenzo de’ Medici appears
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Having now no certain occupation, Holden determined to engage in the study of the law; for which purpose he went to London, and became a member of one of the Inns of Court. In this design he relied much upon the advice of his friend, whose kind offices towards him he acknowledges in the following letter:—
“The day after I received your inexpressibly kind letter, I waited upon Messrs. Lyons*, who received me with all the marks of a sincere friendship, and promised to do all in their power for me—particularly to recommend me to the gentleman you spoke of. I have heard no more of that business as yet, but I cannot refrain from writing to you. My time now goes on more pleasantly. I have met with one or two Glasgow friends, who treat me with an affection something like yours, if they did but know how to express it, or to entertain me as well. No, my dear Roscoe; it will never be my fate, it will never be my wish, to meet with so faithful, so engaging a friend. I would not learn to do without you, for fear of inconstancy. * * * I will make you my director in matters of law, and will prepare myself in such a manner as to be of
* The professional agents of Mr. Roscoe. |
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The difficulties which Holden had
to encounter in putting into execution his design of qualifying himself for the bar,
sometimes threw a gloom over his spirits, which communicated itself to his letters.
“There is nothing,” he says, in a letter written from London,
“I more ardently desire, than that our friendship may continue through life.
It began at an early period, and perhaps before either of us was able to judge what
were the essential qualities of a friend. I have learned since, by disappointments, to
know and value them; and may truly pay you that compliment which Hamlet pays to Horatio. I only fear you will become too serious and too wise, not to
discover imperfections in me, which will outweigh the few good qualities to which I can
have any pretensions. Believe me, Roscoe,
reflections of this nature, co-operating with retirement, hard study, and bad health,
sometimes throw a gloominess upon the prospect of my future life, which makes me regard
it with an indifference amounting to disgust. ’Tis a most disagreeable situation,
to have nothing to do but study in hope of some distant advantage, and only exist at
present, that we may begin to live some years after. I long to be in some active
employment,—no matter what, provided I can get called to the bar when the time comes. *
* * If something does not fall out to my mind, you will see me in Liverpool
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 25 |
Pecuniary considerations rendered it necessary that Holden, while engaged in the study of the law, should
adopt some measures for his present subsistence; and the plan which he pursued ultimately
led him to abandon his legal studies. He removed to Cambridge; where his very remarkable
acquirements, and engaging manners,
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Another of the friends to whom Mr. Roscoe was attached by a similarity of pursuits, and especially by a mutual taste for poetry, was Robert Rigby, a young man of fine talents, who, like himself, occasionally devoted his pen to poetical compositions. The two friends were accustomed, not only to study together, but, when their occupations permitted them, to make excursions into the country,—a circumstance alluded to in the following lines addressed to Mr. Rigby:—
“Friend of my heart! how blest, with thee, Of late I traversed with unwearied feet The wide champaign—o’erjoy’d to see The woodland charms, and breathe an air more sweet; To taste that unreproved delight Which the keen breast with thrilling transport warms, When full upon the unbounded sight Luxuriant Nature opens all her charms, |
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 27 |
Where smiles the extended lawn in glowing pride, Sinks the green vale, or swells the airy hill, Waves the rude grove its hoary branches wide, And down its bosom steals the darkling rill. This, this is transport; but, alas! Too soon the transient Eden disappears, And, fraudful as the artist’s magic glass, The faded prospect now dissolves in tears. Ah! what avails the gentler heart, That beats to every finer feeling true, Can taste each bliss that genius can impart, And catch from nature’s face each varied hue— The breast with sympathy that glows, When on the houseless head the rude storm showers— If Poverty her hateful form oppose, Damp all their fires, and deaden all their powers— For the sweet hour of leisure doom’d to sigh, Yet waste in ceaseless toils the inglorious year, To see the friendless child of woe pass by, And only pay the tribute of a tear? Yet envy not the wretch whose countless hoards To narrow bounds have circumscribed his soul; More bliss to generous minds one hour affords; Than he can feel whilst circling ages roll.” |
The spirit of despondency which breathes through many of Mr. Roscoe’s early pieces, and with which, in his youthful life, he had sometimes to contend, is forcibly displayed in the foregoing lines.
