the while,
Till Mister Ashford soften'd to a smile;
No more that meek and suppliant look in prayer,
Nor the pure faith (to give it force), are there:--
But he is blest, and I lament no more
A wise, good man, contented to be poor."

Where Crabbe is represented, not unfairly, as dwelling mainly on the
seamy side of peasant and village life, such passages as the above are
not to be overlooked.

This final section ("Burials") is brought to a close by an ingenious
incident which changes the current of the vicar's thoughts. He is in the
midst of the recollections of his departed flock when the tones of the
passing-bell fall upon his ear. On sending to inquire he finds that they
tell of a new death, that of his own aged parish-sexton, "old Dibble"
(the name, it may be presumed, an imperfect reminiscence of Justice
Shallow's friend). The speaker's thoughts are now directed to his old
parish servant, and to the old man's favourite stories of previous
vicars under whom he has served. Thus the poem ends with sketches of
Parson Addle, Parson Peele, Dr. Grandspear and others--among them the
"Author-Rector," intended (the younger Crabbe thought) as a portrait of
the poet himself. Finally Crabbe could not resist the temptation to
include a young parson, "a youth from Cambridge," who has imbibed some
extreme notions of the school of Simeon, and who is shown as fearful on
his death-bed lest he should have been guilty of too many good works. He
appeals to his old clerk on the subject:--

"'My alms-deeds all, and every deed I've done,
My moral-rags defile me every one;
It should not be:--what say'st thou! Tell me, Ralph.'
'Quoth I, your Reverence, I believe you're safe;
Your faith's your prop, nor have you pass'd such time
In life's good works as swell them to a crime.
If I of pardon for my sins were sure,
About my goodness I would rest secure.'"

The volume containing _The Parish Register, The Village_, and others,
appeared in the autumn of 1807; and Crabbe's general acceptance as a
poet of mark dates from that year. Four editions were issued by Mr.
Hatchard during the following year and a half--the fourth appearing in
March 1809. The reviews were unanimous in approval, headed by Jeffrey in
the _Edinburgh_, and within two days of the appearance of this article,
according to Crabbe's son, the whole of the first edition was sold off.

At this date, there was room for Crabbe as a poet, and there was still