LETTER54

letter54

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

[probablyapril16or17,1800.]

isendyou,inthisparcel,myplay,whichibegyoutopresentinmyname,withmyrespectandlove,towordsworthandhissister.youblameusforgivingyourdirectiontomisswesley;thewomanhasbeententimesafterusaboutit,andwegaveitheratlast,undertheideathatnofurtherharmwouldensue,butshewouldoncewritetoyou,andyouwouldbiteyourlipsandforgettoanswerit,andsoitwouldend.youreadusadismalhomilyupon"realities."weknow,quiteaswellasyoudo,whatareshadowsandwhatarerealities.you,forinstance,whenyouareoveryourfourthorfifthjorum,chirpingaboutoldschooloccurrences,arethebestofrealities.shadowsarecold,thinthings,thathavenowarmthorgraspinthem.misswesleyandherfriend,andatribeofauthoressesthatcomeafteryouheredaily,and,indefectofyou,hiveandclusteruponus,aretheshadows.youencouragedthatmopsey,misswesley,todanceafteryou,inthehopeofhavinghernonsenseputintoanonsensicalanthology.wehaveprettywellshakenheroff,bythatsimpleexpedientofreferringhertoyou;buttherearemoreburrsinthewind.icamehomet'otherdayfrombusiness,hungryasahunter,todinner,withnothing,iamsure,oftheauthorbuthungeraboutme,andwhomfoundiclosetedwithmarybutafriendofthismisswesley,onemissbenje,orbenjey—idon'tknowhowshespellshername.ijustcameintimeenough,ibelieve,luckilytopreventthemfromexchangingvowsofeternalfriendship.itseemssheisoneofyourauthoresses,thatyoufirstfoster,andthenupbraiduswith.butiforgiveyou."theroguehasgivenmepotionstomakemelovehim."well;goshewouldnot,norstepastepoverourthreshold,tillwehadpromisedtocomeanddrinkteawithhernextnight.ihadneverseenherbefore,andcouldnottellwhothedevilitwasthatwassofamiliar.wewent,however,nottobeimpolite.herlodgingsareuptwopairsofstairsineaststreet.teaandcoffee,andmacaroons—akindofcakeimuchlove.wesatdown.presentlymissbenjebrokethesilence,bydeclaringherselfquiteofadifferentopinionfromd'israeli,whosupposesthedifferencesofhumanintellecttobethemereeffectoforganization.sheedtoknowmyopinion.iattemptedtocarryitoffwithapunuponorgan;butthatwentoffveryflat.sheimmediatelyconceivedaverylowopinionofmymetaphysics;and,turningroundtomary,putsomequestiontoherinfrench,—possiblyhavingheardthatneithermarynoriunderstoodfrench.theexplanationthattookplaceoccasionedsomeembarrassmentandmuchwondering.shethenfellintoaninsultingconversationaboutthecomparativegeniusandmeritsofallmodernlanguages,andconcludedwithassertingthatthesaxonwasesteemedthepurestdialectingermany.fromthenceshepassedintothesubjectofpoetry;wherei,whohadhithertosatmuteandaheareronly,humblyhopedimightnowputinawordtosomeadvantage,seeingthatitwasmyowntradeinamanner.butiwasstoppedbyaroundassertion,thatnogoodpoetryhadappearedsincedr.johnson'stime.itseemsthedoctorhassuppressedmanyhopefulgeniusesthatwaybytheseverityofhiscriticalstricturesinhis"livesofthepoets."ihereventuredtoquestionthefact,andwasbeginningtoappealtonames,butiwasassured"itwascertainlythecase."thenwediscussedmissmore'sbookoneducation,whichihadneverread.itseemsdr.gregory,anotherofmissbenjey'sfriends,hasfoundfaultwithoneofmissmore'smetaphors.missmorehasbeenatsomepainstovindicateherself—intheopinionofmissbenjey,notwithoutess.itseemsthedoctorisinvariablyagainsttheuseofbrokenormixedmetaphor,whichhereprobatesagainsttheauthorityofshakspearehimself.wenextdiscussedthequestion,whetherpopewasapoet?ifinddr.gregoryisofopinionhewasnot,thoughmisssewarddoesnotatallconcurwithhiminthis.

wethensatuponthecomparativemeritsofthetentranslationsof"pizarro,"andmissbenjeyorbenjeadvisedmarytotaketwoofthemhome;shethoughtitmightaffordhersomepleasuretocomparethemverbatim;whichwedeclined.itbeingnownineo'clock,wineandmacaroonswereagainservedround,andweparted,withapromisetogoagainnextweek,andmeetthemissporters,who,itseems,haveheardmuchofmr.coleridge,andwishtomeetus,becausewearehisfriends.ihavebeenpreparingfortheoccasion.icrowdcottoninmyears.ireadallthereviewsandmagazinesofthepastmonthagainstthedreadfulmeeting,andihopebythesemeanstocutatolerablesecond-ratefigure.

