But 'tis not these that most display
Thy sweetest charms, thy gentlest thrall,
Words, phrases, fashions, pass away,
But TRUTH and NATURE live through all.

These, these have given thy rustic lyre
Its truest and its tenderest spell;
These amid Britain's tuneful choir

Shall give thy honour'd name to dwell:
And when Death's shadowy curtain fell
Upon thy toilsome earthly lot,

With grateful joy thy heart might swell
To feel that these reproach'd thee not.

To feel that thou hadst not incurr'd

The deep compunction, bitter shame,
Of prostituting gifts conferr'd

To strengthen Virtue's hallow'd claim.
How much more glorious is the name,
The humble name which thou hast won,
Than" damn'd with everlasting fame,"
To be for fame itself undone !

Better, and nobler, was thy choice

To be the Bard of simple swains,

In all their pleasures to rejoice,

And soothe with sympathy their pains;
To paint with feeling in thy strains

The themes their thoughts and tongues discuss,
And be, though free from classic chains,

Our own more chaste THEocritus.

For this should SUFFOLK proudly own
Her grateful, and her lasting debt;-
How much more proudly had she known
That pining care, and keen regret,

Thoughts which the fevered spirits fret,
And slow disease, 'twas thine to bear;

--

And, ere thy sun of life was set,
Had won her Poet's grateful prayer.

VOL. VIII.

K

'TIS NOW TOO LATE! the scene is closed,

Thy conflict's borne, thy trial's o'er; -
And in the peaceful grave reposed

That frame which pain shall rack no more ;
Peace to the Bard whose artless store
Was spread for Nature's lowliest child;
Whose song, well meet for peasant lore,
Was lowly, simple, undefiled!

Yet long may guileless hearts preserve
The memory of thy verse and thee
While nature's healthful feelings nerve
The arm of labour toiling free.
While SUFFOLK PEASANTRY may be
Such as thy sweetest tales make known,

By cottage-hearth, by greenwood tree,
Be BLOOMFIELD call'd with pride their own!

66

Although it is impossible that too much praise can be given to Mr. Capel Lofft, for his most zealous and disinterested exertions in aiding the birth of the first offspring of Bloomfield's muse, yet as, notwithstanding that gentleman's distinct and honourable statement in the preface to The Farmer's Boy," exaggerated reports have gone forth respecting the nature and extent of his literary assistance on that occasion, the following list of verbal variations, which are the only ones that occur on a careful collation of the first edition of the printed poem with the author's original manucript, (now in the hands of Thomas Hill, Esq., of New Inn,) may serve to show that the emendations made by Mr. Lofft were very inconsiderable, though most of them appear highly judicious, and many of them absolutely necessary. It has already been mentioned that Mr. Lofft corrected the defects in orthography, punctuation, &c., which arose from the author's want of technical education.

13. 179. Subordination stage Subordinate they one by one.

59. 105. and the rose that blow hence the tints that glow.

106. with glow

an-know.

60. 130. a

her.

96. 337. First at whose birth At whose first birth.

In the second edition, two or three further emendations were made by the poet himself.

183

No. VI.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

GENERAL SIR GEORGE BECKWITH, K. C. B.

THIS His highly distinguished Officer may be said to have been born to that profession of which he formed, even in these times of military renown, so bright an ornament. He was the second son of the late Major-general John Beckwith, who commanded the 20th regiment at the battle of Minden, and the brigade of grenadiers and highlanders in the seven years' war; in both which situations he received repeatedly the public thanks of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, commander-in-chief of the allied army.

Born in the year 1753, so early as the 20th of July, 1771, Sir George entered the army as an ensign in the 37th foot. On the 7th of July, 1775, he was appointed lieutenant; and, on the 1st of January, 1776, embarked with his regiment for North America. On the 29th of January, he was appointed adjutant to his regiment, having sailed with a number of troops under the command of Marquis Cornwallis; but in the March following, the transport in which he was, separated from the rest, and was driven into Plymouth. Lieutenant Beckwith sailed again in May, and joined the expedition off Cape Fear, in North Carolina, in June, when he found himself appointed adjutant to a battalion of grenadiers, with which he served in the unsuccessful operations against Charlestown, in that year.

In September, 1776, the corps from South Carolina joined General Sir William Howe, and the body of the army, at Staten Island, near New York. Lieutenant Beckwith served with the grenadiers of the army at the battle of Brooklyn,