LETTER232

letter232

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[p.m.september23,1816.]

mydearwordsworth,itseemsanagesincewehavecorresponded,butindeedtheinterimhasbeenstuffdoutwithmorevarietythanusuallychecquersmysame-seemingexistence.—mercyonme,whatatravellerhaveibeensinceiwroteyoulast!whatforeignwondershavebeenexplored!ihaveseenbath,kingbladud'sancientwell,fairbristol,seed-plotofsuicidalchatterton,marlbro',chippenham,calne,famousfornothinginparticularthatiknowof—butsuchavertigooflocomotionhasnotseizedusforyears.wespentamonthwiththemorgansatthelastnamedborough—august—andsuchachangehasthechangewroughtinusthatwecouldnotstomachwholesometempleair,butareabsolutelyrusticating(othegentilityofit)atdalston,aboutonemischievousboy'sstone'sthrowoffkingslandturnpike,onemilefromshoreditchchurch,—thenceweemanateinvariousdirectionstohackney,clapton,totnam,andsuchlikeromanticcountry.thatmylungsshouldeverprovesodaintyastofancytheyperceivedifferencesofair!butsoitis,tho'iamalmostashamedofit,likemilton'sdevil(turn'dtruanttohisoldbrimstone)iampurgingoffthefoulairofmyoncedarlingointhiseden,absolutelysnuffinguppuregales,likeoldwornoutsinplayingatbeinginnocent,whichnevercomesagain,forinspiteofgoodbooksandgoodthoughtsthereissomethinginapipethatvirtuecannotgivetho'shegiveherunendowedpersonforadowry.haveyoureadthereviewofcoleridge'scharacter,person,physiognomy&c.intheexaminer—hisfeatureseventohisnose—ohorriblelicensebeyondtheoldcomedy.heishimselfgonetotheseasidewithhisfavoriteapothecary,havingleftforpublicationasihearaprodigiousmassofcompositionforasermontothemiddlingranksofpeopletopersuadethemtheyarenotsodistressedasiscommonlysupposed.methinksheshouldreciteittoacongregationofbilstoncolliers,—thefateofcinnathepoetwouldinstantaneouslybehis.godblesshim,butcertainthatrogueexaminerhasbesethiminmostunmannerlystrains.yetthereisakindofrespectshinesthro'thedisrespectthattothosewhoknowtherarecompound(thatisthesubjectofit)almostbalancesthereproof,butthenthosewhoknowhimbutpartiallyoratadistancearesoextremelyapttodropthequalifyingpartthro'theirfingers.the"afterall,mr.wordsworthisamanofgreattalents,ifhedidnotabusethem"comessodimupontheeyesofanedinbro'reviewreader,thathavebeengloating-openchuckle-wideupontheprecedingdetailofabuses,itscarcestrikesthepupilwithanyconsciousnessofthelettersbeingthere,likeletterswritinlemon.therewasacutatmeafewmonthsbackbythesamehand,butmyagnomenoragni-nomennotbeingcalculatedtostrikethepopularear,itdroptanonymous,butitwasaprettycompendiumofobservation,whichtheauthorhascollectedinmydisparagement,fromsomehundredsofsocialeveningswhichwehadspenttogether,—howeverinspiteofall,thereissomethingtoughinmyattachmenttoh——whichtheseviolentstrainingscannotquitedislocateorseverasunder.igetnoconversationinlondonthatisabsolutelyworthattendingtobuthis.thereismonstrouslittlesenseintheworld,oriammonstrousclever,orsqueamishorsomething,butthereisnobodytotalkto—totalkwithishouldsay—andtogotalkingtoone'sselfalldaylongistoomuchofagoodthing,besidessubjectingonetotheimputationofbeingoutofone'ssenses,whichdoesnogoodtoone'stemporalinterestatall.bytheway,ihaveseencoler'gebutoncethis3or4months.heisanoddperson,whenhefirstcomestotownheisquitehotuponvisiting,andthenheturnsoffandabsolutelynevercomesatall,butseemstoforgetthereareanysuchpeopleintheworld.

