To enjoin like Respect from my Son or my Heir;
And lest He should forget its great Value to ask,
Shall say,
It was wrote by the Hand, that first wrote out the Task:
No more I need mention, its Worth will appear,
And be kept as a Relic I justly hold dear."
Next comes the poet's kindly response:
"Dear Sir,
"It is not in my power to send you an epistle that will entitle itself to any of the honours which you are so good as to promise to one from me. My time is not my own, but is partly engaged in attendance on a dear friend, who has long been in a very helpless state, and partly to the performance of what I owe to the public, a new edition of my Homer, and also of the poetical works of Milton.
"With these labours in hand, together with the common avocations incident to everybody, it is hardly possible that I should have opportunities for writing letters. In fact, I am in debt to most of my friends, and to many of them have been long in debt, whose claims upon me are founded in friendship of long standing. To this cause you will be so good as to ascribe it, that I have not sooner thanked you for your humorous and pleasant contest with me on the subject of Tobacco; a contest in which I have not, at present, leisure to exercise myself, otherwise I am hardy enough to flatter myself, that I could take off the force of some of your arguments.
"Should you execute your design of publishing what you have favoured me with a sight of, I heartily wish success to your muse militant, and that your reward may be—many a pleasant pipe supplied by the profits of your labours.
"Being in haste, I can add no more, except that I am, with respect, and a due sense of the honour you do me,
Your obliged, &c.,
William Cowper.
Weston-Underwood,
Oct. 4, 1793."
I hope that the above will be interesting to your Nicotian readers, and not trespass too far upon your valuable space.
William Bates.