But thou art where each promise given
Is now fulfill’d, (thine, endless day,)
Then, full of gratitude to Heaven,
I’ll breathe a prayer, and turn away.
There was much passing in the religious world at this period, calculated to engage the attention, and attract the warm sympathies, of Mrs. Opie. The spirits of many highly gifted and eminent men were aroused to do great things in the cause of religion and philanthropy. In 1811 the first Meeting of the Norwich Bible Society was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, and was noted as “a day indeed; one that might be called a mark of the times.” Then were seen, for the first time, united for one great object, in the spirit of christian union, Churchmen and Dissenters; Bishop Bathurst presided, and Clergymen and Dissenting Ministers, Lutheran, Independent, Baptist, Quaker, and Methodist, joined hand in hand. On this occasion, the Hall at Earlham was made the head-quarters of the deputation; and a numerous circle of friends gathered around, to share in the pleasures of holy intercourse and christian fellowship. These meetings were annually renewed, and year by year the honoured host at Earlham opened his mansion, and greeted his friends and fellow-workers, and cheered them with his generous hospitality. They who were wont to meet on these occasions, have often felt their hearts burn within them, as they “talked one with another” on the great things of the heavenly kingdom, whose interests had gathered them together, and united them as the heart of one man.
In 1820 the Anti-slavery Society was formed, and was brought before the friends of the cause in Norwich, at a meeting, superintended by Mr. Gurney, and largely attended. In both these Societies Mrs. Opie took a deep interest, which (to use a favourite and constantly repeated expression of her own) “grew with her growth and strengthened with her strength.”
The pressure of domestic affliction did not interrupt Mrs. Opie’s literary occupations, and perhaps she found (as many others have done) a relief in such absorbing engagements. In 1822 she published “Madeline,” the last of her Novels, (for though she commenced writing another, it was never completed.) In the following year, she contributed to the European Magazine, a series of poetical “Epistles from Mary Queen of Scots to her Uncles,” prefacing them by saying, “Ever since I have been able to compare the strength of opposing evidence, and to enter into the probable motives of human actions, I have believed Mary Queen of Scotland to be entirely innocent of the atrocious guilt of which she has been accused—adultery and murder.” There are also some Tales and a short memoir of Bishop Bathurst, from her pen, in the same volume.
She appears to have made some application to Mr. Southey, with reference to a Review of her “Madeline,” which drew from him the following letter:—
Keswick, 11th April, 1822.
My dear Madam,