imadeoneattempttovisithim(amorningcall)athighgate,buttherewassomethinginhimorhisapothecarywhichifoundsounattractively-repulsing-fromanytemptationtocallagain,thatistayawayasnaturallyasalovervisits.theroguegivesyoulovepowders,andthenastronghorsedrenchtobring'emoffyourstomachthattheymayn'thurtyou.iwasverysorrytheprintingofyourletterwasnotquitetoyourmind,butisurelydidnotthinkbutyouhadarrangedthemannerofbreakingtheparagraphsfromsomeprincipleknowntoyourownmind,andforsomeoftheerrors,iamconfidentthatnoteofadmirationinthemiddleoftwowordsdidnotstandsowhenihadit,itmusthavedroptoutandbeenreplacedwrong,soodiousablotchcouldnothaveescapedme.gifford(whomgodcurse)haspersuadedsquintingmurray(whommaygodnotbless)nottoaccedetoanofferfieldmadeformetoprint2vols.ofessays,toincludetheoneonhog'rthand1or2more,butmostofthemattertobenew,butidaresayishouldneverhavefoundtimetomakethem;m.wouldhavehad'em,butshewedspecimensfromthereflectortog—-,asheacknowlegedtofield,andcrispindidforme."notonhissoalbutonhissoul,damn'djew"maythemaledictionofmyeternalantipathylight—wedesiremuchtohearfromyou,andofyouall,includingmisshutchinson,fornotwritingtowhommaryfeelsaweekly(anddidforalongtimefeeladaily)pang.howissouthey?—ihopehispenwillcontinuetomovemanyyearssmoothlyandcontinuouslyforalltherubsoftherogueexaminer.apertinaciousfoul-mouthedvillainitis!

thisiswrittenforararityattheseatofbusiness:itisbutlittletimeicangenerallycommandfromsecularcalligraphy—thepenseemstoknowasmuchandmakesletterslikefigures—anobstinateclerkishthing.itshallmakeacoupletinspiteofitsnibbeforeihavedonewithit,

"andsoiend

commendingmetoyourlove,mydearestfriend."

fromleadenhall,septem'rsomething,1816

c.lamb.

[thelambshadtakensummerlodgings—at14kingslandrow,

dalston—whichtheyretainedforsomeyears.

hazlitt'sarticleoncoleridgewasintheexaminerforseptember8.amongotherthingshazlittsaid:"mr.shandywouldhavesettledthequestionatonce:'youhavelittleornonose,sir.'"

onepassageinthearticlegivescolourtothetheorythathazlittoccasionallyborrowedfromlamb'sconversation.inlamb'slettertowordsworthofapril20,1816,hehasthecelebrateddescriptionofcoleridge,"anarchangelalittledamaged."hazlittinthisarticlewrites:"ifhehadhadbutcommonmoralprinciple,thatis,sincerity,hewouldhavebeenagreatman;norhardly,asitis,appearstous—

"'lessthanarch-angelruined,andtheexcess

ofgloryobscur'd.'"

hazlittmayhaveheardlamb'sepithet,backedprobablybythesamepassagefrom_paradiselost_.

crabbrobinsontellsus,inhisdiary,thatcoleridgewaslesshurtbythearticlethanheanticipated."hedeniesh.,however,originality,andascribestol.[lamb]thebestideasinh.'sarticles.hewasnotdispleasedtohearofhisbeingknockeddownbyjohnlamblately."

coleridge'snewworkwasthestatesman'smanual;or,thebiblethebestguidetopoliticalskillandforesight:alaysermon,1816.ithadbeenfirstannouncedas"alaysermononthedistressesofthecountry,addressedtothemiddleandhigherorders,"andhazlitt'sarticlehadbeeninthenatureofananticipatoryreview.

idonotfindanywherethe"cut"atlambfromhazlitt'shand,orindeedanyone'shand,towhichlambrefers.hazlittatthistimewaslivingatno.19yorkstreet,westminster,inmilton'soldhouse.

"agni-nomen."fromagnus,alamb.

"afterall,mr.wordsworth…"—theedinburghreviewarticleontheexcursion,innovember,1814,beginning,"thiswillneverdo,"hadatleasttwolapsesintofairness:"butthetruthis,thatmr.wordsworth,withallhisperversities,isapersonofgreatpowers";and"nobodycanbemoredisposedtodojusticetothegreatpowersofmr.wordsworththanweare."

"theprintingofyourletter."thelettertoafriendofburns(seeabove).

"2vols.ofessays."thesewereprintedwithpoemsastheworksofcharleslambbytheolliersin1818(seelater).

"crispin"—gifford(seenotetothelettertowordsworth,earlyjanuary,1815).

"southey."hazlitt'sattacksonthelaureatewerecontinuous.]