The Project Gutenberg EBook of Crabbe, (George), by Alfred Ainger

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Title: Crabbe, (George)
English Men of Letters Series

Author: Alfred Ainger

Release Date: February 15, 2004 [EBook #11088]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CRABBE, (GEORGE) ***

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ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS

CRABBE

ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS

CRABBE

BY

ALFRED AINGER

NINETEEN HUNDRED AND THREE

PREFATORY NOTE

The chief, and almost sole, source of information concerning Crabbe is
the Memoir by his son prefixed to the collected edition of his poems in
1834. Comparatively few letters of Crabbe's have been preserved, but a
small and interesting series will be found in the "Leadbeater Papers"
(1862), consisting of letters addressed to Mary Leadbeater, the daughter
of Burke's friend, Richard Shackleton.

I am indebted to Mr. John Murray for kindly lending me many manuscript
sermons and letters of Crabbe's and a set of commonplace books in which
the poet had entered fragments of cancelled poems, botanical memoranda,
and other miscellaneous matter.

Of especial service to me has been a copy of Crabbe's _Memoir_ by his
son with abundant annotations by Edward FitzGerald, whose long intimacy
with Crabbe's son and grandson had enabled him to illustrate the text
with many anecdotes and comments of interest chiefly derived from those
relatives. This volume has been most kindly placed at my disposal by
Mr. W. Aldis Wright, FitzGerald's literary executor.

Finally, I have once again to thank my old friend the Master of
Peterhouse for his careful reading of my proof sheets.

A.A.

_July 1903_

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I EARLY LIFE IN ALDEBURGH

CHAPTER II POVERTY IN LONDON

CHAPTER III FRIENDSHIP WITH BURKE

CHAPTER IV LIFE AT BELVOIR CASTLE

CHAPTER V IN SUFFOLK AGAIN

CHAPTER VI "THE PARISH REGISTER"

CHAPTER VII "THE BOROUGH"

CHAPTER VIII "TALES"

CHAPTER IX VISITING IN LONDON

CHAPTER X "TALES OF THE HALL"

CHAPTER XI LAST YEARS AT TROWBRIDGE

INDEX

CRABBE

CHAPTER I

EARLY LIFE IN ALDEBURGH

(1754-17