Biogrpahical Notice of Edward Forster
by his Grandson, Thomas I. M. Forster」
Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster, “Biographical Notice of Edward Forster, ” “On the Funerall of an Old Horse; On the Same, Being a Padoy on Horse, Book 1, Ode XXIV.,” in Epistolarium or Fasciculi of Curious Letters Together with A Few Familiar Poems and Some Account of the Writers As Preserved Among the MSS of the Forster Family 「Google Books」(Bruges, 1845) 1-14.
「1770」Edward Forster & Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster, “Epitaph on Old Tray,” in Epistolarium or Fasciculi of Curious Letters Together with A Few Familiar Poems and Some Account of the Writers As Preserved Among the MSS of the Forster Family 「Google Books」(Bruges, 1845) 122-124.
「1775」Edward Forster & Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster, “On the Funerall of an Old Horse; On the Same, Being a Padoy on Horse, Book 1, Ode XXIV.,” in Epistolarium or Fasciculi of Curious Letters Together with A Few Familiar Poems and Some Account of the Writers As Preserved Among the MSS of the Forster Family 「Google Books」(Bruges, 1845) 122-124.
I may as well take notice of the beautiful garden surraounding the house and leading to the meadows, where horses old and young, past thier work, and in full employment, grazed at leisure; proving that a good man is kind to his beasts, and putting shame to those selfish wretches who send thier old servants to the knacker’s yard; orto spin out a misterable existence in a dust eart.—a sin in my opinion worse that the one satyrised by Ovid as ruricolam mactare suam; and one which will always be a stain on our national character for humanity. (10-11)
Among the many works which I used to read with him, in my boyhood, I particulary remember, as his favourite authors, Addsion, Dean Swift and Jean Jacques Rousseau. (13)
Mr. Forster was very fond of horses and dogs, but alone as useful or pleasant companions, and never for sporting. But he did not carry his attachment ot the brute creation quite so far as some of his relations have done. His epitaph on old Tray a favourite pointer, written in 1770, will be admired by all the lovers of humanity and good taste and his epistle in verse to M. Gough on the death of an aged mare 「(1775) On the Funerall of an Old Horse; On the Same, Being a Padoy on Horse, Book 1, Ode XXIV. (122-124)」, as well as the learned antiquary’s verses on a similar occasion, afford a proof of how close he was ble to imitate the styles of Chaucer, Spencer and the early poets.
Of his early friends…Mr. Tyson…and several other distinguished men of that day…
Of the various systems of philosphy which he studies, he always gave the preference to and indeed adopted as probable the Pythaorean; for which he has been warmly attacked by both philosphers and catholics in several public journals. But he always mainted his opinion, that individuality belonged to an identical sentient capacity, or mind alone, that this changed its bodily habation on its passage though various staes, mounting the sckale of excelelnce and aqpproaching for ever the perfection of the creator without ever equalling it.…That there was a universla princple of retributive justice in morals.
