The cottage which Lord Milton set apart for Clare was situated at
Northborough, a village three miles from Helpstone, and thus
described by the author of "Rambles Roundabout":--
"Northborough is a large village, not in the sense of its number of
houses or its population, but of the space of ground which it
covers. The houses are mostly cottages, half-hidden in orchards and
luxuriant gardens, having a prodigality of ground. There is not an
eminence loftier than a molehill throughout, yet the spacious roads
and the wealth of trees and flowers make it a very picturesque and
happy-looking locality. Clare's cottage stands in the midst of ample
grounds."
It has been generally supposed that the cottage was provided for
Clare rent-free, but that this was not the case is shown by the fact
that in one of his letters to Mrs. Emmerson he told her that he had
had to sub-let the piece of common for less than he was himself
paying for it. The rent was either L13 or L15 a year, but whether the
regular payment of that amount was insisted upon is very doubtful. To
the astonishment and even annoyance of many of Clare's friends, when
he was informed that the cottage was ready for its new tenants, he
showed the utmost reluctance to leave Helpstone. Mr. Martin gives the
following account of what took place:--
"Patty, radiant with joy to get away from the miserable little hut
into a beautiful roomy cottage, a palace in comparison with the old
dwelling, had all things ready for moving at the beginning of June,
yet could not persuade her husband to give his consent to the final
start. Day after day he postponed it, offering no excuse save that he
could not bear to part from his old home. Day after day he kept
walking through fields and woods among his old haunts, with wild,
haggard look, muttering incoherent language. The people of the
village began to whisper that he was going mad. At Milton Park they
heard of it, and Artis and Henderson hurried to Helpstone to look
after their friend. They found him sitting on a moss-grown stone, at
the end of the village nearest the heath. Gently they took him by the
arm, and, leading him back to the hut, told Mrs. Clare that it would
be best to start at once to Northborough, the Earl being dissatisfied
that the removal had not taken place. Patty's little caravan was soon
ready, and the poet, guided by his friends, followed in the rear,
walking mechanically, with eyes half shut, as if in a dream. His look
brightened for a moment when entering his new dwelling place, a truly
beautiful cottage, with thatched roof, casemented windows, wild roses
over the porch, and flowery hedges all round. Yet before many hours
were over he fell back into deep melancholy, from which he was
relieved only by a new burst of song. His feelings found vent in the
touching verses beginning 'I've left my own old home of homes.'"
Shortly after removing to Northborough Clare made another ineffectual
attempt to induce his trustees to draw out a portion of his fund
money. Writing in connection with this subject Mr. Emmerson says:--
"Mrs. Emmerson and myself take a lively interest in your welfare, and
we shall be glad to know exactly how you stand in your affairs, what
debts you owe, and what stock you require for your present pursuit:
by stock, I mean a cow or cows, pigs, &c. Pray give me an early reply
to all these particulars, that we may see if anything can be done
here to serve you."
Clare replied at once, and in a few days Mrs. Emmerson wrote as
follows:--
"We have consulted with Mr. Taylor. Mr. Emmerson went to him
yesterday on the receipt of your letter, and informed him of its
contents, and it was concluded to set on foot a private friendly
subscription to help Farmer John in his concerns. E. L. E. will give
L10, which must be laid out in the purchase of a cow, which she begs
may be called by the poetic name of Rose or Blossom, or May. Mr.
Taylor will kindly give L5 to purchase two pigs, and I dare say we
shall succeed in getting another L5 to buy a butter churn and a few
useful tools for husbandry, so that you may all set to work and begin
to turn your labour to account, and by instalments pay off the
various little debts which have accumulated in your own
neighbourhood. Your garden, and orchard, and dairy will soon release
you from these demands, I hope; at any rate you will thus have a
beginning, and with the blessing of Providence, and health on your
side, and care and industry on the part of your wife and children, I
hope my dear Clare will sit down happy ere long in his new abode,
rather than have cause to regret leaving his 'own old home of homes.'
It is a very natural and tender lament."
Clare had not lived long at Northborough when he was waited upon by
the editor of a London magazine who wormed from him an account of his
private affairs, and having dressed up that account in what would now
be called a sensational style, published it to the world. The article
contained many unjust insinuations against Clare's patrons and
publishers, and Mr. Taylor commenced actions, afterwards abandoned,
against the magazine in which it originally appeared, the "Alfred,"
and also against a Stamford paper, into which the article was copied.
Clare indignantly protested against the use to which his conversation
with his meddlesome visitor had been put, but it is impossible
entirely to acquit him of blame. Mr. Taylor remonstrated with him
upon his indiscretion, but with a consideration for his inexperience
which it is very pleasant to notice, refrained from a severity of
rebuke to which Clare had no doubt exposed himself. "I have been much
hurt," he says, "at finding that my endeavours to do you service have
ended no better than they have, but if you supposed that I had been
benefited by it, or that I had withheld from you anything you were
entitled to--any profit whatever on any of your works--you have been
grievously mistaken." Mr. Taylor was constant to the end, for after
this he promoted Clare's interests by every means in his power,
conferring with Dr. Darling on his behalf, discharging in conjunction
with Mrs. Emmerson a heavy account sent in by a local medical man,
advising him in all his troubles, offering him a home whenever he
chose to come to London to see Dr. Darling, editing his last volume
of poems, although it was brought out by a house with which he had no
connection, and, finally, contributing to his maintenance when it
became necessary to send him to a private asylum. Among the
indications which Clare gave of the approaching loss of reason were
frequent complaints that he was haunted by evil spirits, and that he
and his family were bewitched. Writing on this subject in February,
1833, Mr. Taylor said:--
"As for evil spirits, depend upon it, my dear friend, that there are
none, and that there is no such thing as witchcraft. But I am sure
that our hearts naturally are full of evil thoughts, and that God has
intended to set us free from the dominion of such thoughts by his
good Spirit. You will not expect me to say much on this subject,
knowing that I never press it upon my friends. I must, however, so
far depart from my custom as to say, that I am perfectly certain a
man may be happy even in this life if he will listen to the Word
which came down from heaven, and be as a little child in his
obedience and willingness to do what it requires of him. I am sure of
this, that if we receive the Spirit of God in our hearts we shall
never die. We shall go away from this scene, and our bodies will be
consigned to the grave, but with less pain than we have often felt in
life we shall be carried through what seem to be the pangs of death,
and then we shall be with that holy and blessed company at once who
have died fully believing in Christ, and who shall never again be
separated from him and happiness.
Farewell, my dear Clare.
Believe me ever most sincerely yours,