William Cowper, On the Death of Mrs Throckmorton’s Bullfinch

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In November 1788, in a letter to his young friend Samuel Rose, William Cowper announced that

Weston has not been without its tragedies since you left us. Mrs. Frog’s piping Bull-finch has been eaten by a rat, and the villain left nothing but poor Bully’s beak behind him. It will be a wonder if this event does not at some convenient time employ my versifying passion.

Weston has not been without its tragedies since you left us. Mrs. Frog’s piping Bull-finch has been eaten by a rat, and the villain left nothing but poor Bully’s beak behind him. It will be a wonder if this event does not at some convenient time employ my versifying passion.

And indeed he lost no time in versifying it.

And indeed he lost no time in versifying it.

The poem’s title and its verse form, the romance-six,

1099 words

Citation: Curry, Neil. "On the Death of Mrs Throckmorton’s Bullfinch". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 July 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35033, accessed 19 March 2024.]

35033 On the Death of Mrs Throckmorton’s Bullfinch 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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