LETTER236

letter236

charleslambtobarronfield

aug.31st,1817.

mydearbarren,—thebearerofthislettersofaracrosstheseasismr.lawrey,whocomesouttoyouasamissionary,andwhomihavebeenstronglyimportunedtorecommendtoyouasamostworthycreaturebymr.fenwick,averyold,honestfriendofmine,ofwhom,ifmymemorydoesnotdeceiveme,youhavehadsomeknowledgeheretoforeaseditorofthe"statesman"—amanoftalent,andpatriotic.ifyoucanshowhimanyfacilitiesinhisarduousundertaking,youwillobligeusmuch.well,andhowdoesthelandofthievesuseyou?andhowdoyoupassyourtimeinyourextra-judicialintervals?goingaboutthestreetswithalantern,likediogenes,lookingforanhonestman?youmaylooklongenough,ifancy.dogivemesomenotionofthemannersoftheinhabitantswhereyouare.theydon'tthievealldaylong,dothey?nohumanpropertycouldstandsuchcontinuousbattery.andwhatdotheydowhentheyan'tstealing?

haveyougotatheatre?whatpiecesareperformed?shakespear's,isuppose—notsomuchforthepoetry,asforhishavingoncebeenindangerofleavinghiscountryonaccountofcertain"smalldeer."

haveyoupoetsamongyou?cursedplagiarists,ifancy,ifyouhaveany.

iwouldnottrustanideaorapocket-handkerchiefofmineamong'em.

youarealmostcompetenttoanswerlordbacon'sproblem,whethera

nationofatheistscansubsisttogether.youarepracticallyinone:—

"sothievish'tis,thattheeighthcommandmentitself

scarceseemeththeretobe."

ouroldhonestworldgoesonwithlittleperceptiblevariation.ofcourseyouhaveheardofpoormitchell'sdeath,andthatg.dyerisoneoflordstanhope'sresiduaries.iamafraidhehasnottouchedmuchoftheresidueyet.heispositivelyasleanascassius.barnesisgoingtodemeraraoressequibo,iamnotquitecertainwhich.a[lsager]isturnedactor.hecameoutingenteelcomedyatcheltenhamthisseason,andhashopesofalondonengagement.

formyownhistory,iamjustinthesamespot,doingthesamething(videlicet,littleornothing,)aswhenyouleftme;onlyihavepositivehopesthatishallbeabletoconquerthatinveteratehabitofsmokingwhichyoumayrememberiindulgedin.ithinkofmakingabeginningthisevening,viz.,sunday31staugust,1817,notwednesday,2ndfeb.,1818,asitwillbeperhapswhenyoureadthisforthefirsttime.thereisthedifficultyofwritingfromoneendoftheglobe(hemispheresicall'em)toanother!why,halfthetruthsihavesentyouinthisletterwillbecomeliesbeforetheyreachyou,andsomeofthelies(whichihavemixedforvariety'ssake,andtoexerciseyourjudgmentinthefindingofthemout)maybeturnedintosadrealitiesbeforeyoushallbecalledupontodetectthem.sucharethedefectsofgoingbydifferentchronologies.yournowisnotmynow;andagain,yourthenisnotmythen;butmynowmaybeyourthen,andviceversá.whoseheadiscompetenttothesethings?

howdoesmrs.fieldgetoninhergeography?doessheknowwheresheisbythistime?iamnotsuresometimesyouarenotinanotherplanet;butthenidon'tliketoaskcapt.burney,oranyofthosethatknowanythingaboutit,forfearofexposingmyignorance.

ourkindestremembrances,however,tomrs.f.,ifshewillacceptofreminiscencesfromanotherplanet,oratleastanotherhemisphere.

c.l.

[thisislamb'sfirstletterthathasbeenpreservedtobarronfield.barronfield(1786-1846)wasalawyer,asonofhenryfield,apothecarytochrist'shospital,andbrotherofafellow-clerkoflamb'sintheindiahouse.hehadalsobeenacontributortoleighhunt'sreflectorin1810-1812.fieldwasappointedjudgeofthesupremecourtofnewsouthwales,whitherhesailedin1816,reachingsydneyinfebruary,1817.hiswifewasamissjanecarncroft.

thisletterformsthegroundworkoflamb'seliaessayon"distantcorrespondents"(seevol.ii.),whichmaybereadwithitasanexampleofthedifferenceinrichnessbetweenlamb'sepistolaryandfinishedliterarystyle.

"sothievish'tis…"aperversionofcoleridge'slines,inthe

ancientmariner:—

solonely'twas,thatgodhimself

scarceseemedtheretobe.

"poormitchell'sdeath."thismayhavebeenoneoftheliesreferredtoalittlelower.ifso,thomasmitchell(1783-1845)wasprobablyintended,ashehadbeenatchrist'shospital,andwasafriendofleighhunt's,andmightthushaveknownlambandfield.hetranslatedaristophanes.theonlymitchellofanyimportancewhodiedin1817wascolonelmitchell,whocommandedabrigadeatwaterloo;butlambwouldhardlyknowanythingofhim.

georgedyer,whohadbeentutorinthefamilyofthethirdearlofstanhope(citizenstanhope),wasoneofthetenexecutorstowhomthatpeer'sestatewasleft,afterpayingafewlegacies.amongthemwasanotheroflamb'sacquaintances,josephjekyll,mentionedintheeliaessayontheoldbenchers.dyerrepudiatedtheoffice,buttheheirpersuadedhimtoacceptanannuity.

thomasbarnes(1785-1841),anotheroldchrist'shospitaller,andacontributortothereflector,becameeditorofthetimesin1817.hisprojectedjourneywasoneofthe"lies";nordidalsager,anothertimesman,whomwehavealreadymet,turnactor.]