JOHN CLARE
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Apropos of the interesting autobiography of the poet Clare in recent numbers of the Spectator, I looked up a half.. remembered passage in a Life of Sheriff Watson of Aberdeen. The passage in Watsori's diary is dated April 14th, 1841, and runs as foltoWs
" I saw in an English Journal an account of the poet Clare presently in a madhouse—his illness caused, as supposed, by distress, occasioned by the small sale of. his writings ; moved by compassion, I wrote to the keeper of the Asylum enquiring where I could find his writings and saying that if Clare had reserved the sale of them, I would be disposed to buy them all. I was not a little astonished to-day by a letter from my correspondent talking of my generosity and informing me that the whole unsold publication in the hands of the booksellers, exclusive of bindings, amounted to £268, and saying my buying them all would be a great thing for both publisher and poet.' I replied that I was very sorry that my careless mode of expressing myself had occasioned a very great mistake, as I only meant one copy of the poet's works and not all the works of the publisher. The Caledonian Hunt were supposed to be liberal when theY subieribed for 100 copies of Burns' works, but that is nothing-to my being supposed to want 500 copies of Clare."
In the same week the.Scottish Sheriff, whose aims and energies were directed towards the salvation of poor and neglected
children from prison and its terrible results, writes again is his diary :-
" At Pitseaple wandered about all afternoon ' looking free me' and hearing the birds sing. The only book I brought with me, a volume of Clam's poetry, which I read with melancholy delight, gazing often on the lovely landscape and reflecting that the author of the verse who described Nature's beauties so well, was now in confinement.
His sweet bells jangled, sadly out of tune.' "
—I am, Sir, &c., MARION ANGUS.
Zoar, Queen's Road West, Aberdeen.
Previous page
