In "A Letter to a friend of Robert Burns," Wordsworth wrote ""And, of poets more especially, it is true - that, if their works be good, they contain within themselves all that is necessary to their being comprehended and relished."" While it is improbable that this assertion was true when he wrote it in 1816, it is certainly not the case for readers of his poetry today. The historical context in which his poetry was written - and which is often reflected in the poems themselves - is, in many respects, little known to today's students of the romantic period, nor to those who simply enjoy...