LETTER248

letter248

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[p.m.june7,1819.]

mydearwordsworth,youcannotimaginehowproudwearehereofthededication.wereadittwiceforoncethatwedothepoem—imeanallthrough—yetbenjaminisnocommonfavorite—thereisaspiritofbeautifultoleranceinit—itisasgoodasitwasin1806—andwillbeasgoodin1829ifourdimeyesshallbeawaketoperuseit.

methinksthereisakindofshadowingaffinitybetweenthesubjectofthenarrativeandthesubjectofthededication—butiwillnotenterintopersonalthemes—else,substituting***********forben,andthehonbleunitedcompanyofmerch'tstradingtotheeastindiesforthemasterofthemisusedteam,itmightseembynofarfetchedanalogytopointitsdimwarningshitherward—butirejecttheomen—especiallyasitsimportseemstohavebeendivertedtoanothervictim.

poortommybye,whomihaveknown(asiexpress'ditinalettertomanning),manandmadman27years—hewasmygossipinleadenhallst.—buttoomuchaddictedtoturninataredlattice—camewanderingintohisandmycommonsceneofbusiness—youhaveseentheorderlyplace—reelingdrunkatnineoclock-withhisfaceofadeepblue,contractedbyafilthydowlasmuckingerwhichhadgivenupitsdyetohispooroozyvisnomy—andshorttotell,afterplayingvariouspranks,laughingloudlaughtersthreemadexplosionstheywere—inthefollowingmorningthe"tearstoodinhiseye"—forhefoundhisabusedincomeofclear£600inexorablyreducedto£100—hewasmydeargossip—alas!benjamin!…

iwillneverwriteanotherletterwithalternateinks.youcannotimaginehowitcrampstheflowofthestyle.icanconceivepindar(idonotmeantocomparemyself[to]him)bythecommandofhiero,thesiciliantyrant(wasnothethetyrantofsomeplace?fieonmyneglectofhistory—)conceivehimbycommandofhiero,orperillus,setdowntopenanaisthmianornemeanpanegyreinlinesalternateredandblack.imaintainhecouldn'thavedoneit—itwouldhavebeenastraitlacedtorturetohismuse,hewouldhavecall'dforthebullforarelief.neithercouldlycidas,orthechorics(howdoyouliketheword?)ofsamsonagonistes,havebeenwrittenwithtwoinks.yourcoupletswithpoints,epiloguestomr.h.'s,&c.mightbeevenbenefitedbythetwyfount.whereoneline(thesecond)isforpoint,andthefirstforrhime,ithinkthealternationwouldassist,likeamould.imaintainit,youcouldnothavewrittenyourstanzasonpreexistencewith2inks.tryanother,androgersthebanker,withhissilverstandishhavingoneinkonly,iwillbetmyodeono,againstthepleasuresofmemory—andhopetoo—shallputmorefervorofenthusiasmintothesamesubjectthanyoucanwithyourtwo—heshalldoitstanspedeinunoasitwere.

theonerisveryillputupinboards,atleastitseemstomealwaystoopenatthededication—butthatisamechanicalfault.

ire-readthewhitedoeofrylston—thetitleshouldbealwayswrittenatlength—asmarysabillanovello,averynicewomanofouracquaintance,alwayssignshersatthebottomoftheshortestnote.marytoldher,ifhernamehadbeenmaryann,shewouldhavesignedm.a.novello,orm.only,droppingthea—whichmakesmethink,withsomeothertriflings,thatsheunderstandssomethingofhumannature.mypengoesgallopingonmostrhapsodically,gladtohaveescapedthebondageoftwoinks.

manninghadjustsentithomeanditcameasfreshtomeastheimmortalcreatureitspeaksof.m.sentithomewithanote,havingthispassageinit,"icannothelpwritingtoyouwhileiamreadingwordsw'thspoem.iamgotintothe3rdcanto,andsaythatitraisesmyopinionofhimverymuchindeed.'tisbroad;noble;poetical;withamasterlyscanningofhumanactions,absolutelyabovecommonreaders.whatamanly(implied)interpretationof(bad)party-actions,astramplingthebible,&c."—andsohegoeson.

idonotknowwhichilikebest,theprologue(thelatterpartspecially)top.bell,ortheepiloguetobenjamin.yes,itellstories,idoknow.ilikethelastbest,andtheoneraltogetherasapleasanterremembrancetomethantheitinerant.ifitwerenot,thepagebeforethefirstpagewouldandoughttomakeitso.

thesonnetsarenotallnewtome.ofwhatare,the9thilikebest.thankyouforthattowalton.itakeitasafavordonetome,that,beingsooldadarlingofmine,youshouldbeartestimonytohisworthinabookcontainingadedi——

icannotwritethevainwordatfulllengthanylonger.

ifasyousay,theonerinsomesortcameatmycall,oforapotentvoicetocallforththereclusefromhisprofounddormitory,wherehesleepsforgetfulofhisfoolishchargetheworld.

hadithreeinksiwouldinvokehim!

talfourdhaswrittenamostkindreviewofj.woodvil,&c.,inthechampion.heisyourmostzealousadmirer,insolitudeandincrowds.h.crabberobinsongivesmeanydearprintsthatihappentoadmire,andilovehimforitandforotherthings.alsagershallhavehiscopy,butatpresentihavelentitforadayonly,notchusingtopartwithmyown.mary'slove.howdoyoualldo,amanuensesboth—maritalandsororal?

c.lamb.

[wordsworthhadjustputforththeoner,whichwasdedicatedto

lambinthefollowingterms:—

mydearfriend—whenisentyou,afewweeksago,"thetaleofpeterbell,"youasked"why'theoner'wasnotadded?"tosaythetruth,fromthehighertoneofimagination,andthedeepertouchesofpassionaimedatintheformer,iapprehendedthislittlepiececouldnotaccompanyitwithoutdisadvantage.intheyear1806,ifiamnotmistaken,"theoner"wasreadtoyouinmanuscript,andasyouhaveremembereditforsolongatime,iamthemoreencouragedtohopethat,sincethelocalitiesonwhichthepoempartlydependsdidnotpreventitsbeinginterestingtoyou,itmayproveacceptabletoothers.being,therefore,insomemeasurethecauseofitspresentappearance,youmustallowmethegratificationofinscribingittoyou,inacknowledgmentofthepleasureihavederivedfromyourwritings,andofthehighesteemwithwhich

iamverytrulyyours,

williamwordsworth.

thepoem,whichhadbeenwrittenmanyyearsbefore,tellsthestoryofbenjamin,aonerinthelakecounty,whoonestormynight,umbingtothetemptationsofthecherrytreeinn,fellfromgoodestate.lamb'sasterisksstand,ofcourse,forcharleslamb.

"yourstanzasonpreexistence"—the"odeonintimationsof

immortality."

thepleasuresofhopewascampbell'spoem.

marysabillanovellowasthewifeofvincentnovello,theorganist,and

lamb'sfriend.

thewhitedoeofrylstonehadbeenpublishedin1815.

the9thsonnet.certainsonnetshadbeenpublishedwiththeoner.

the9thwasthatbeginning:—

grief,thouhastlostaneverreadyfriend.

wordsworth'ssonnetuponwaltonbegins:—

whileflowingriversyieldablamelesssport.

thereclusewasnotpublisheduntil1888,andthenonlybooki.

thechampion,inwhichtalfourdreviewedlamb'sworks,hadnowbecomethepropertyofjohnthelwall.]