HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. 103 English poem, the subject being that year " The Knights of St John," which was pronounced by Professor Keble, an ex-officio judge, as remarkably elegant and highly polished ; and it waa afterwards stated by the late Mr. Hussey, another of the judges, that of the thirty-seven poems sent in, none came into competition with the winner. The following are a few of the concluding stanzas: — Farewell, then, gentle Warriors ! Once again Tis meet to raise the faintly-dying strain. 'Twas meet that when the pageantry of death Hung round the hero's tomb the laurel-wreath, 'Twas meet his minstrel-boy should linger near To weep alone upon his master's 'bier. And often to the Warrior's silent cell From a far land soft dreams shall come to dwell. While busy fancy marks with curious eye Tall helmet-plumes and bannered lines glance by, Or feeds her meditative soul from springs Of sunny thoughts and deep imaginings. Oh ! still in memory's clear, pathetic light Shall live those dream-like forms for ever blight Tes ! while undying spirits still must crave A better, nobler land beyond the grave, In lowliness the feeling heart shall come And watch by the Crusader^s marble tomb. Till the weird stillness of the cloistered air Steals o'er the soul, and charms it into prayer. And the strong-glancing, eagle eye of Faith, Sees far into the tranquil things of Death I He became a Fellow at the age of twenty-two ; this event being closely followed by another triumph — the carrying oflF of the Johnson Divinity Scholarship, open to all Bachelors, and for which there was considerable competition. He also became a member of the Oxford University Debating Society, in which he took a leading part at the time when Sir Boundell Palmer, Mr. Lowe, Mr. Cardwell, and Archbishop Tait were his compeers, and amongst the principal speakers of the day. During his academical career, he made his debut as an author, and contributed several papers to the " Oxford University Magazine," amongst which was one upon " Philip Van Artevelde" — ^a work written by Henry Taylor, Esq., son of George Taylor, Esq., of Witton Hall, author of " Memoir of Surtees," appended to the fourth volume of his "History of Durham." He also contributed some very touching verses on the death of Charles Lamb. During the summer vacation of 1837, he visited the English Lakes, and there became acquainted with Wordsworth, with whom he remained on the greatest terms of intimacy ; and when, in 1839, the great poet went to Oxford to receive his Doctor's degree, they spent much time together. "On one occasion," says his brother, "the poet came to breakfast with my brother, when Mr. Hamilton, now Bishop of Salisbury, was a guest, and also Chevalier Bunsen, the Prussian ambassador. Mr. Wordsworth talked without any restraint on literary subjects, and read, or rather recited, his verses on * Yarrow Unvisited,' the poem fixed upon by the wishes of the company. It was a morning of great enjoyment, such as could hardly be expected to occur again. Mr. Wordsworth always distinguished my brother by much kind attention. When he settled in his country living, the poet paid him a visit ; and it was then, I think, that he presented him with a beautiful copy of * The Excursion,' with an autograph inscription on the fly leaf : — * To the Rev. Frederick Faber, as a token of sincere regard fix)m William WordswortL' This volume is now in my possession, and also the letter from Rydal which Mr. W. addressed to Digitized by Google —
