Honest John, trenchant in his views and unafraid to express them - in his vast output of both poems and prose there is a recurring theme, that of 'Honesty' and 'Hypocrisy'. Virtually none of this work was published in his lifetime, so his comments on 'false appearance', 'self interest', 'cunning' and 'oppression' are little known. There is in fact SO much prose on these subjects, that I have assembled a few of them as the 'Introduction' to the book!
Honesty is the self qualifying principle of a good conscience – it is more gratifying to the heart than the head & more sweet to the inward feeling then to outward appearance
Essay writers have hunted their game thro every hole & corner of human life & treated us with many sublime advices ‘conscerning things that ought to be done’ but there is a few stray common places where these unforbidden matters if not lawful alowances are on whinked at indulgences & considered practicable for the better condition of self interest these are the strays that I have taken up as regular game
& if I should so far overshoot the gamelaws of ettiquette by intruding upon the manner of hypocricy as to create suspicions I hope my friends will not consider it in any light of a lawless matter for my friends are all considered honest & are the very ornaments that have encouraged me to the writing of these trifles & every day pictures of common life
John Clare
'Honesty' (Arbour Chapbook No.11) is available from me at £4.00 plus £1.00 P&P(UK). Email me on arborfield@pm.me
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