LETTER257

letter257

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

jan.10th,1820.

dearcoleridge,—aletterwritteninthebloodofyourpoorfriendwouldindeedbeofanaturetostartleyou;butthisisnoughtbutharmlessredink,or,asthewittymercantilephrasehathit,clerk'sblood.damn'em!mybrain,guts,skin,flesh,bone,carcase,soul,time,isalltheirs.theroyalexchange,gresham'sfolly,hathmebodyandspirit.iadmiresomeoflloyd'slinesonyou,andiadmireyourpostponingreadingthem.heisasadtattler,butthisisundertherose.twentyyearsagoheestrangedonefriendfrommequite,whomihavebeenregretting,butnevercouldregainsince;healmostalienatedyou(also)fromme,ormefromyou,idon'tknowwhich.butthatbreachisclosed.thedrearyseaisfilledup.hehaslatelybeenatwork"tellingagain,"astheycallit,amostgratuitouspieceofmischief,andhascausedacoolnessbetwixtmeand(notafriendexactly,but)[an]intimateacquaintance.isuspect,also,hesapsmanning'sfaithinme,whoamtomanningmorethananacquaintance.stillilikehiswritingversesaboutyou.willyourkindhostandhostessgiveusadinnernextsunday,andbetterstill,notexpectusiftheweatherisverybad.whyyoushouldrefusetwentyguineaspersheetforblackwood'soranyothermagazinepassesmypoorcomprehension.but,asstrapsays,youknowbest.ihavenoquarrelwithyouaboutpræprandialavocations—sodon'timagineone.thatmanchestersonnetithinkverylikelyiscapellofft's.anothersonnetappearedwiththesameinitialsinthesamepaper,whichturnedouttobeprocter's.whatdotherascalsmean?amitohavethefatheringofwhatidlerhymeseveryarlypoetasterpoursforth!whoputyourmarinesonnetandaboutbrowneinto"blackwood"?ididnot.sonomore,tillwemeet.

everyours,

c.l.

[charleslloyd,returnedtohealth,hadwrittendesultorythoughtsin

london,inwhichbothcoleridgeandlambappeared,coleridgeas***and

lambas**.thepoemwaspublishedin1821.lloydprobablyhadsentit

inmanuscriptorprooftolambandcoleridge.someoflloyd'slineson

coleridgerunthus:—

howshallifitlyspeakonsuchatheme?

heisatreasurebytheworldneglected,

becausehehathnot,withapresciencedim,

likethosewhoseeveryaimisself-reflected,

pil'dupsomefastuoustrophy,thatofhim

mighttell,whatmightypowerstheagerejected,

buttaughthislipstheofficeofapen—

byfoolshe'sdeem'dabeinglosttomen.

no!withmagnanimousself-sacrifice,

andloftyinadvertencyoffame,

hefeltthereisablissinbeingwise,

quiteindependentofthewiseman'sname.

whonowcansayhowmanyasoulmayrise

toanobilityofmoralaim

itne'erhadknown,butforthatspiritbrave,

which,beingfreelygifted,freelygave?

sometimesithinkthati'mablossomblighted;

butthisiken,thatshoulditnotproveso,

ifiamnotinexorablyspited

ofallthatdignifiesmankindbelow;

byhimispeakof,iwassoexcited,

whilereason'sscalewaspoisingtoandfro,

"tothebettercause;"thathimihavetobless

forthatwhichitiscomforttopossess.

no!thosewhomosthaveseenme,sincethehour

whenthouandi,informerhappierdays,

frankconverseheld,thoughmanyanadversepower

havesoughtthememoryofthosetimestoraze,

canvouchthatmoreitstirsme(thusatower,

soleremnantofvastcastle,stillbetrays

haplyitsformersplendour)tohaveprov'd

thylove,thanbyfreshfriendstohavebeenlov'd.

thestoryofoneoflloyd'sformerindiscretionsistoldintheearlierlettersofthiscollection.icannotsaywhatfriendhequitealienated,unlessitwasjameswhite.thenatureofthelateroffenceofwhichlambaccuseslloydisnowunknown.

"thatmanchestersonnet."asonnetentitled"manchester,"referringtotheluddites,andsignedc.l.,bycapellofft.procter's"c.l."sonnetwasuponmacready.

themarinesonnetwas"fancyinnubibus"(seepage559).

"aboutbrowne"referstoanotebycoleridgeonsirthomasbrowneinthesamenumber,signedg.j.—possiblyjamesgillman'sinitialsreversed.

welearnfromaletterfromcoleridgetoj.h.green(january14,1820)thatthevisittohighgatewhichlambmentionswasanewyearvisitofannualoccurrence.lamb'sreferencetopraeprandialavocationstouchesuponcoleridge'shabitofcomingdowntoseehisguestsonlywhendinnerwasready.]