LETTER65

letter65

charleslambtothomasmanning

[p.m.august24,1800.]

dearmanning,—iamgoingtoaskafavourofyou,andamatalosshowtodoitinthemostdelicatemanner.forthispurposeihavebeenlookingintopliny'sletters,whoisnotedtohavehadthebestgraceiningofalltheancients(ireadhimintheeleganttranslationofmr.melmoth),butnotfindinganycasethereexactlysimilarwithmine,iamconstrainedtobeginmyownbarbarianway.tocometothepointthen,andhastenintothemiddleofthings,haveyouacopyofyouralgebratogiveaway?idonotaskitformyself;ihavetoomuchreverencefortheblackartsevertoapproachthycircle,illustrioustrismegist!butthatworthymanandexcellentpoet,georgedyer,mademeavisityesternight,onpurposetoborrowone,supposing,rationallyenoughimustsay,thatyouhadmademeapresentofonebeforethis;theomissionofwhichitaketohaveproceededonlyfromnegligence;butitisafault.icouldlendhimnoassistance.youmustknowheisjustnowdivertedfromthepursuitofbelllettersbyaparadox,whichhehasheardhisfriendfrend(thatlearnedmathematician)maintain,thatthenegativequantitiesofmathematiciansweremeraenugae,thingsscarcelyinrerumnaturá,andsmackingtoomuchofmysteryforgentlemenofmr.frend'sclearunitariancapacity.however,thedisputeonceseta-goinghasseizedviolentlyongeorge'spericranick;anditisnecessaryforhishealththatheshouldspeedilycometoaresolutionofhisdoubts.hegoesaboutteasinghisfriendswithhisnewmathematics;heevenfranticallytalksofpurchasingmanning'salgebra,whichshowshimfargone,for,tomyknowledge,hehasnotbeenmasterofsevenshillingsagoodtime.george'spocketsand——'sbrainsaretwothingsinnaturewhichdonotabhoravacuum….now,ifyoucouldstepin,inthistremblingsuspenseofhisreason,andheshouldfindonsaturdaymorning,lyingforhimattheporter'slodge,clifford'sinn,—hissafestaddress—manning'salgebra,withaneatmanuscriptumintheblankleaf,runningthus,fromtheauthor!itmightsavehiswitsandrestoretheunhappyauthortothosestudiesofpoetryandcriticism,whichareatpresentsuspended,totheinfiniteregretofthewholeliteraryworld.

n.b.—dirtybooks[?backs],smearedleaves,anddogs'ears,willberatherarecommendationthanotherwise.

n.b.—hemusthavethebookassoonaspossible,ornothingcanwithholdhimfrommadlypurchasingthebookontick….thenshallweseehimsweetlyrestoredtothechairoflonginus—todictateinsmoothandmodestphrasethelawsofverse;toprovethattheocritusfirstintroducedthepastoral,andvirgilandpopebroughtittoitsperfection;thatgrayandmason(whoalwayshuntincouplesingeorge'sbrain)haveshownagreatdealofpoeticalfireintheirlyricpoetry;thataristotle'srulesarenottobeservilelyfollowed,whichgeorgehasshowntohaveimposedgreatshacklesuponmoderngenius.hispoems,ifind,aretoconsistoftwovols.—reasonableoctavo;andathirdbookwillexclusivelycontaincriticisms,inwhichheassertshehasgoneprettydeeplyintothelawsofblankverseandrhyme—epicpoetry,dramaticandpastoralditto—allwhichistocomeoutbeforechristmas.butaboveallhehastouchedmostdeeplyuponthedrama,comparingtheenglishwiththemoderngermanstage,theirmeritsanddefects.apprehendingthathisstudies(nottomentionhisturn,whichitaketobechieflytowardsthelyricalpoetry)hardlyqualifiedhimforthesedisquisitions,imodestlyinquiredwhatplayshehadread?ifoundbygeorge'sreplythathehadreadshakspeare,butthatwasagoodwhilesince:hecallshimagreatbutirregulargenius,whichithinktobeanoriginalandjustremark.(beaumontandfletcher,massinger,benjonson,shirley,marlowe,ford,andtheworthiesofdodsley'scollection—heconfessedhehadreadnoneofthem,butprofessedhisintentionoflookingthroughthemall,soastobeabletotouchupontheminhisbook.)

soshakspeare,otway,andibelieverowe,towhomhewasnaturallydirectedbyjohnson'slives,andthesenotreadlately,aretostandhiminsteadofageneralknowledgeofthesubject.godblesshisdearabsurdhead!

bytheby,didinotwriteyoualetterwithsomethingaboutaninvitationinit?—butletthatpass;isupposeitisnotagreeable.

n.b.itwouldnotbeamissifyouweretoaccompanyyourpresentwithadissertationonnegativequantities.

c.l.

[mr.melmoth.atranslationofthelettersofplinytheyoungerwasmadebywilliammelmothin1746.

trismegistus—thricegreatest—wasthetermappliedtohermes,theegyptianphilosopher.manninghadwrittenanintroductiontoarithmeticandalgebra,1796,1798.

williamfrend(1757-1841),themathematicianandunitarian,whohadbeenprosecutedinthevice-chancellor'scourtatcambridgeforatractentitled"peaceandunionrecommendedtotheassociatedbodiesofrepublicansandanti-republicans,"inwhichheattackedmuchoftheliturgyofthechurchofengland.hewasfoundguiltyandbanishedfromtheuniversityofcambridge.hehadbeenafriendofrobertrobinson,whoselifedyerwrote,andremainedafriendofdyertotheendofhislife.coleridgehadbeenamongtheundergraduateswhosupportedfrendathistrial.

"…'sbrain."inalaterletterlambusesjudgepark'swig,whenhisheadisinit,asasimileforemptiness.]