secretary of the Unitarian Association and, in 1867–1871 professor of natural religion and Christian doctrine at Harvard. From the beginning of his active life he wrote freely for the press. From 1836 until 1839 he was editor of the Western Messenger, a magazine intended to carry to readers in the Mississippi Valley simple statements of “liberal religion,” involving what were then the most radical appeals as to national duty, especially the abolition of slavery. The magazine is now of value to collectors because it contains the earliest printed poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was Clarke’s personal friend. Most of Clarke’s earlier published writings were addressed to the immediate need of establishing a larger theory of religion than that espoused by people who were still trying to be Calvinists, people who maintained what a good American phrase calls “hard-shelled churches.” But it would be wrong to call his work controversial. He was always declaring that the business of the Church is Eirenic and not Polemic. Such books as Orthodoxy: Its Truths and Errors (1866) have been read more largely by members of orthodox churches than by Unitarians. In the great moral questions of his time Clarke was a fearless and practical advocate of the broadest statement of human rights. Without caring much what company he served in, he could always be seen and heard, a leader of unflinching courage, in the front rank of the battle. He published but few verses, but at the bottom he was a poet. He was a diligent and accurate scholar, and among the books by which he is best known is one called Ten Great Religions (2 vols., 1871–1883). Few Americans have done more than Clarke to give breadth to the published discussion of the subjects of literature, ethics and religious philosophy. Among his later books are Every-Day Religion (1886) and Sermons on the Lord’s Prayer (1888). He died at Jamaica Plain, Mass., on the 8th of June 1888.
His Autobiography, Diary and Correspondence, edited by Edward Everett Hale, was published in Boston in 1891. (E. E. H.)
CLARKE, JOHN SLEEPER (1833–1899), American actor, was
born in Baltimore, Maryland, on the 3rd of September 1833, and
was educated for the law. He made his first appearance in
Boston as Frank Hardy in Paul Pry in 1851. In 1859 he married
Asia Booth, daughter of Junius Brutus Booth, and he was
associated with his brother-in-law Edwin Booth in the management
of the Winter Garden theatre in New York, the Walnut
Street theatre in Philadelphia and the Boston theatre. In 1867
he went to London, where he made his first appearance at the St
James’s as Major Wellington de Boots in Stirling Coyne’s
Everybody’s Friend, rewritten for him and called The Widow’s Hunt. His success was so great that he remained in England for
the rest of his life, except for four visits to America. Among his
favourite parts were Toodles, which ran for 200 nights at the
Strand, Dr Pangloss in The Heir-at-law, and Dr Ollapod in The Poor Gentleman. He managed several London theatres, including
the Haymarket, where he preceded the Bancrofts. He
retired in 1889, and died on the 24th of September 1899. His two
sons also were actors.
CLARKE, MARCUS ANDREW HISLOP (1846–1881),
Australian author, was born in London on the 24th of April 1846.
He was the only son of William Hislop Clarke, a barrister of the
Middle Temple who died in 1863. He emigrated forthwith to
Australia, where his uncle, James Langton Clarke, was a county
court judge. He was at first a clerk in the bank of Australasia,
but showed no business ability, and soon proceeded to learn
farming at a station on the Wimmera river, Victoria. He was
already writing stories for the Australian Magazine, when in 1867
he joined the staff of the Melbourne Argus through the introduction
of Dr Robert Lewins. He also became secretary (1872) to
the trustees of the Melbourne public library and later (1876)
assistant librarian. He founded in 1868 the Yorick Club, which
soon numbered among its members the chief Australian men of
letters. The most famous of his books is For the Term of his Natural Life (Melbourne, 1874), a powerful tale of an Australian
penal settlement, which originally appeared in serial form in a
Melbourne paper. He also wrote The Peripatetic Philosopher
(1869), a series of amusing papers reprinted from The Australasian; Long Odds (London, 1870), a novel; and numerous
comedies and pantomimes, the best of which was Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (Theatre Royal, Melbourne; Christmas,
1873). He married an actress, Marian Dunn. In spite of his
popular success Clarke was constantly involved in pecuniary
difficulties, which are said to have hastened his death at
Melbourne on the 2nd of August 1881.
See The Marcus Clarke Memorial Volume (Melbourne, 1884), containing selections from his writings with a biography and list of works, edited by Hamilton Mackinnon.
CLARKE, MARY ANNE (c. 1776–1852), mistress of Frederick
duke of York, second son of George III., was born either in
London or at Oxford. Her father, whose name was Thompson,
seems to have been a tradesman in rather humble circumstances.
She married before she was eighteen, but Mr Clarke, the proprietor
of a stonemasonry business, became bankrupt, and she
left him. After other liaisons, she became in 1803 the mistress of
the duke of York, then commander-in-chief, maintaining a large
and expensive establishment in a fashionable district. The
duke’s promised allowance was not regularly paid, and to escape
her financial difficulties Mrs Clarke trafficked in her protector’s
position, receiving money from various promotion-seekers,
military, civil and even clerical, in return for her promise to secure
them the good services of the duke. Her procedure became a
public scandal, and in 1809 Colonel Wardle, M.P., brought eight
charges of abuse of military patronage against the duke in the
House of Commons, and a committee of inquiry was appointed,
before which Mrs Clarke herself gave evidence. The result of the
inquiry clearly established the charges as far as she was concerned,
and the duke of York was shown to have been aware of
what was being done, but to have derived no pecuniary benefit
himself. He resigned his appointment as commander-in-chief,
and terminated his connexion with Mrs Clarke, who subsequently
obtained from him a considerable sum in cash and a pension, as
the price for withholding the publication of his numerous letters
to her. Mrs Clarke died at Boulogne on the 21st of June 1852.
See Taylor, Authentic Memoirs of Mrs Clarke; Clarke (? pseud.), Life of Mrs M. A. Clarke; Annual Register, vol. li.
CLARKE, SAMUEL (1675–1729), English philosopher and divine, son of Edward Clarke, an alderman, who for several years was parliamentary representative of the city of Norwich, was born on the 11th of October 1675, and educated at the free school of Norwich and at Caius College, Cambridge. The philosophy of Descartes was the reigning system at the university; Clarke, however, mastered the new system of Newton, and contributed greatly to its extension by publishing an excellent Latin version of the Traité de physique of Jacques Rohault (1620–1675) with valuable notes, which he finished before he was twenty-two years of age. The system of Rohault was founded entirely upon Cartesian principles, and was previously known only through the medium of a rude Latin version. Clarke’s translation (1697) continued to be used as a text-book in the university till supplanted by the treatises of Newton, which it had been designed to introduce. Four editions were issued, the last and best being that of 1718. It was translated into English in 1723 by his brother Dr John Clarke (1682–1757), dean of Sarum.
Clarke afterwards devoted himself to the study of Scripture in the original, and of the primitive Christian writers. Having taken holy orders, he became chaplain to John Moore (1646–1714), bishop of Norwich, who was ever afterwards his friend and patron. In 1699 he published two treatises,—one entitled Three Practical Essays on Baptism, Confirmation and Repentance, and the other, Some Reflections on that part of a book called Amyntor, or a Defence of Milton’s Life, which relates to the Writings of the Primitive Fathers, and, the Canon of the New Testament. In 1701 he published A Paraphrase upon the Gospel of St Matthew, which was followed, in 1702, by the Paraphrases upon the Gospels of St Mark and St Luke, and soon afterwards by a third volume upon St John. They were subsequently printed together in two volumes and have since passed through several editions. He intended to treat in the same manner the remaining books of the New Testament, but his design was unfulfilled.
