LETTER145

letter145

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[datedatend:february1st,1806.]

dearwordsworth—ihaveseenthebookswhichyouordered,bookedatthewhitehorseinn,cripplegate,bythekendalonthisday1stfeb'y.1806;youwillnotfailtoseeafterthemintime.theyaredirectedtoyouatgrasmere.wehavemadesomealterationintheeditionssinceyoursister'sdirections.thehandsomequartospencerwhichsheauthorizedmarytobuyfor£2.12.6,whenshebroughtithomeintriumphprovedtobeonlythefairyqueen:sowegotthemtotakeitagainandihaveprocuredinsteadafolio,whichluckilycontains,besidesallthepoems,theviewofthestateofireland,whichisdifficulttomeetwith.thespencer,andthechaucer,beingnobleoldbooks,wedidnotthinkstockdale'smodernvolumeswouldlooksowellbesidethem;addedtowhichidon'tknowwhetheryouareawarethattheprintisexcessivesmall,sameaseleg.extracts,orsmaller,notcalculatedforeyesinage;andshakespearisoneofthelastbooksoneshouldliketogiveup,perhapstheonejustbeforethedyingserviceinalargeprayerbook.sowehaveusedourowndiscretioninpurchasingpope'sfinequartoinsixvolumes,whichmaybereadadultimamhoramvitae.itisboundlikelawbooks(rather,halfbound)andthelawrobeihaveeverthoughtascomelyandgentlemanlyagarbasabookwouldwishtowear.thestateofthepurchasethenstandsthus,

urry'schaucer£1.16—pope'sshakespeare2.2—spenser14—milton1.5—packingcase&c.3.6____________6.—.6

whichyourbrotherimmediatelyrepaidus.hehasthebillsforall(byhisdesire)exceptthespenser,whichwetooknobillwith(notlookingtohaveouraccountsaudited):soforthatandthecasehetookaseparatereceiptfor17/6.n.b.thereiswritingintheshakespear:butitisonlyvariælectioneswhichsomecarefulgentleman,theformerowner,wasatthepainstoinsertinaveryneathandfrom5commentators.itisnodefacement.thefaultofpope'seditionis,thathehascomicallyandcoxcombicallymarkedthebeauties:whichisvile,asifyouweretochalkupthecheekandacrossthenoseofahandsomewomaninredchalktoshewwherethecomeliestpartslay.butihopethenobletypeandlibrary-appearanceofthebookswillatoneforthat.withthebookscomecertainbooksandpamphletsofg.dyer,presentsorratherdecoy-ducksofthepoettotakeinhisthus-farobligedfriendstobuyhisotherworks;ashetakescaretoinformtheminm.s.notestothetitlepages,"g.dyer,authorofotherbooksprintedforlongman&c."thebookshavelainatyourdispatchfulbrother'sa12months,tothegreatstalingofmostofthesubjects.thethreelettersandwhatiselsewrittenatthebeginningoftherespectivepresentswillascertainthedivisionoftheproperty.ifnot,noneofthedonees,idaresay,willgrudgeacommunityofpropertyinthiscase.wewereconstrainedtopack'emhowwecould,forroom.alsotherecomesw.hazlitt'sbookabouthumanaction,forcoleridge;alittlesongbookforsarahcoleridge;aboxforhartleywhichyourbrotherwastohavesent,butnowdevolvedonus—idon'tknowfromwhomitcame,butthethingsaltogetherweretoomuchformr.(i'veforgothisname)totakechargeof;aparaphraseonthekingandqueenofhearts,ofwhichibeingtheauthorbegmr.johnnywordsworth'sacceptanceandopinion.liberalcriticism,asg.dyerdeclares,iamalwaysreadytoattendto!—andthat'sall,ibelieve.n.b.imustremaindebtortodorothyfor200pens:butreallymissstoddart(womenaregreatgulfsofstationery),whoisgoinghometosalisburyandhasbeenwithussomeweeks,hasdrainedustotheverylastpen:bythetimes.t.c.passesthro'londonireckonishallbeinfullfeather.nomorenewshastranspiredofthatwanderer.isupposehehasfoundhiswaytosomeofhisgermanfriends.

