LETTER108

letter108

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

[nodate.may,1803.]

marysendslovefromhome.

dr.c.,—idoconfessthatihavenotsentyourbooksasioughttobe[have]done;butyouknowhowthehumanfreewillistethered,andthatweperformpromisestoourselvesnobetterthantoourfriends.awatchiscomeforyou.doyouwantitsoon,orshalliwaittillsomeonetravelsyourway?you,likeme,isuppose,reckonthelapseoftimefromthewastethereof,asboysletacockruntowaste:tooidletostopit,andratheramusedwithseeingitdribble.yourpoemshavebegunprinting;longmansenttometoarrangethem,theoldandthenewtogether.itseemsyouhaveleftittohim.soiclassedthem,asnearlyasicould,accordingtodates.first,afterthededication,(whichmustmarchfirst)andwhichihavetransplantedfrombeforethepreface(whichstoodlikeadeadwallofprosebetween)tobethefirstpoem—thencomes"thepixies,"andthethingsmostjuvenile—thenon"tochatterton,"&c.—on,lastly,tothe"odeonthedepartingyear,"and"musings,"—whichfinish.longmanwantedtheodefirst;butthearrangementihavemadeispreciselythatmarkedoutinthededication,followingtheorderoftime.itoldlongmaniwassurethatyouwouldomitagoodportionofthefirstedition.iinstancedinseveralsonnets,&c.—butthatwasnothisplan,and,asyouhavedonenothinginit,allicoulddowastoarrange'emonthesuppositionthatallweretoberetained.afewipositivelyrejected;suchasthatof"thethimble,"andthatof"flickerandflicker'swife,"andthatnotinthemannerofspenser,whichyouyourselfhadstigmatised—andthe"manofross,"—idoubtwhetherishouldthislast.itisnottoolatetosaveit.thefirstproofisonlyjustcome.ihavebeenforcedtocallthatcupid'selixir"kisses."itstandsinyourfirstvolumeasaneffusion,sothat,insteadofprefixingthekisstothatof"onekiss,dearmaid,"&c.,ihaveventuredtoentitleit"tosara."iamawareofthenicetyofchangingevensomereatrifleasatitletososhortapiece,andsubvertingoldassociations;buttwocalled"kisses"wouldhavebeenabsolutelyludicrous,and"effusion"isnoname;andthesepoemscomeclosetogether.ipromiseyounottoalteronewordinanypoemwhatever,buttotakeyourlasttext,wheretwoare.canyousendanywishesaboutthebook?longman,ithink,shouldhavesettledwithyou.butitseemsyouhaveleftittohim.writeassoonasyoupossiblycan;for,withoutmakingmyselfresponsible,ifeelmyselfinsomesortaccessorytotheselectionwhichiamtoproof-correct.butidecidedlysaidtosthatiwassureyouwouldomitmore.thoseihavepositivelyrubbedofficansweartoindividually,(exceptthe"manofross,"whichistoofamiliarinpope,)butnoothers—youhaveyourcue.formypart,ihadratherallthejuveniliawerekept—memoriescausa.

roblloydhaswrittenmeamasterlyletter,containingacharacterofhisfather;—see,howdifferentfromcharlesheviewstheoldman!literatim"myfathersmokes,repeatshomeringreek,andvirgil,andislearning,whenfrombusiness,withallthevigourofayoungmanitalian.heisreallyawonderfulman.hemixespublicandprivatebusiness,theintricaciesofdiscordinglifewithhisreligionanddevotion.noonemorerationallyenjoystheromanticscenesofnature,andthechit-chatandlittlevagariesofhischildren;and,thoughsurroundedwithanoceanofaffairs,theveryneatnessofhismostobscurecupboardinthehousepassesnotunnoticed.ineverknewanyoneviewwithsuchclearness,norsowellsatisfiedwiththingsastheyare,andmakesuchallowanceforthingswhichmustappearperfectsyriactohim."bythelasthemeansthelloydismsoftheyoungerbranches.hisportraitofcharles(exactasfarashehashadopportunitiesofnotinghim)ismostexquisite."charlesisbecomesteadyasachurch,andasstraightforwardasaromanroad.itwoulddistracthimtomentionanythingthatwasnotasplainassense;heseemstohaverunthewholesceneryoflife,andnowrestsastheformalprecisianofnon-existence."hereisgeniusithink,and'tisseldomayoungman,alloyd,looksatafather(sodiffering)withsuchgoodnaturewhileheisalive.write—

iaminpost-haste,c.lamb.

love,&c.,tosara,p.,andh.

[thedateisusuallygivenasmarch20,butismay20;certainlyafter

coleridge'svisittotown(seeprecedingletter).

poems,bys.t.coleridge,thirdedition,wasnowinpreparationbylongman&rees.lambsawthevolumethroughthepress.the1797secondeditionwasfollowed,exceptthatlloyd'sandlamb'scontributionswereomitted,togetherwiththefollowingpoemsbycoleridge:"totherev.w.j.h.,""sonnettokoskiusko,""writtenafterawalk"(whichlamburatelycalled"flickerandflicker'swife"),"fromayounglady"("thesilverthimble"),"onthechristeningofafriend'schild,""introductorysonnettolloyd's'poemsonthedeathofpriscillafarmer.'""themanofross"(whompopealsocelebratesinthemoralessays,iii.,lines250-290)wasretained,andalsothe"linesinthemannerofspenser."thepiecerechristened"kisses"hadbeencalled"thecompositionofakiss."swastheprinter.seealsothenextletter.

ofrobertlloyd'sfatherwehearmorelater.]