Diary, Volume 3 : Diary 1705-1706.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Title pages.

Quotation.

London (England).

Hertford (England).

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Summary:

The dates within D/EP F31 indicate that Cowper wrote in it daily from 1 January 1706 through 21 November 1706; however, the final note must have been added after her husband's death on 26 November 1706.

Notes:

AMDigital Reference:D/EP F31

D/EP F31, Cowper's third diary volume, carries on without a break from the previous volume and covers 1 January 1705 through 21 November 1706. Cowper prefaces the entries with what appears to be a quotation: "If private persons did record the signal favours which they receive from the hand of God no question but the frequent reviews of such a memorial would furnish them with abundance of pleasure, as well as administer support under new and unexpected troubles" (p.[ii]). This is followed by a resolution to meditate on the Lord's mercies and praise him for them. Accordingly, Cowper repeatedly addresses spiritual themes, particularly when writing on days of ecclesiastical significance. On the last Saturday of each month, she usually writes a prayerful meditation in preparation for receiving the sacrament the next day. Similarly, saints' days, Christmas, Lent and Easter all occasion pointedly religious entries. Cowper's daughter-in-law dies on 3 April 1705, during Lent, and the diarist does not write of it until nine days later, explaining, "I have not mentioned it till now, because at this holy time it seemed not meet to change my meditation for any other subject whatever" (p.56). Yet as in the previous two volumes, the subject matter of D/EP F31 is not solely devotional. Cowper continues to write about books, both religious and secular. In her entry for 15 January 1705, the author mentions that her waiting woman has been reading to her from Clarendon'sHistory of the Grand Rebellion; for the next two months the diary is dominated by observations about the Civil Wars. Cowper also critiques Archbishop Laud's diary, observing boldly, "[I] know not why the observations in my own [diary] may not vie with his. He seems superstitious to the last degree reciting his dreams . . . Did ever wise man commit to writing such stuff" (p.23). She is equally dismissive of Katherine Philips, claiming that the "collection of letters writ by Orinda to Polyarchus" puts her "in mind of Mr Shakespeare's play; Much Ado about Nothing" (p.67). Despite her frequently caustic tone, Cowper betrays an increasing sense of vulnerability due to illness, age and neglect by her sons, whom she believes view her as "superannuate and past conversation" (p.218). In August 1705 she uses the diary to marshal defences against her uncaring children, spending three entries detailing "illustrious examples of great men who greatly loved their mothers" (p.111). That she believes her eldest son, William, to be publicly "great" is apparent from her careful charting of his political rise, leading to his appointment as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal on 11 October 1705. Yet Cowper complains, "I hear abroad that I am Lord Keeper's mother, but I know not how to believe my ears, because I perceive no sign of it at home, unless it be troublesome petitioners" (p.208). Her increased status does not result in a more fulfilling social life, since she regards most of her new callers as flatterers and opportunists. The diary remains the only safe repository for her confidences. In particular, Cowper continues to record her marital frustrations, noting that she has "no friend whose aid [she] can implore" to oppose her husband (pp.162-163). In her entries she condemns her husband and justifies herself, detailing his cruelty and the reasoning behind what little resistance she offers him. Kugler claims that the diary actually was meant "to function as a weapon in [Cowper's] marital battles. It would vindicate her life and actions after her death, an unanswerable reproach that gave her the last word in a long-running argument" (p.9). This view is supported by the conclusion of D/EP F31. Sir William dies on 26 November 1706, and although the last official entry in the volume is 21 November, Cowper adds a few sentences obviously written after her husband's death: "I have set down a great many things in my diaries which I would never have done but with an intention Sir W should see them after my death. Not in the least imagining he would die before me" (p.304).