LETTER39

letter39

charleslambtorobertsouthey

[probablynovember,1798.]

thefollowingisasecondextractfrommytragedythatistobe,—'tisnarratedbyanoldstewardtomargaret,orphanwardofsirwalterwoodvil;—this,andthedyingloverigaveyou,aretheonlyextractsicangivewithoutmutilation.iexpectyoutoliketheoldwoman'scurse:

oldsteward.—onesummernight,sirwalter,asitchanc'd,

waspacingto&frointheavenue

thatwestwardfrontsourhouse,

amongthoseagedoaks,saidtohavebeenplanted

threehundredyearsago

byaneighb'ringpriorofthewoodvilname,

butsoitwas,

beingovertask'tinthought,heheedednot

theimportunesuitorwhostoodbythegate,

andbeg'danalms.

somesayheshov'dherrudelyfromthegate

withangrychiding;buticanneverthink

(sirwalter'snaturehathasweetnessinit)

thathewoulduseawoman—anoldwoman—

withsuchdiscourtesy;

foroldshewaswhobeg'danalmsofhim.

well,herefus'dher;

whetherforimportunity,iknownot,

orthatshecamebetweenhismeditations.

butbetterhadhemetalioninthestreets

thanthisoldwomanthatnight;

forshewasonewhopractis'dtheblackarts.

andservedthedevil—beingsinceburn'dforwitchcraft.

shelook'dathimlikeonethatmeanttoblasthim,

andwithafrightfulnoise

('twaspartlylikeawoman'svoice,

andpartlylikethehissingofasnake)

shenothingsaidbutthis(sirwaltertoldthewords):

"amischief,mischief,mischief,

andanine-timeskillingcurse,

bydayandbynight,tothecaitivewight

whoshakesthepoorlikesnakesfromhisdoor,

andshutsupthewombofhispurse;

andamischief,mischief,mischief,

andanine-foldwitheringcurse,—

forthatshallcometothee,thatwillrenderthee

bothallthatthoufear'st,andworse."

thesewordsfourtimesrepeated,shedeparted,

leavingsirwalterlikeamanbeneath

whosefeetascaffoldinghadsuddenlyfal'n:

sohedescrib'dit.

margaret.—aterriblecurse!

oldsteward.—olady,suchbadthingsaretoldofthatoldwoman,

as,namely,thatthemilkshegavewassour,

andthebabewhosuck'dhershrivel'dlikeamandrake;

andthingsbesides,withaerhorrorinthem,