LETTER214

letter214

charleslambtojosephhume

"bisdatquidatcito."

[nodate.]

ihatethepedantryofexpressingthatinanotherlanguagewhichwehavesufficienttermsforinourown.soinplainenglishiverymuchwishyoutogiveyourvoteto-morrowatclerkenwell,insteadofsaturday.itwouldclearupthebrowsofmyfavouritecandidate,anderthehandsoftheoppositeparty.itcommencesatnine.howeasy,asyoucomefromkensington(àpropos,howisyourexcellentfamily?)toturndownbloomsbury,throughleatherlane(avoidinglaystallst.forthedisagreeablenessofthename).why,itbringsyouinfourminutesandahalftothespotrenownedonnorthernmilestones,"wherehicks'hallformerlystood."therewillbegoodcheerreadyforeveryindependentfreeholder;whereyouseeagreenflaghangoutgoboldlyin,callforham,orbeef,orwhatyouplease,andamugofmeux'sbest.howmuchmoregentleman-liketocomeinthefrontofthebattle,openlyavowingone'ssentiments,thantolaginonthelastday,whentheadversaryisdejected,spiritless,laidlow.havethefirstcutatthem.bysaturdayyou'llcutintothemutton.i'dgocheerfullymyself,butiamnofreeholder(fuimustroes,fuitilium),butisolditfor£50.ifthey'dacceptacopy-holder,weclerksarenaturallycopy-holders.

bytheway,getmrs.hume,orthatagreeableameliaorcaroline,tostickabitofgreeninyourhat.nothingdauntstheadversarymorethantowearthecoloursofyourparty.stickitincockade-like.ithasamartial,andbynomeansdisagreeableeffect.

go,mydearfreeholder,andifanychancecallsyououtofthistransitorysceneearlierthanexpected,thecoronershallsitlightlyonyourcorpse.heshallnottooanxiouslyenquireintothecircumstancesofbloodfounduponyourrazor.thatmighthappentoanygentlemaninshaving.norintoyourhavingbeenheardtoexpressacontemptoflife,orforscoldinglouisaforwhatjuliadid,andothertriflingincoherencies.

yourssincerely,

c.lamb.

["laystallst."thisstreet,whichisstillfoundinclerkenwell,wasofcoursenamedfromoneofthelaystallsorpublicmiddenswhichwereafeatureoflondonwhensanitationwasinitsinfancy.

"wherehicks'hallformerlystood."hicks'hall,theoldsessionshouseofthecountyofmiddlesex,stoodinst.johnstreet,clerkenwell,untilitsdemolitionin1782,whenthejusticesremovedtothenewsessionshouseonclerkenwellgreen.themilestonesonthegreatnorthroad,whichhadlongbeenmeasuredfromhicks'hall,werereinscribed"——milesfromthespotwherehicks'hallformerlystood."thushicks'hallremainedahouseholdwordlongafterithadceasedtoexist.theadventuresofjedediahjonesinsearchof"thespotwherehicks'hallformerlystood"areamusinglysetforthinknight'slondon,vol.i.,pages242-244.

wemeethume'sdaughtersagaininletter540.iappendaletterwithnodate,whichmaycomehere:—]