Introduction
In December 1783, after losing the American colonies to independence, King George III sacked the Government and appointed 24-year-old William Pitt as Prime Minister; on March 25th, a Parliament in uproar was dissolved in readiness for a general election. Just days later, William Grenville MP came calling on William Cowper — somewhat uncomfortably, as Grenville supported Pitt and Cowper did not.
WE were sitting yesterday after dinner,* the two ladies and myself,* very composedly, and without the least apprehension of any such intrusion in our snug parlour, one lady knitting, the other netting, and the gentleman winding worsted, when to our unspeakable surprise a mob appeared before the window; a smart rap was heard at the door, the boys bellowed, and the maid announced Mr Grenville.* Puss was unfortunately let out of her box,* so that the candidate, with all his good friends at his heels, was refused admittance at the grand entry, and referred to the back door, as the only possible way of approach.
Candidates are creatures not very susceptible of affronts, and would rather, I suppose, climb in at the window, than be absolutely excluded. In a minute, the yard, the kitchen, and the parlour, were filled. Mr Grenville, advancing toward me, shook me by the hand with a degree of cordiality that was extremely seducing. As soon as he, and as many more as could find chairs, were seated, he began to open the intent of his visit.
* Mealtimes underwent great changes through the eighteenth century, and Cowper’s habits bear witness to that. In October 1792, Cowper invited Samuel Tweedon to dinner at 4pm. Back in 1766, he had indicated that dinner was at 3pm on Sundays; in May 1781, he told John Newton that ‘we always dine at two’ and in June 1786 William told his cousin Lady Hesketh that ‘our dinner hour is four o’clock.’ By the Regency period (1811-1820), dinner had moved on to 5-6pm or even later in the towns.
* One of the ladies was Mary (née Cawthorne) Unwin (1724-1796), who had taken pity on William following his three suicide attempts and a spell in an asylum, and given him a home. The other was Ann (née Richardson), Lady Austen (?-1802), widow of Sir Robert Austen (?1708-1772), 7th Baronet, of Bexley in Kent. William had run across Ann in the village and summoned up the courage to invite her to tea; she subsequently relinquished her house in London and moved to Olney. The couple struck up a lively friendship that stimulated William to fresh creativity, but it was so evidently heart-breaking for Mary that later in 1784 Cowper felt obliged to ask Lady Austen not to visit any more. She was angry but respected his decision, and subsequently married a Frenchman, Count Claude Tardiff de Granger.
* William Wyndham Grenville (1759-1834); he had been an MP for two years already. His father George had been Prime Minister in 1763-1765, and the new Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, was his cousin. Cowper was glad he could not vote because it saved him from admitting to Grenville that he took the side of Charles Fox and the Commons regarding Pitt’s appointment.
* Puss was one of Cowper’s three pet hares (all males, as he told readers of Gentleman’s Magazine, notwithstanding their names and Cowper’s use of the pronoun ‘she’) together with Bess and Tiney, all of whom arrived in 1774 as a cure for William’s depression. Puss was the only one still living by this time; Bess died young and Tiney had died in 1783. Care was taken to ensure that Puss could not get out of the door when visitors came: he had escaped four years earlier, and caused quite a commotion until he was discovered, wretched but unharmed, in the local tannery.
Précis
In the run-up to the general election of 1784, prospective candidate for Buckinghamshire William Grenville roused William Cowper and his friends from their after-dinner hobbies. As Cowper’s pet hare was loose, Grenville and his noisy retinue were shown to the back door; but at last everyone was settled, and Grenville broached the issue of the forthcoming poll. (57 / 60 words)
In the run-up to the general election of 1784, prospective candidate for Buckinghamshire William Grenville roused William Cowper and his friends from their after-dinner hobbies. As Cowper’s pet hare was loose, Grenville and his noisy retinue were shown to the back door; but at last everyone was settled, and Grenville broached the issue of the forthcoming poll.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: if, must, not, ought, since, until, whereas, whether.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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