Poems on Serious and Sacred Subjects: Printed Only as Private Tokens of Regard, for the Particular Friends of the Author

William Hayley spent his later years in a Sussex manor, surrounded by a circle of intimate friends and collaborators including the poet Cowper and the painter Romney. These poems emerged from that quiet, contemplative world, not for the reading public, but as handwritten tokens for those he loved. Written in the twilight of Hayley's life and published just two years before his death, the collection grapples with what mattered most: the fear of death, the solace of faith, the enduring bonds of friendship. The verses carry the weight of a man who knew his time was drawing to a close, yet found peace not in denial but in acceptance. "On the Fear of Death" meditates on the strange duality of human desire, we wish to live, yet we wish for rest. Throughout, Hayley returns to Christian virtues, humility, charity, love, as anchors in an uncertain world. These are not performances but confessions, quiet gifts from one mortal to others facing the same darkness. For readers who appreciate meditative verse that confronts mortality without flinching, this private collection offers an unexpected intimacy: the voice of an 18th-century gentleman, speaking honestly about what lies ahead.