And thou shalt have a jocund cup To wind thy spirits gently up-- A stoup of hock or claret cup Once in a way, And we'll take notes from Mistress Gupp (8) That same glad day. And Rip Van Winkle (9) shall awake From his loved idlesse for thy sake, In earnest stretch himself, and take Pallet on thumb, Nor now his brains for subjects rake-- John Clare is come! His touch will, hue by hue, combine Thy thoughtful eyes, that steady shine, The temples of Shakesperian line, The quiet smile, The sense and shrewdness which are thine, Withouten guile. The following key accompanied the letter on its publication:-- 1. Agnus = Charles Lamb. 2. Lepus = Julius Hare, author of "Guesses at Truth." 3. Janus = The writer in the "London Magazine" who signed himself Janus Weathercock. 4. Nalla = Allan Cunningham. 5. Opium-eater = De Quincey, author of "The Confessions of an English Opium-eater." 6. The Poet true = The writer who assumes the name of Barry Cornwall. 7. The English Petrarch = The Rev. Mr. Strong, translator of Italian sonnets. 8. Mistress Gupp = A lady immortalized by her invention to keep muffins warm on the lid of the tea-urn. 9. Rip Van Winkle = E. V. Rippingille, painter of the "Country Post Office," the "Portrait of a Bird," &c. ALLAN CUNNINGHAM The friendship of Allan Cunningham was always highly prized by Clare, and shortly after his return from London he sent him an autograph of Bloomfield, the receipt of which Cunningham acknowledged in the following letter:-- "27, Belgrave Place, 23rd September, 1824. Dear Clare,-- I thank you much for Bloomfield's note, and as much for your own kind letter. I agree with you in the praise you have given to his verse. That he has living life about his productions there can be little doubt. He trusts too much to Nature and to truth to be a fleeting favourite, and he will be long in the highway where Fame dispenses her favours. I have often felt indignant at the insulting way his name has been introduced both by critics and poets. To scorn him because of the humility of his origin is ridiculous anywhere, and most of all here, where so many of our gentles and nobles have come from the clods of the valley. Learned men make many mistakes about the value of learning. I conceive it is chiefly valuable to a man's genius in enabling him to wield his energies with greater readiness or with better effect. But learning, though a polisher and a refiner, is not the creator. It may be the mould out of which genius stamps its coin, but it is not the gold itself. I am glad to hear that you are a little better. Keep up your heart and sing only when you feel the internal impulse, and you will add something to our poetry more lasting than any of the peasant bards of old England have done yet. I remain, dear Clare, your very faithful friend, ALLAN CUNNINGHAM." GEORGE DARLEY