prayletushavenomorecomplaintsaboutshadows.weareinafairway,throughyou,tosurfeitsickuponthem.

ourlovesandrespectstoyourhostandhostess.ourdearestloveto

coleridge.

takenothoughtaboutyourproof-sheets;theyshallbedoneasifwoodfallhimselfdidthem.praysenduswordofmrs.coleridgeandlittledavidhartley,yourlittlereality.

farewell,dearsubstance.takenoumbrageatanythingihavewritten.

c.lamb,umbra.

landofshadows,

shadow-monththe16thor17th,1800.

coleridge,ifindlooseamongyourpapersacopyof"christabel."itwantsaboutthirtylines;youwillverymuchobligemebysendingmethebeginningasfarasthatline,—

"andthespringcomesslowlyupthisway;"

andtheintermediatelinesbetween—

"theladyleapsupsuddenly.

thelovelyladychristabel;"

andthelines,—

"shefoldedherarmsbeneathhercloak,

andstoletotheothersideoftheoak."

thetroubletoyouwillbesmall,andthebenefittousverygreat!

aprettyantithesis!afigureinspeechimuchapplaud.

godwinhascalleduponus.hespentoneeveninghere.wasveryfriendly.keptusuptillmidnight.drankpunch,andtalkedaboutyou.heseems,aboveallmen,mortifiedatyourgoingaway.supposeyouweretowritetothatgood-naturedheathen—"orisheashadow?"ifidonotwrite,imputeittothelongpostage,ofwhichyouhavesomuchcausetocomplain.ihavescribbledoveraqueerletter,asifindbyperusal;butitmeansnomischief.

iam,andwillbe,yoursever,insobersadness,

c.l.

writeyourgermanasplainassunshine,forthatmustcorrectitself.youknowiamhomouniuslinguae:inenglish,illiterate,adunce,aninny.

[havingleftlamb,coleridgewenttograsmere,wherehestayedatdovecottagewithwordsworthandfinishedhistranslation,whichwasreadyfortheprinteronapril22.towhatlamballudesinhisreferencetothehomilyon"realities"icannotsay,butpresumablycoleridgehadwrittenametaphysicalletteronthissubject.lambreturnstothematterattheendofthefirstpartofhisreply.

misswesleywassarahwesley(1760-1828),thedaughterofcharleswesleyand,therefore,nieceofthegreatjohnandsamuel.shemovedmuchinliterarysociety.missbenjay,orbenjé,wasinrealityelizabethogilvybenger(1778-1827),afriendofmrs.inchbald,mrs.barbauldandtheaikins,andotherliterarypeople.madamedestaelcalledherthemostinterestingwomanshehadmetinengland.shewrotenovelsandpoemsandbiographies.inthosedaysthereweretwoeaststreets,oneleadingfromredlionsquaretolamb'sconduitstreet,andoneintheneighbourhoodofclaremarket.

d'israeliwasisaacdisraeli,theauthorofthecuriositiesof

literatureandotherbooksaboutbooksandauthors;missmorewas

hannahmore,andherbook,stricturesonthemodernsystemoffemale

education,1799;dr.gregoryihavenottraced;misssewardwasanna

seward,theswanoflichfield;andthemissporterswerejaneandanna

maria,authors(later)respectivelyofthescottishchiefsand

thaddeusofwarsaw,andthehungarianbrothers.

theproof-sheetswerethoseofwallenstein.henrysampsonwoodfallwasthefamousprinterofthelettersofjunius.

christabel,coleridge'spoem,hadbeenbegunin1797;itwasfinished,insofarasitwasfinished,laterintheyear1800.itwaspublishedfirstin1816.

"homouniuslinguae."lamberatedhere.hehadmuchlatin,alittlegreekandapparentlyalittlefrench.thesentenceisinthemannerofburton,whomlambhadbeenimitating.

hereshouldcomealetterdatedapril23,1800,torobertlloyd,whichtreatsofobediencetoparentalwish.lloydseemstohaveobjectedtoattendthemeetingsofthesocietyoffriends,ofwhichhewasabirthrightmember.lambbidshimgo;addingthat,ifhisownparentsweretoliveagain,hewoulddomorethingstopleasethemthanmerelysittingstillafewhoursinaweek.]