. Old and new London : a narrative of its history, its people, and its places. s of that poet,it was customary to receive a silver groat for agood exercise of Latin verses. An extraordinarilygood set of verses sometimes had the furtherhonour of being sent round the school to be read. The other day, writes Cowper^ I sent myimagination upon a trip thirty years behind was very obedient, and at last set me downon the sixth form at Westminster. Accordingly I observed in his day, but that sweet remunerationwas still dispensed in silver pence, and that hisown first literary profits were thus o
. Old and new London : a narrative of its history, its people, and its places. s of that poet,it was customary to receive a silver groat for agood exercise of Latin verses. An extraordinarilygood set of verses sometimes had the furtherhonour of being sent round the school to be read. The other day, writes Cowper^ I sent myimagination upon a trip thirty years behind was very obedient, and at last set me downon the sixth form at Westminster. Accordingly I observed in his day, but that sweet remunerationwas still dispensed in silver pence, and that hisown first literary profits were thus obtained —namely, by his English verse exercises. We learn,however, that the custom is still retained—thoughonly once a year—of- reciting verses composed bythe boys on themes previously chosen by the head-master, and announced to the school. The com-posers of the best lines on these occasions arestill rewarded with silver pennies or silver three-penny pieces, according to their merit. Glorious John Dryden was admitted a Kings Westminster School.] WESTMINSTER POETS. 475. 476 OLD AND NEW LONDON. [Westminster School, Scholar under the head-mastership of Dr. Busby,though the exact dates of his entry and of hisleaving school are not known. The wooden formwith his name cut upon it still remains in theschool-room. Sir Walter Scott, in his Life ofDryden, tells us that whilst a boy at school hetranslated the third Satire of Persius into Englishverse, and that many similar exercises composedby him before he was seventeen were in the handsof Dr. Busby, whom he always treated with greatand heartfelt respect, addressing him in his letters,long after he ceased to be his pupil, as honouredsir, Another of his poetical productions here wasan elegy on the death of Henry Lord Hastings,one of his schoolfellows, which was printed in the* Lacrymse Musarum. Cowleys memory is connected with Westminsterin quite another way; for he was precociousenough to publish a volume of poems whilst a boyat th
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