d arranged for a legacy of $900 so he could concentrate on his poetry. Wordsworth was very grateful, and between the income from that and some money he got from another friend in exchange for watching his young son, Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy were able to live together in a little cottage. About this time, Wordsworth met Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, two young poets. Robert and Coleridge soon had a terrible quarrel, the scheme died, and Coleridge became Wordsworth friend. In 1798, they published a joint volume of poetry called Lyrical Ballads. In 1800, a second volume was added to Lyrical Ballads. Wordsworth also wrote a preface expounding his theories of what made good poetry. Two years later, the Wordsworths discovered they would get the money owed to their father. Perhaps because of this, Wordsworth asked Mary Hutchinson, a friend since childhood, to marry him. After a quick visit to Annette to straighten everything out, Wordsworth and Mary were married in a quiet ceremony. Wordsworth, Mary, and Dorothy all lived together in their little cottage. In 1807, Wordsworth published a two-volume set containing 113 poems, which was again given a very bad review. Wordsworth tried to take it all in stride, but it was probably no coincidence that he changed his mind about publishing some long poems he'd just finished. He also started writing more prose, at least partly due to the fact that Coleridge had recently started a magazine that needed articles. But Coleridge's growing drug addiction and paranoia soon put a stop to his work and unfortunately, his friendship with William as well. Wordsworth usually fulfilling home life, was nearly shattered in 1812. In June of that year, Catherine, his fourth child, died of convulsions at age 3; in December, the third child, Thomas, died of pneumonia. Mary herself came close to dying from grief, and Dorothy was not much better. Wordsworth wrote a very touching sonnet on Catherine's de...
