DIRK COORNHERT, an early Dutch Poet, was born at Amsterdam, in the year 1522. In 1562, he was Secretary to the town of Haarlem, and two years afterwards, to the Burgomasters of that place. In 1572, he was Private Secretary to the States of Holland. His general style was pure, but the subjoined extract proves that it was not always so. The thought, however, though not well expressed, is too pleasing to be lost. "Maiden! sweet maiden! when thou art near, He greatly distinguished himself by his upright and intrepid conduct; and from among the verses written by him, whilst persecuted and imprisoned, these are, perhaps, worth quoting: "What's the world's liberty to him whose soul is firmly bound With numberless and deadly sins that fetter it around? What's the world's thraldom to the soul which in itself is free? Nought! with his master's bonds he stands more privi-` leged, more great, Than mauy a golden-fetter'd fool, with outward pomp elate; For chains grace virtue, while they bring deep shame on tyranny." THE PERSON OF POPE. "THE following particulars, concerning the person of this celebrated Poet, were,” says a correspondent to the Gentlemen's Magazine,' in 1775, "taken down, without arrangement, from the mouth of an ancient and respectable domestic, who lived many years in the family of Lord Oxford. Mr. Pope was unable to dress or to undress himself, or to get into bed without help; nor could he stand upright until a kind of stays, made of stiff linen, were laced on him—one of his sides being contracted almost to the back-bone. He needed much waiting on, but was very liberal to the maid-servants about him, so that he had never reason to complain of being neglected. Those females attended him at night, and, in the morning, brought him his writing desk to bed, lighted his fire, drew on his stockings, &c., which offices he often summoned them to perform at very early hours, so that, when any part of their other business was left undone, their common excuse was, that they had been employed with Mr. Pope, and then no further reprehension was to be dreaded. "He ordered coffee to be made several times in a day, that he might hold his head over its steam, as a temporary relief from the violent head-ache from which he usually suffered. His hair having almost entirely fallen-off, he sometimes dined at Lord Oxford's table in a velvet cap; but, when he went to Court, he put on a tie-wig and black clothes, and had a little sword peeping out by his pocket-hole. It was difficult to persuade him to drink a single glass of wine. He and Lady Mary Wortley Montague had frequent quarrels, which usually ended in their alternate desertion of the house. When Mr. Pope wanted to go any where, he always sent for Mr. Blount to accompany him in a hackney-coach. "He often resided at Lord Oxford's while the family was absent in the country, and whatever he ordered was got ready for his dinner. He would sometimes, without any provocation, leave his noble landlord for many months; nor would he return, till courted back by a greater number of notes, messages, and letters, than the servants were willing to carry. He would, occasionally, joke with my Lord's domestic, as well as in higher company; but was never seen to laugh himself, even when he had set the table in a roar at Tom Hearne, Humphrey Wanley, or any other persons whose manners were strongly tinctured with singularity.'" FEMALE FAVOURITES OF POETS. POETS have sometimes displayed an obliquity of taste in their female favourites. As if conscious of the power of ennobling others, some have selected from the lowest classes, whom, having elevated into divinities, they have addressed in the language of poetic devotion. The "Chloe" of Prior, after all his raptures, was a plump bar-maid. Ronsard addressed many of his verses to "Miss Cassandra," who followed the same elegant occupation. In one of his Sonnets to her, he fills it with a crowd of personages taken from the "Iliad," which, to the girl, must have been extremely mysterious. Colletet, another French Bard, married three of his servants. His last lady was called "La Belle Claudine." Ashamed of such menial alliances, he attempted to persuade the world that he had married "The Tenth Muse;" and, for this purpose, published verses in her name. When he died, the vein of "Claudine" became suddenly dry. She, indeed, published her "Adieux to the Muses;" but it was soon discovered, that all the verses of this lady, including her "Adieux," were the composition of her husband. Sometimes, indeed, the ostensible mistresses of poets have no existence, and a slight circumstance is sufficient to give birth to one. Racan and Malherbe were one day conversing on the propriety of selecting a lady who should be the object of their verses. Racan named one, and Malherbe another. It happening that both had the same name,-" Catharine," they passed the whole afternoon in forming it into anagrams. They found three;-" Arthenice,” “Eracinthe,” and "Charinte." The first was preferred, and many a fine ode was written in praise of the beautiful "Arthenice." |