No. 82.] THE NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. NOVEMBER 1, 1820. [VOL. XIV. MEMOIR OF THE REV. WM. LISLE BOWLES. To the lovers of poetry, that is, to all Mr. Bowles's family has been clerical for at least three generations; his father, William Thomas Bowles, being the only son of Dr. Bowles, vicar of Brackley in Northamptonshire. But, though moved by preferment into different situations, the family is originally of Wilts, and ancient in that county. The Rev. William Thomas Bowles married Bridget, one of the three daughters of Dr. Grey, author of Memoria Technica and other well-known works. By her he had seven children, of whom the eldest son was WILLIAM LISLE BOWLES, the subject of the present memoir. The name of Lisle was given to him, in honour of that ancient family of Everley, Wilts, into which Dr. Bowles, his grandfather, married: a family originally of Northumberland, but now, we believe, extinct. NEW MONTHLY MAG.-No. 82. Family connection early determined that Winchester should be the place of his education; to which school he was sent in 1776. An uncle of his father's had long been a fellow of that college, contemporary with Lowth, and other distinguished men; of whose kind attention to himself, with some pleasing account of the singularities of his character, Mr. B. has gratefully spoken in a very late publication.+ Bowles was not to be overlooked, even where he had so many competitors as at Winchester, and he was soon particularly noticed by Dr. Warton. By the year 1781, he had risen to be the senior boy of that illustrious seminary. In that situation, he would infallibly have succeeded to New College, having been sent first on the roll, to the two foundations, had it not happened that no vacancy occurred in his year, excepting what were of necessity reserved for the founder's kin. He was entered therefore at Trinity college, Oxford, where his master's brother, the celebrated Thomas Warton, was fellow and tutor. These were auspicious beginnings for a poetical mind; and they certainly produced their due effect upon B. who, in his first year, obtained the chancellor's prize, for a Latin composition on the siege of Gibraltar, which was accordingly recited in the theatre. It is still extant in the collection of Oxford Prize Poems, published by Mr. Valpy; and in the second volume of the author's poems. It is a composition of extraordinary merit, and classical beauty, for so young a writer. Mr. Bowles was already a scholar of Trinity, for which foundation as well as for Winchester, like every worthy pupil of a worthy seminary, he has felt through life a constant and increasing affection; strongly expressed, with respect to the + Vindicia Wykehamicæ, further noticed below. Calpe obsessa. 3 Q * latter, in one of his most recent pro ductions. The poetical spirit being strong within him, Mr. Bowles very early appeared before the public as an author, in his native language. His first publication, consisting of Seventeen Sonnets, appeared in 1789; his Verses to Howard, on his account of Lazarettos, in the same year; inscribed to his worthy master Dr. Warton. In 1790 his muse wept over the Tomb of Howard, whose merits he had so lately celebrated. His Verses to the Philanthropic Society followed; and a Monody written at Matlock. All of which were well received by the public. The sonnets in particular were so much distinguished, that they had gone through five editions before the end of 1797. Of these Sonnets, the fame has been so widely spread, and so firmly establish ed, that they have operated somewhat to the injury of Mr. B.'s general character as a poet; causing him, by careless persons, to be considered merely as a writer of sonnets; whereas these poems, excellent as they are in their kind, form but a very small and comparatively inconsiderable part of Mr. B.'s compositions; and his larger poems are, in many instances, full as much distinguished, in their respective classes, as any of his sonnets. Justice has, in one case, been done to his merits, but certainly not always in the other. The sonnets, however, have had the peculiar good fortune to correct the taste and animate the exertions of another poet, who has thus gratefully acknowledged his obligations. Having said that they were first presented to him by a particular friend, he adds: "It was a double pleasure to me, and still remains a tender recollection, that I should have received, from a friend so reveredt, the first knowledge of a poet, by whose works, year after year, I was so enthusiastically delighted and inspired." Confessing, then, some mental errors into which he had been in danger of falling, he proceeds: "But from this danger I was chiefly withdrawn, by the genial influence of a style of poetry, so tender, and yet so manly; so natural and real, and yet so dignified and harmonious, as the sonnets, &c. of Mr. Bowles." Such a testimony, from such a man, is truly valuable, and we have peculiar pleasure in recording it. Mr. Bowles took his degree of master of arts in 1792; and, on the death of his father, who was rector of Uphill and Brean in Somersetshire, he quitted Oxford, entered into orders, and soon after went to serve a curacy in Wiltshire. In the second part of his sonnets, there are traces of disappointed