LETTER159

letter159

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[datedatend:december11,1806.]

mary'slovetoallofyou—iwouldn'tletherwrite—

dearwordsworth,mr.h.cameoutlastnightandfailed.

ihadmanyfears;thesubjectwasnotsubstantialenough.johnbullmusthavesoliderfarethanaletter.weareprettystoutaboutit,havehadplentyofcondolingfriends,butafterall,wehadratheritshouldhaveeeded.youwillseetheprologueinmostofthemorningpapers.itwasreceivedwithsuchshoutsasineverwitness'dtoaprologue.itwasattemptedtobeencored.howhard!athingididmerelyasatask,becauseitwaswanted—andsetnogreatstoreby;andmr.h.——!!

thequantityoffriendswehadinthehouse,mybrotherandibeinginpublicoffices&c.,wasastonishing—buttheyyieldedatlengthtoafewhisses.ahundredhisses—damntheword,iwriteitlikekisses—howdifferent—ahundredhissesoutweigha1000claps.theformercomemoredirectlyfromtheheart—well,'tiswithdrawnandthereisanend.

betterlucktous—

c.l.

11dec.—(turnover).

p.s.praywhenanyofyouwritetotheclarksons,giveourkindloves,andsayweshallnotbeabletocomeandseethematxmas—asishallhavebutadayortwo,—andtellthemwebearourmortificationprettywell.

["mr.h."wasproducedatdrurylaneondecember10,withellistoninthetitle-role.lamb'saccountoftheeveningissupplementedbyhazlittinhisessay"ongreatandlittlethings"andbycrabbrobinson,anewfriendwhomhehadjustmade,inhisdiary.seevol.iv.ofthisedition.thecuriousthingisthatthemanagementofdrurylaneadvertisedthefarceasaessandannounceditforthenextnight.butlambapparentlyinterferedanditwasnotplayedagain.somefewyearslater"mr.h."wasperformedacceptablyinamerica.]