To the early and sudden death of Robert Rigby, who was drowned while crossing the Irish Channel, Mr. Roscoe alludes in some lines addressed, many years afterwards, to Dr. Currie.
“‘Twas thus, in health’s high bloom and youth elate, My Rigby yielded to his early fate.” |
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To the friends already mentioned, in whose society Mr. Roscoe spent many of the happiest years of his early
life, may be added a young lady, who, to the usual accomplishments of her sex, united high
cultivation of mind, and considerable poetical talents. Miss
Maria Done, with her sisters, Mrs. Bewley and
Mrs. Holmes, resided in Westmorland; but an intimacy with some of
Mr. Roscoe’s friends in Liverpool, and temporary visits to
that place, led to an acquaintance with him, which gradually ripened into friendship. They
occasionally corresponded, and exchanged the productions of their Muse. Several of
Mr. Roscoe’s early pieces are addressed to this lady; and to
her he originally inscribed his poem of “Mount Pleasant,” in some lines which do not appear in the printed copy.
The character of Miss Done was of the most admirable and elevated
class, as appears both from her poetry and her correspondence. She afterwards married
Mr. John Barton. Subsequent to this event, she,
with her sisters, still continued on the same friendly footing with Mr.
Roscoe and his family for many years; and Mr. Barton
became one of his warmest friends, and most frequent correspondents. Her son, Mr. Bernard Barton, to whom her poetical talents have
descended, and her daughter, Mrs. Hack, the author of
many valuable works for children, are well known in the literary world.
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 29 |
“But cease, my Muse! unequal to the task, Forbear the effort, and to nobler hands Resign the lyre—thee, Roscoe, every Muse Uncall’d attends, and uninvoked inspires. In blooming shades and amaranthine bowers They weave the future laurel for thy brow, And wait to crown thee with immortal fame. Thee Wisdom leads in all her lonely walks; Thee Genius fires, and moral Beauty charms: Be it thy task to touch the feeling heart, Correct its passions, and exalt its aims; Teach Pride to own, and owning, to obey Fair Virtue’s dictates, and her sacred laws: To brighter worlds show thou the glorious road, And be thy life as moral as thy song.” |
The causes which led to the formation of that lively taste for poetry,
which was so early developed in Mr. Roscoe, are not
difficult to be traced. Strong natural feelings, and an ardent and sanguine temperament,
form the foundation upon which the poetical character is built. This native susceptibility
to the influence of poetry received, in his case, no check from that strict attention to
other pursuits which the ordinary education of young persons imposes upon them;
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Having become, in the year 1773, one of the founders of a Society for the Encouragement of the Arts of Painting and Design, in the town of Liverpool, he commemorated the event by an Ode, which was his first published piece. It was afterwards reprinted, with the poem of “Mount Pleasant,” in the year 1777. This was favourably noticed in some of the Reviews of the day; and the following passage, containing a comparison between music and painting, was selected as a specimen of the author’s manner:—
“When just degrees of shade and light Contend in sweetest harmony, Then bursts upon the raptured sight The silent music of the eye. |
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 31 |
Bold as the base’s deeper sound, We trace the well imagined ground; Next, in the varying scenes behind, The sweet melodious tenor find; And as the softening notes decay, The distant prospect fades away; Their aid if mingling colours give, To bid the mimic landscape live; The visual concert breaks upon the eyes, With every different charm that Music’s hand supplies.” |
A similar comparison between the great masters of poetry and painting, displays the early taste of the author for the arts as well as for literature.
“Majestic, nervous, bold, and strong, Opposed to Waller’s amorous song, His art let wanton Titian
try; Let great Romano’s
free design Contend with Dryden’s pompous line; And chaste Correggio’s graceful air With Pope’s
unblemish’d page compare; And still, where’er the aspiring Muse Her wide unbounded flight pursues, Her sister soars on kindred wings sublime, And gives her favourite names to grace the rolls of Time.” |
Before attaining his twentieth year, he made a bolder attempt; and in
imitation of the “Grongar
Hill” of Dyer, and the “Edgehill” of Jago, he selected, as the subject of his poem, Mount Pleasant, an eminence overlooking the town of
Liverpool.
