These volumes represent the third and fourth of five volumes devoted to Clare"s "middle period," between 1822 and 1837, arguably the years of his finest creativity. They range from examples of Clare"s satirical and political verse, in "The Summons" and "The Hue and Cry," to a telling expression of his philosophy of nature, in "The Eternity of Nature," and probably the most important statement of Clare"s poetic objectives in "To the Rural Muse."