hope, from the death of a beloved female, most eloquently and pathetically lamented. Time, however, appears to have produced its natural effect; and in 1797 he formed a union, most fortunate in its influence upon his happiness, with a sister of the former object of his affection, a daughter of Dr. Wake, then prebendary of Westminster; and a lineal descendant of the archbishop of that name. In the same year, by favour of the late Lord Somers, he was presented to the living of Dumbleton, in Gloucestershire. In 1803, he was installed a prebendary in the church of Salisbury; and soon after received from Archbishop Moore the valuable rectory of Bremhill, Wilts, his present, and from that time his constant residence. A debt of gratitude to Dr. Grey, the maternal grandfather of Mr. B. was thus repaid by the archbishop; and the gift has proved auspicious, both to the object of it and to the place. It is not necessary, in such a sketch as the present, to follow up the exact series of the author's productions, in regular order. Suffice it to say, that they have gradually increased to five volumes of poetry, of which the last consists entirely of The Missionary, a poem in heroic couplets, comprised in eight books, or cantos. The subject of this is the successful resistance of the natives of Chili, to the Spanish general, Valdivia; and it is treated with a spirit and felicity which place it very high among poems of that class. The sonnets occupy less than half of the first volume, the rest are chiefly poems of moderate extent, and in various styles; but in general upon well-chosen subjects, treated with the skill and feelings of a genuine poet. Dr. Warton, whose kindness encouraged his early disposition to poetry, was gratefully celebrated by Mr. B. in a Monody, which at once * The eldest daughter of Dr. Grey, was married to Dr. Lloyd, Dean of Norwich, and was justly celebrated for her skill in painting, needle-work, &c. 1820.] does honour to the master and the poet. This appears in the second volume; but is preceded by what we consider as the most beautiful descriptive poem in the language, entitled St. Michael's Mount. The truth and precision of the description, the brilliant clearness with which it is presented to the mind of the reader, the natural beauty of the sentiments, together with the harmony and classic purity of the language, place it, in our opinion, beyond all chance of competition. We might expatiate also, with great justice, on his smaller, as well as his larger poem, on The Spirit of Discovery by Sea; but as the object of this slight account is rather to relate facts, than to record opinions, we forbear; having said thus much, chiefly to confirm our former assertion, that the general fame of this author has rather been obstructed than assisted, by the prevalent celebrity of his juvenile productions, the Sonnets. Mr. Bowles, with the genuine relish of a poet for rural scenes, has made it, as already hinted, his amusement in the retirement of his parish, to embellish the garden and other grounds belonging to the rectory. Its situation, on the southern slope of a gentle hill, commanding a prospect eminently diversified and beautiful, highly favoured and encouraged this blameless gratification. Like Shenstone he has scattered verses in his paths, and the shades of Bremhill will long testify that they were once the retreat and solace of a poet.* But poetry has by no means monopolized the attention of Mr. Bowles. Finding the religious steadiness of his parish endangered, by the unceasing efforts of dissenting preachers and teachers, he has deeply studied the genuine tenets of our church, and particularly in their purest source, the Scriptures; with a penetrating and original view, he has also plunged into many forgotten volumes of controversial divinity, and traced to their origin some of the prevailing modern errors of enthusiasm. These enquiries have led him to publish sermons, and other works, of plain but sound divinity; and have enabled him to teach it with unusual success, by oral instruction. He has entered also into other controversies, and has most happily defended Public Schools, in a reply to the buffoonery and calumnies of the Edin * See a slight description of them in the Gent. Mag. Sept. 1814. burgh Review. He has also defended his own alma mater, Winchester, against the attacks of Mr. Brougham; as we have already had occasion to mention. An edition of Pope's works, published in 1806, which he was induced to superintend, has involved him in some controversies, in which he has shewn, at least, that he is well able to defend his opinions; and has supported them by reasons which are not likely to be refuted. In consequence of this publication, he has also been accused of endeavouring to lower the poetical and moral character of Pope. It is our firm conviction, that both were very remote from his intention. To the poetical rank of that author he has certainly assigned a much higher station than was allowed him by a former editor, the acute and learned Dr. Warton; and if he has not placed him in the highest, it is in conformity with principles which he has clearly stated, and ably We ought thence in candefended. dour to conclude that such was his real, not assumed, opinion; and he is