aproposofspencer(youwillfindhimmentionedapageortwobefore,nearenoughforanapropos),iwasdiscoursingonpoetry(asone'sapttodeceiveonesself,andwhenapersoniswillingtotalkofwhatonelikes,tobelievethathealsolikesthesame:asloversdo)withayounggentlemanofmyofficewhoisdeepreadinanacreonmoore,lordstrangford,andtheprincipalmodernpoets,andihappen'dtomentionepithalamiumsandthaticouldshewhimaveryfineoneofspencer's.atthementionofthis,mygentleman,whoisaveryfinegentleman,andisbrothertothemissevanswhocoleridgesonarrowlyescapedmarrying,prickeduphisearsandexprestgreatpleasure,andedthatiwouldgivehimleavetocopyit:hedidnotcarehowlongitwas(foriobjectedthelength),heshouldbeveryhappytoseeanythingbyhim.thenpausing,andlookingsad,heejaculatedpoorspencer!iedtoknowthereasonofhisejaculation,thinkingthattimehadbythistimesofteneddownanycalamitieswhichthebardmighthaveendured—"why,poorfellow!"saidhe"hehaslosthiswife!""losthiswife?"saidi,"whoareyoutalkingof?""why,spencer,"saidhe."i'vereadthemonodyhewroteontheoccasion,andaveryprettythingitis."thisledtoanexplanation(itcouldbedelay'dnolonger)thatthesoundspencer,whichwhenpoetryistalk'dofgenerallyexcitesanimageofanoldbardinaruff,andsometimeswithitdimnotionsofsirp.sydneyandperhapslordburleigh,hadraisedinmygentlemanaquitecontraryimageofthehonourablewilliamspencer,whohastranslatedsomethingsfromthegermanveryprettily,whicharepublish'dwithladydi.beauclerk'sdesigns.

nothinglikedefiningoftermswhenwetalk.whatblundersmightihavefallenintoofquiteinapplicablecriticism,butforthistimelyexplanation.

n.b.atthebeginningofedm.spencer(topreventmistakes)ihavecopiedfrommyowncopy,andprimarilyfromabookofchalmersonshakspear,asonnetofspenser'sneverprintedamonghispoems.itiscuriousasbeingmanlyandrathermiltonic,andasasonnetofspenser'swithnothinginitaboutloveorknighthood.ihavenoroomforremembrances;butihopeourdoingyourcommissionwillprovewedonotquiteforgetyou.

c.l.

1feb.,1806.

["hazlitt'sbookabouthumanactionforcoleridge"—anessayonthe

principlesofhumanaction,1805.

"aparaphraseofthekingandqueenofhearts."thiswasalittlebookforchildrenbylamb,illustratedbymulreadyandpublishedbyt.hodgkins(forthegodwins)in1806.itwasdiscoveredthroughthispassageinthisletterandisreprintedinfacsimileinvol.iii.ofmylargeedition.thetitleranthekingandqueenofhearts,withtherogueriesoftheknavewhostoleawaythequeen'spies.

coleridgehadleftmaltaonseptember21,1805.hewenttonaples,andfromtheretoromeinjanuary,1806,wherehestayeduntilmay18.

"aproposofspencer."thisportionoftheletter,owingtoamistakeof

talfourd's,isusuallytackedontoonedatedjune,1806."missevans."

seenotetoletter3.

"poorspencer."williamrobertspencer(1769-1834)wastheauthorofjeuxd'espritandpoems.heisnowknown,ifatall,byhisballadof"bedgellert."hemarriedthewidowofcountspreti,andin1804publishedabookofelegiesentitled"theyearofsorrow."spencerwasamongthetranslatorsofburger's"leonore,"hisversionbeingillustratedbyladydianabeauclerk(hisgreat-aunt)in1796.lambusedthisanecdoteasalittlearticleinthereflector,no.ii.,1811,entitled"ontheambiguitiesarisingfrompropernames"(seevol.i.ofthisedition).lamb,however,byalwaysspellingtherealpoetwitha"c,"didnothingtowardsavoidingtheambiguity!

thisisthesonnetwhichlambcopiedintowordsworth'sspenserfrom

georgechalmers'supplementalapologyforthebelieversinthe

shakespeare-papers(1799),page94:—

totherightworshipful,mysingulargoodfriend,mr.gabrielharvey,

doctorofthelaws:—

"harvey,thehappyabovehappiestmen

iread:thatsittinglikealookeron

ofthisworld'sstage,doestnotewithcritiquepen

thesharpdislikesofeachcondition:

andasonecarelessofsuspition,

nefawnestforthefavourofthegreat:

nefearestfoolishreprehension

offaultymen,whichdangertotheethreat.

butfreelydoest,ofwhattheelist,entreat,

likeagreatlordofpeerlessliberty:

liftingthegooduptohighhonoursseat,

andtheevildamningevermoretody.

forlife,anddeathis[are]inthydoomfulwriting:

sothyrenowneliveseverbyendighting."

dublin:thisxviijofjuly,1586;

yourdevotedfriend,duringlife,

edmundspenser.]