Hayley, who was ever willing to attend to the claims of the departed, wrote several epitaphs in this and the concluding month of the year. After such mournful occupation, it afforded a seasonable relief to his spirits to receive again, in his marine cell, a most welcome guest, his young friend William Meyer, who had recently returned from the island of Corfu, where he had acted as secretary to the British resident Mr. Foresti, and arrived under the roof of his long regarded friend, the Hermit of Felpham, on the 29th of December 1807.

The Diary of Hayley for the first month of the year 1808 shews that he was then occupied in writing fresh notes to the quarto volume containing Cowper's translations, and dedicated

by the editor to the exemplary friend of the poet, his faithful Josephus! The revising that volume, as it passed through the Chichester press, and retouching the Life of Romney, employed the biographer during the first months of this year. On the 27th of March, his friendly printer Seagrave passed a few social hours at Felpham, and revised with the author the first proof-sheet of Romney's Life, which they were both anxious to see printed with such neatness and accuracy, as might be highly creditable to the press of Chichester. This anxious business engaged the attention of Hayley in many months of this year; but did not prevent his indulging his fancy in various poetical compositions, and some in which his heart and his imagination were so singularly interested, that they almost hurried him into a serious passion for a lady, whom he never beheld. The fair one alluded to was related to one of his confidential female correspondents, who had taught the poet to esteem and pity her in a season of sorrow, for she had lost a husband, who was a soldier and a poet; and felt the loss of him with such intense sorrow, that although she had cultivated music with success, to please a beloved father, she now had thrown it aside, as incompatible with her affliction. Against this rejection of a sweet and sacred art, Hayley remonstrated with the fair mourner, both in prose and rhyme, giving her the name of his Cecilia. The name sounded to her like the salutation of a prophet, for it happened that she was born on the festival of that musical saint; and the Hermit's poetry had the happy

effect of soothing her troubled spirit, and making her a convert to his persuasive admonitions in favour of the art he loved. Such consolatory effects of his verse made the poet half in love with the lady; and a sight of her would probably have inspired him with a presumptuous passion: but they resided at different extremities of the island, and destiny determined that they should not meet. In May, the recluse of Felpham was enlivened by a visit from Cowper's Johnny of Norfolk, who kindly brought his bride to receive the personal benedictions of the Hermit. The visit was agreeable to all parties, “non deficiente Camana.”

In July an incident of an opposite nature called forth the tears of the poet. This was the sudden death of his friend Seagrave, the printer; a man of exquisite sensibility and many virtues. Hayley had passed some cheerful hours with him in the morning, and before night hastened from Lavant on a report of his illness, but found him deprived of speech and perception. The poet, an enthusiast in favour of medical electricity, saw it tried in vain for some hours on the insensible frame of his still breathing friend, who was lost indeed irrecoverably. Perhaps the poet felt his sudden decease the more keenly, as he had accidentally omitted to impart to him the commencement of a new poem on a subject peculiarly interesting to his liberal mind. It was entitled The Stanzas of an English friend to the Patriots of Spain."

The author had it printed in

London towards the end of the year, under the direction of his

filial coadjutor, William Meyer. It was an anonymous publication, and utterly neglected by the public. On the 26th of August, the Hermit's cell was honoured by a royal visitant; his benevolent friends Lord and Lady Sudley introduced the Princess Charlotte and her governess to take their tea in the turret. The poet was highly pleased with the graceful manners of his young extraordinary guest, and expressed his cordial wishes for the prosperity of her maturer life in verses, which his unwillingness to be suspected of a propensity to flatter the great, prevented him from presenting to the Princess, or to her attendants. The month of October brought some new unexpected female guests to the hermitage of the poet, who gave a new complexion to his retired life. But their visit was so important in its consequences, that it shall form the commencement of a new book in this history. We have only to observe, in concluding the present chapter, that Hayley escorted his young friend Meyer, on the 4th of October, for a visit of a few days, to his favourite veteran, the cheerful patriarch of Southampton, where the travellers were graciously received by the late Marquis of Lansdown, and his Lady, who amused them in a most agreeable manner by shewing them all the costly and fanciful works of architecture, in which the Marquis was at that time engaged. After a poetical benediction to their vivacious and venerable patriarch, they returned to Felpham on the 6th. On the 8th Hayley translated a favourite Idyl of Gessner, from the German, into English blank verse.