not a writer to be suspected of lowering another poet to exalt himself. With respect to the moral character of Pope, certain facts appearing to be by more research established, the natural conclusions from them could not well be suppressed, without evincing a partiality which must have defeated itself. It is certainly more useful to the world to shew men as they really were, than to throw a false gloss over their lives, because they were distinguished by their genius. Doubtful accusations, of men who can no longer defend themselves, should certainly be avoided; but truth, when it comes to light, should not be suppressed; unless we would have it concluded, that great talents confer an exemption from all common rules of action; -an opinion which too many have taken up, even before their title to the privilege has been proved, to any one but themselves. This, at least, we can assert, that the feelings thus attributed to Mr. Bowles are inconsistent with the whole tenor of his original writings, and, to our certain knowledge, with his nature and disposition. The character of Pope, with respect to some few points of morality, is still an agitated question. In this, if Mr. * Classical Journal, vol. viii. pp. 187, Republished with 441, and vol. ix. p. 1. Dr. Vincent's and others, by Valpy, in 1817. 12mo. Bowles, as a commentator, has taken With all his studious occupations, duties. Of late years, he has borne his part in the magistracy of the county of Wilts. ; and his retirement, though rural, is far from being secluded. Much literary and elegant society, at the house of a distinguished nobleman in his neighbourhood, and occasionally at his own, together with an annual visit to the metropolis, enables him to keep pace with the world, in all that is worth observing of its proceedings or its man ners. The Marquis of Lansdown. ALI PACHA OF JANINA, AND THE SULLIOTS. MUCH has been recently said and written concerning the Pacha of Janina, formerly called Ali Pacha, and his tyranny. As connected with the fate of Parga, his name has become familiar to the British public, who will probably be gratified with the following particulars respecting him, which are but little known, and will not prove uninteresting. Ali has all the qualities which characterize the robber :-for some time, indeed, he followed that profession. Other circumstances, and a different education, would, perhaps, have developed in him the virtues of the hero. Rare personal bravery, extraordinary boldness, and great firmness in his resolutions, cannot be denied him; but he is at the same time vain, cruel, avaricious, false, faithless, and revengeful. Ambition is his predominant vice, and the main-spring of all his actions. The states which he governs, that is to say, which he oppresses and desolates, comprehend Epire and Thessaly. In the commencement of his power he often said, "You shall see that Ali Pacha, the successor of Pyros (Pyrrhus), will surpass that monarch in all that he thinks fit to undertake." He was at that time brooding over plans of rebellion against the Porte, and had, perhaps, even conceived the possibility of carrying his arms to Constantinople itself. The events of the French revolution, and the war in Italy in particular, gave a different direction to his thoughts. When the Ionian islands were reduced by the French, he hoped to derive advantage from their proximity, and to make them a point of support. The French, on the other hand, were sensible that he might be of service to them, and kept up an amicable understanding with him. It was now his aim to obtain part of the possessions of the former republic of Venice. To these belonged, besides the islands, the towns of Butrinto (the ancient Buthrotum), Parga, Prevesa, and Vonnizza, situated on the main land. He is now master of them all. Prevesa, Vonnizza, and Butrinto, fell into his hands during the campaign of the French in Egypt, when, after the total destruction of their fleet at Aboukir, the Russian and Turkish squadrons came to reduce the Ionian islands, most of which were not in a state of defence, and to blockade Corfu, which was obliged to surrender for want of provisions. Prevesa was the only place the capture of which cost him any trouble. Six hundred French defended themselves there without fortifications, against thirty thousand Arnauts, with a courage which will never be forgotten in that country. They were not far from Thermopyla, and they were not surpassed by the Spartans who fought there under Leonidas. This defence will, perhaps, not be noticed in history, but it deserves a place among the most glorious achievements. I collected the particulars of it upon the spot; they are related by the Greeks with transport and sorrow ; but they could not sufficiently express their admiration when they spoke in particular of an officer named Gabori, a native of Nantes. All his soldiers had fallen, and he alone was left in one of the public places, surrounded by slain. Supported against the tree of liberty, and assailed by innumerable enemies, he killed seven with his own hand; and when he at length sunk from exhaustion and fatigue, he still continued to strike terror into all those who ventured forward for the purpose of dispatching him. Three hundred of the French never |