Before proceeding to describe the effect made on the public by the appearance of “Poems descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery,” it will be necessary to revert for a moment to the affairs of love. No sooner was the first quarrel between the sweethearts swept away by the broom of reconciliation than the flame of passion, burning to a conquering height, made a bonfire out of the broken materials of virtue. This disaster was followed by fresh bickerings. Martha Turner found it impossible to be for ever displaying a cheerful front. Her tears, her reproaches, her simple tricks to make CLARE jealous, resulted in a serious breach. CLARE, listening far too readily to glib and evil persuasions from within, appears to have convinced himself that he was the injured party; whereupon he began to wound Martha by flirting outrageously with Betty Sell, the daughter of a Southorp labourer. This inglorious behaviour received a sudden check, just after the publication of CLARE’S book, by reason of a letter from Martha Turner, in which she spoke of her coming motherhood, and implored the author of her shame to cleanse her in so far as he was able. Truth to tell, CLARE was by this time wellnigh assured that Betty was his favourite, but he had the manliness to follow the right star, and on the 16th of March, 1820, was united to Martha at Great Casterton Church. A month after the wedding Anna Maria Clare was born to him. As this marriage would hardly have been possible but for the stir occasioned by the poems, we may now give a short history of the events immediately following their issue.