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“The shades of Grongar bloom secure of fame; Edgehill to Jago owes its lasting name; When Windsor Forest’s loveliest scenes decay, Still shall they live in Pope’s
unrivall’d lay: Led on by Hope, an equal theme I choose; Oh! might the subject boast an equal Muse! Then should her name the force of time defy, When sunk in ruins Liverpool shall lie.” |
In this poem he not only celebrates the growing importance of his native town, its commerce, and its public institutions, but attempts, as he often did in after life, to direct the attention of his townsmen to the more liberal pursuit of literature and science, “and to abate that spirit of enterprise and thirst of gain, which, when too much indulged, is seldom productive either of virtue or happiness.”*
“Ah! why, ye sons of wealth, with ceaseless toil, Add gold to gold, and swell the shining pile? Your general course to happiness ye bend, Why, then, to gain the means, neglect the end? To purchase peace requires a scanty store;— Oh, spurn the groveling wish that pants for more! And thirst not with the same unconquer’d rage, Till nature whitens in the frost of age; But rather on the present hour rely, And catch the happier moments ere they fly; And whilst the spring of life each bliss inspires, Improve its gifts, and feed the social fires; Let Friendship soften, Love her charms disclose, Peace guard your hours and sweeten your repose: / Yet, not regardless how your joys endure, Let watchful Prudence make those joys secure.” |
|
* Advertisement to “An Ode on the Institution of a Society in Liverpool, for the Encouragement of Designing,” &c. |
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 33 |
The temper and tastes of Mr. Roscoe, at this period of his life, are manifested in the following lines:—
“Oh still, at midnight’s milder hour, be mine To trace with raptured eye the dear decline! Catch the pure gale as from the main it springs, Salubrious freshness dropping from its wings; —Then, cares forgot and sorrow soothed to rest, Each ruder passion banish’d from the breast, Mild as the hour, and cloudless as the skies, The mind on stronger pinions loves to rise; And loosen’d from the dull restraints of day, Expansive gives the springs of thought to play. Bold, active, vigorous, through the enfranchised soul The nobler trains of fair ideas roll: The ardent glow that wakes at friendship’s name, The thirst of science, and the patriot flame; The generous fear, that wounds the youthful breast, To live inglorious, and to die unblest; A liberal scorn of every low desire, Of all that knaves pursue, and fools admire, Of fortune’s stores, of splendour’s sickly blaze, Precarious bliss, and unsubstantial praise.” |
That inhuman traffic, against which, throughout the whole length of a life extended beyond the common period, the voice of Mr. Roscoe was unceasingly raised, was not unnoticed in this early poem. “Mount Pleasant” contains his first protest against the Slave Trade.
“Mount
Pleasant,” which was not published until the year 1777, met with a favourable
reception in many quarters. It had previously been submitted to the cultivated judgment of
Dr.
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“I cannot take leave of your excellent poems, without thanking you for the pleasure they have afforded me. They cannot fail of being highly acceptable to every reader of classical taste, and will, I am persuaded, obtain for their author no inconsiderable share of reputation. The few liberties which I have taken, have been rather with a view to express my respect for the writer, than in expectation of making any material improvement in the poems.”
Amongst other persons to whom Mr. Roscoe presented a copy of his poems, was Sir Joshua Reynolds, from whom he had the gratification of receiving an opinion favourable to their merits, and of learning that the suffrage of Mason had been given in their favour.
