LETTER212

letter212

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[p.m.illegible.?earlyjan.,1815.]

dearwordsworth,itoldyoumyreviewwasaveryimperfectone.butwhatyouwillseeinthequarterlyisaspuriousonewhichmr.baviadgiffordhaspalm'duponitformine.ineverfeltmorevexdinmylifethanwhenireadit.icannotgiveyouanideaofwhathehasdonetoitoutofspiteatmebecauseheoncesufferdmetobecalledalunaticinhisthing.thelanguagehehasalterdthroughout.whateverinadequatenessithadtoitssubject,itwasinpointofcompositiontheprettiestpieceofproseieverwrit,andsomysister(towhomaloneireadthems.)said.thatcharmifithadanyisallgone:morethanathirdofthesubstanceiscutaway,andthatnotallfromoneplace,butpassim,soastomakeutternonsense.everywarmexpressionischangedforanastycoldone.ihavenotthecursedalterationbyme,ishallneverlookatitagain,butforaspecimenirememberihadsaidthepoetoftheexcurs'n"walksthro'commonforestsasthro'somedodonaorenchantedwood,andeverycasualbirdthatflitsupontheboughs,likethatmiraculousoneintasso,butinlanguagemorepiercingthananyarticulatesounds,revealstohimfarhigherlovelays."itisnow(besideshalfadozenalterationsinthesamehalfdozenlines)"butinlanguagemoreintelligentrevealstohim"—thatisoneiremember.butthatwouldhavebeenlittle,puttinghisdamndshoemakerphraseology(forhewasashoemaker)insteadofmine,whichhasbeentincturedwithbetterauthorsthanhisignorancecancomprehend—forireckonmyselfadabatprose—verseileavetomybetters—godhelpthem,iftheyaretobesoreviewedbyfriendandfoeasyouhavebeenthisquarter.ihaveread"itwon'tdo."butworsethanalteringwords,hehaskeptafewmembersonlyofthepartihaddonebest,whichwastoexplainallicouldofyour"schemeofharmonies,"asihadventuredtocallit,betweentheexternaluniverseandwhatwithinusanswerstoit.todothisihadaccumulatedagoodmanyshortpassages,risinginlengthtotheend,weavingintheextractsasiftheycameinasapartofthetext,naturally,notobtrudingthemasspecimens.ofthispartalittleisleft,butsoaswithoutconjurationnomancouldtellwhatiwasdrivingit[?at].aproofofityoumaysee(tho'notjudgeofthewholeoftheinjustice)bythesewords:ihadspokensomethingabout"naturalmethodism—"andafterfollows"andthereforethetaleofmargaretsh'dhavebeenpostponed"(iforgetmywords,orhiswords):nowthereasonsforpostponingitareasdeduciblefromwhatgoesbefore,astheyarefromthe104thpsalm.thepassagewhenceideducedithasvanished,butclappingacolonbeforeathereforeisalwaysreasonenoughformr.baviadgiffordtoallowtoareviewerthatisnothimself.iassureyoumycomplaintsarefounded.iknowhowsoreawordalterdmakesone,butindeedofthisreviewthewholecomplexionisgone.iregretonlythatididnotkeepacopy.iamsureyouwouldhavebeenpleasedwithit,becauseihavebeenfeedingmyfancyforsomemonthswiththenotionofpleasingyou.itsimperfectionorinadequatenessinsizeandmethodiknew,butforthewritingpartofit,iwasfullysatisfied.ihopeditwouldmakemorethanatonement.tenortwelvedistinctpassagescometomymind,whicharegone,andwhatisleftisofcoursetheworsefortheirhavingbeenthere,theeyesarepulldoutandthebleedingsocketsareleft.ireaditatarch'sshopwithmyfaceburningwithvexationsecretly,withjustsuchafeelingasifithadbeenareviewwrittenagainstmyself,makingfalse"ationsfromme.butiamashamdtosaysomuchaboutashortpiece.howareyouserved!andthelaborsofyearsturn'dintocontemptbyscoundrels.

buticouldnotbutprotestagainstyourtakingthatthingasmine.everyprettyexpression,(iknowthereweremany)everywarmexpression,therewasnothingelse,isvulgarisedandfrozen—butiftheycatchmeintheircampsagainletthemspitchcockme.theyhadarighttodoit,asnonameappearstoit,andmr.shoemakergiffordisupposeneverwa[i]vedarighthehadsincehecommencdauthor.godconfoundhimandallcaitiffs.

c.l.

[forthefullunderstandingofthisletteritisnecessarytoread

lamb'sreview(seevol.i.ofthisedition).

williamgifford(1756-1826),editorofthequarterly,hadbeenashoemaker'sapprentice.lambcallshimmr.baviadgiffordonaccountofhissatires,themoeviadandthebaviad,againstthedeliacruscanschoolofpoetry,ofwhichrobertmerryhadbeentheprincipalmember.someoflamb'sgrudgeagainstgifford,whichwasofoldstanding(seenotestolamb'sreview,vol.i.),wasrepaidinhissonnet"st.crispintomr.gifford"(seevol.iv.ofthisedition).gifford'sconnectionwithcanning,intheanti-jacobin,couldnothaveimprovedhispositionwithlamb.

"ihaveread'itwon'tdo.'"areferencetothereviewoftheexcursionintheedinburghfornovember,byjeffrey,beginning"thiswillneverdo."]