Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Among those to whom I am indebted for assistance in the preparation of this work I name with pleasure Rev. J. P. Langley, Vicar of Olney, now resident in the Vicar age once tenanted by john Newton Mr. Thomas Wright of Olney, the best living authority upon all that pertains to the life and writings of William Cowper, and Bev erly Chew, Esq., of New York, who has courteously placed at my disposal certain rare and valuable prints used in illustrating these pages.