Leslie Stephen on William Cowper

“The pathos of some minor poems is unsurpassable. Cowper is attractive whenever he shows his genuine self.”

“In the ‘Task,’ his playfulness, his exquisite appreciation of simple natural beauties, and his fine moral perceptions found full expression. Cowper now revealed himself in his natural character. He speaks as the gentle recluse, describes his surroundings playfully and pathetically, and is no longer declaiming from the rostrum or pulpit of the old-fashioned satirist.”