MISCELLANEOUS

miscellaneous

page51.angelhelp.

thispoemwasfirstprintedinthenewmonthlymagazine,1827,withtriflingdifferences,andtheaddition,attheend,ofthiscouplet:—

virtuouspoorones,sleep,sleepon,

and,waking,findyourlaboursdone.

iamafraidthatthe"nonsenseverses"onpage123representanattempttomakefunofthisbeautifulpoem.

aders'houseineustonsquarewashungwithengravingsprincipallyofthegermanschool(seethepoemonpage94addressedtohim).

page52.thechristening.

theselineswerefirstprintedinblackwood'smagazine,may,1829.

page53.onaninfantdyingassoonasborn.

thispoemwasfirstprintedinthegem,1829.thegemwastheneditedbythomashood,whosechild—hisfirstborn—itwasthatinspiredthepoem.lambsenttheversestohoodinmay,1827.

thisis,ithink,inmanywayslamb'smostremarkablepoem.

hood'sownpoemonthesameevent,printedinmemorialsofthomashood,byhisdaughter,1860,hassomeofthegraceandtendernessofthegreekanthology:—

littleeyesthatscarcedidsee,

littlelipsthatneversmiled;

alas!mylittledeardeadchild,

deathisthyfather,andnotme,

ibutembracedthee,soonashe!

page55.tobernardbarton.

theselinesweresenttobartonin1827,togetherwiththepicture.on

june11,lambwroteagain:—

"dearb.b.,

"onewordmoreofthepictureverses,andthatforgoodandall;pray,withaneatpenalteroneline—

"hislearningseemstolaysmallstresson—

"to

"hislearninglaysnomightystresson,

"toavoidtheunseemlyrecurrence(ungrammaticalalso)of'seems'inthenextline,besidesthenonsenseof'but'there,asitnowstands.andirequestyou,asapersonalfavortome,toerasethelastlineofall,whichishouldneverhavewrittenfrommyself.thefactis,itwasasillyjokeofhood's,whogavemetheframe,(youjudg'drightlyitwasnotitsown,)withtheremarkthatyouwouldlikeitbecauseitwasb——-db——-d[thelastlineinquestionwas'andbroadbrimmed,astheowner'scalling']andi'ditin:butishallbequitehurtifitstands,becausetho'youandyourshavetoogoodsensetoobjecttoit,iwouldnothaveasentenceofmineseenthattoanyfoolishearmightsoundunrespectfultothee.letitendat'appalling.'"

line1.woodbridge.bartonlivedatwoodbridge,insuffolk,wherehewasaclerkintheoldquakerbankofdykes&alexander.

line15.annknight.annknightwasaquakerlady,alsoresidentatwoodbridge,whokeptasmallschoolthere,andwhohadvisitedthelambsinlondonandgreatlycharmedthem.

line16.classicmitford.therev.johnmitford(1781-1859)wasrectorofbenhall,insuffolk,nearwoodbridge,andafriendofbarton's,throughwhomlamb'sacquaintancewithhimwascarriedon.mitfordeditedmanypoets,amongthemvincentbourne.hewaseditorofthegentleman'smagazinefrom1834to1850.

footnote.carringtonbowles.caringtonbowles,69st.paul's

churchyard,wasthepublisherofthisprint,whichwastheworkofthe

eldermorland,andwasengravedbyphilipdawe,fatheroflamb'sgeorge

dawe(seetheessay"recollectionsofalateroyalacademician,"vol.

i.).

lines26,27,28.obstinate…banyan.itwasnotobstinate,but

christian,whoputhisfingersinhisears(seethefirstpagesofthe

pilgrim'sprogress).lambhadthesameslipofmemoryinhispaper"on

thecustomofhissingatthetheatre"(vol.i.).

page56.theyoungcatechist.lambsentthispoemtobartoninaletterin1827,whereinhetellsthestoryofitsinception:—"anartistwhopaintedmelately,hadpaintedablackamoorpraying,andnotfillinghiscanvas,stuff'dinhislittlegirlasideofblacky,gapingathimunmeaningly;andthendidn'tknowwhattocallit.nowforapicturetobepromotedtotheexhibition(suffolkstreet)ashistorical,asubjectisrequisite.whatdoesme.ibutchristenitthe'youngcatechist,'andfurbishditwithdialoguefollowing,whichdubb'ditanhistoricalpainting.nothingtoafriendatneed….wheni'ddoneittheartist(whohadclaptinmissmerelyasafill-space)sworeiexpresthisfullmeaning,andthedamselbridledupintoamissionary'svanity.ilikeversestoexplainpictures:seldompicturestoillustratepoems."

theartistwashenrymeyer(1782?-1847),oneofthefoundationmembersofthesocietyofbritishartistsinsuffolkstreet,totheexhibitionofwhichin1826hesenthisportraitoflamb,nowintheindiaoffice.thispicturewasinashopinthecharingcrossroadin1910.

page57.sheisgoing.

theselineswerewrittenforiknownotwhatoccasion,buttheartisthenrymeyerengravedapictureofg.j.l.noblein1837andlamb'slineswereplacedbelow.

page57.toayoungfriend.

theyoungfriendwasemmaisola,wholivedwiththelambsforsomeyearsastheiradopteddaughter.emmaisolawasthedaughterofcharlesisola,esquirebedelloftheuniversityofcambridge,whodiedin1823,leavingherunprovidedfor.hisfather,andemmaisola'sgrandfather,wasagostinoisola,whosettledatcambridgeandtaughtitalianthere.wordsworthwasamonghispupils.heeditedacollectionofpiecesselectedfromtheitalianpoets,1778;alsoeditionsofgerusalemmeliberataandorlandofurioso,andabookofitaliandialogues.emmaisolaisfirstmentionedbylambinanunpublishedletterwrittentoheraunt,misshumphreys,injanuary,1821,arrangingforthelittlegirl'sreturntotrumpingtonstreet,cambridge,fromlondon,whereshehadbeenspendingherholidayswiththelambs.thelambshadmetheratcambridgeinthesummerof1820.theexactdateofheradoptionbythelambscannotbeascertainednow.emmaisolamarriededwardmoxonin1833,andliveduntil1891.

page58.tothesame.

writingtoprocterinjanuary,1829,lambcallsmissisola"asilentbrowngirl,"andinhisletterofnovember,1833,tomr.andmrs.moxon,hesays:"ihopeyou[moxon]andemmawillhavemanyaquarrelandmanyamake-up(andsheisbeautifulinreconciliation!)…"seethepoem"toafriendonhismarriage,"page80,forafurtherdescriptionofemmaisola'scharacter.