“I am now to return you my thanks for the present of your
poetical works, which I have read with the greatest pleasure. It is approaching
to impertinence, to say that I was much surprised at seeing such excellence in
a work which I had never heard of before, or the author’s name reached my
ears; however, I found other people were not quite so ignorant. I mentioned the
poem to Mr. Mason, who dined with me a
few days ago. I do not recollect that he knew your name, but he was well
acquainted with the poem, which he read when it was first published. I had the
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 35 |
Of the early poetical taste of Mr. Roscoe, a record remains in several manuscript volumes, in which he had made a selection from the writings of the popular poets of the day, together with such fugitive pieces as had attracted his notice. Shenstone holds a distinguished place in the collection, in which Goldsmith and Collins also appear to be favourites. Several original poems by himself are inserted in these volumes, as well as in the selections of one in whose studies he took the greatest interest. At the commencement of one of the volumes containing those selections, the following verses appear, written in his own hand:—
“In the blest round of youth’s delightful hours, How sweet through Fancy’s flowery fields to stray, Catch the wild notes inventive Genius pours, And stamp on lasting leaves the genuine lay. |
“Nor think those hours to trivial cares consign’d, Thou with the favouring Muses may’st employ; ’Tis they who harmonise the youthful mind, And waken every avenue to joy. |
“Bid the free soul the groveling crew despise, Whom humbler hopes of power and riches move; Bid the free soul to nobler prospects rise— To Fancy, Friendship, Harmony, and Love.” |
It was not alone to the pursuits of elegant literature, and to the
pleasures of poetical com-
| 36 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
In the introduction to this work, Mr. Roscoe points out the peculiar beauty and perfectness of the moral precepts contained in the New Testament, and explains his motives for the selection and arrangement which he had made.
“The object of the ensuing sheets is to collect, in one uniform
and regular system, the moral duties which are inculcated in various parts of the New
Testament, by the direct and immediate words of our Saviour, and thereby to promote the
knowledge and practice of virtue,
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 37 |
“It is a melancholy but true observation, that whilst the speculative and abstruse parts of the New Testament have been the subject of endless debate, and enquiry, and contention, the moral or preceptive part has been too often overlooked and forgotten; and hence, in a great degree, has arisen that dreadful perversion which has so deeply injured the cause of true religion.
“If the Christian scheme was intended for no other purpose than to instruct mankind in Divine mysteries, the compiler of the following pages has deceived himself, and his work is useless; but he is bold to ascribe the Divine mission of Christ to another and more beneficent purpose; for it is his persuasion, that the Christian religion was designed by the Almighty to promote the eternal happiness of mankind, by the truest pursuit of their temporal welfare; to instruct them in the practice of virtue; and to prompt them, by every inducement that can influence rational and eternal beings, actively to pursue that course of conduct which alone can render them finally happy.”
The author enforces this remark from the precepts and example of Christ;
and particularly, for this purpose, quotes the conclusion of the Sermon
on the Mount (Matt. vii. 15.) as “so explicit
and striking, that it must appear su-
| 38 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“It is not intended to touch in the least on speculative points, nor even to demonstrate the belief necessary to salvation: these must be the employ of a much superior understanding. It must, however, be remembered, that innumerable volumes have been written to compile a system of belief from the Sacred Volume, and to separate its doctrines from its precepts; yet these authors are not accused of depreciating the necessity of a blameless conduct: for once, then, let us endeavour to render the practical part more useful, by connecting it under one point of view, without being censured as inimical to the belief of the more abstruse parts of the Sacred Scriptures. The excellence of these precepts cannot be too much insisted on, and equally command the attention of, and are necessary to be obeyed by, all sects, parties, and denominations.”
The author concludes, by saying, that he “believes this to be the
first attempt to extract from the New Testament a complete rule of conduct.”
It is, perhaps, worthy of notice, that in 1831, when Mr.
Roscoe had the pleasure of a personal introduction to Rammohun Roy, he had the satisfaction of showing to the
author of the “Precepts of
Jesus,” the youthful pro-
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 39 |
The work itself is divided into three heads: viz. Duty to God; Duty to our Fellow Creatures; and Duty to Ourselves. Each of these is illustrated by apposite quotations from the precepts of Christ, connected together by a “few short illustrations and reflections, suggested to the author by the plain and literal signification of the different passages.”
The spirit of purity, mercy, forgiveness, and charity, which breathes throughout the New Testament, seems peculiarly to have fixed the attention of Mr. Roscoe in the composition of this tract; and it was to the operation of these divine principles upon his conduct and temper throughout life, that may be attributed all that was most attractive and most exalted in his mind and character.
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