LETTER61

letter61

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

aug.6th,1800.

dearcoleridge,—ihavetakento-day,anddeliveredtolongmanandco.,imprimis:yourbooks,viz.,threeponderousgermandictionaries,onevolume(icanfindnomore)ofgermanandfrenchditto,sundryothergermanbooksunbound,asyouleftthem,percy'sancientpoetry,andonevolumeofanderson'spoets.ispecifythem,thatyoumaynotloseany.secundo:adressing-gown(value,fivepence),inwhichyouusedtositandlooklikeaconjuror,whenyouweretranslating"wallenstein."acaseoftworazorsandashaving-boxandstrap.thisithascostmeasevereletopartwith.theyareinabrown-paperparcel,whichalsocontainssundrypapersandpoems,sermons,somefewepicpoems,—oneaboutcainandabel,whichcamefrompoole,&c.,&c.,andalsoyourtragedy;withoneortwosmallgermanbooks,andthatdramainwhichgotfaderperforms.tertio:asmalloblongboxcontainingallyourletters,collectedfromallyourwastepapers,andwhichfillthesaidlittlebox.allotherwastepapers,whichijudgedworthsending,areinthepaperparcelaforesaid.butyouwillfindallyourlettersintheboxbythemselves.thushaveidischargedmyconscienceandmylumber-roomofallyourproperty,saveandexceptafolioentitledtyrrell'sbibliothecapolitica,whichyouusedtolearnyourpoliticsoutofwhenyouwroteforthepost,mutatismutandis,i.e.,applyingpastinferencestomoderndata.iretainthat,becauseiamsensibleiamverydeficientinthepoliticsmyself;andihavetornup—don'tbeangry,wastepaperhasrisenfortypercent.,andican'taffordtobuyit—allbuonaparte'sletters,arthuryoung'streatiseoncorn,andoneortwomorelight-armedinfantry,whichithoughtbettersuitedtheflippancyoflondondiscussionthanthedignityofkeswickthinking.marysaysyouwillbeinadamnedpassionaboutthemwhenyoucometomissthem;butyoumuststudyphilosophy.readalbertusmagnusdechartisamissisfivetimesoverafterphlebotomising,—'tisburton'srecipe—andthenbeangrywithanabsentfriendifyoucan.ihavejustheardthatmrs.lloydisdeliveredofafineboy,andmotherandboyaredoingwell.fieonards,whatisthysaradoing?saraisobscure.amitounderstandbyherletter,thatshesendsakisstoelizabuckingham?praytellyourwifethatanoteofinterrogationonthesuperscriptionofaletterishighlyungrammatical—sheproposeswritingmynamelamb?lambeisquiteenough.ihavehadtheanthology,andlikeonlyonethinginit,lewti;butofthatthelaststanzaisdetestable,therestmostexquisite!—theepithetenviablewoulddashthefinestpoem.forgod'ssake(ineverwasmoreserious),don'tmakemeridiculousanymorebytermingmegentle-heartedinprint,ordoitinbetterverses.itdidwellenoughfiveyearsagowhenicametoseeyou,andwasmoralcoxcombenoughatthetimeyouwrotethelines,tofeeduponsuchepithets;but,besidesthat,themeaningofgentleisequivocalatbest,andalmostalwaysmeanspoor-spirited,theveryqualityofgentlenessisabhorrenttosuchviletrumpetings.mysentimentislongsincevanished.ihopemyvirtueshavedonesucking.icanscarcethinkbutyoumeantitinjoke.ihopeyoudid,forishouldbeashamedtothinkthatyoucouldthinktogratifymebysuchpraise,fitonlytobeacordialtosomegreen-sicksonneteer.

ihavehitoffthefollowinginimitationofoldenglishpoetry,which,iimagine,iamadabat.themeasureisunmeasureable;butitmostresemblesthatbeautifulballadofthe"oldandyoungcourtier;"andinitsfeatureoftakingtheextremesoftwosituationsforjustparallel,itresemblestheoldpoetrycertainly.ificouldbutstretchoutthecircumstancestotwelvemoreverses,i.e.,ifihadasmuchgeniusasthewriterofthatoldsong,ithinkitwouldbeexcellent.itwastofollowanimitationofburtoninprose,whichyouhavenotseen.butfate"andwiseststewart"sayno.

icansendyou200pensandsixquiresofpaperimmediately,iftheywillanswerthecarriagebycoach.itwouldbefoolishtopack'emupcummultislibrisetcaeteris,—theywouldallspoil.ionlywaityourcommandstocoachthem.iwouldpayfive-and-fortythousandcarriagestoreadw.'stragedy,ofwhichihaveheardsomuchandseensolittle—onlywhatisawatstowey.praygivemeanorderinwritingonlongmanfor"lyricalballads."ihavethefirstvolume,and,truthtotell,sixshillingsisabroadshot.icramallicanin,tosaveamultiplyingofletters—thoseprettycometswithswingeingtails.

i'lljustcrowdingodblessyou!

c.lamb.

wednesdaynight.

[theepicaboutcainandabelwas"thewanderingsofcain,"whichcoleridgeprojectedbutneverfinished.thedramainwhichgot-faderperformswouldbeperhaps"faust"—"derherr"intheprologue—orsomeoldmiracleplay.

"'tisburton'srecipe."lambwasjustnowsteepedintheanatomy;butthereisnoneedtoseeifburtonsaysthis.

"elizabuckingham."saracoleridge'smessagewasprobablyintendedfor

eliza,aservantatthebuckinghamstreetlodgings.

lambewastheanti-jacobin'sideaoflamb'sname;andindeedmanypersonsadheredtoittotheend.mrs.coleridge,whenwritingtoherhusbandundercareoflambattheindiahouse,added"e"tolamb'snametosignifythattheletterwasforcoleridge.wordsworthlateralsohadsomeofhislettersaddressedinthesameway—forthesameeconomicalreason.

coleridge's"lewti"wasreprinted,withalterations,fromthemorning

post,intheannualanthology,vol.ii.line69ran—

"haditheenviablepower;"

coleridgechangedthisto—

"voiceofthenight!hadithepower."

"thislime-treebowermyprison;apoem,addressedtocharleslamboftheindiahouse,london,"wasalsointheannualanthology.lambobjectedtothephrase"mygentle-heartedcharles"(seeabove).lambsays"fiveyearsago";hemeansthree.coleridgedidnotalterthephrase.itwasagainstthispoemthathewroteinpencilonhisdeathbedin1834:"ch.andmarylamb—deartomyheart,yea,asitwere,myheart.—s.t.c.aet.63,1834.1797-1834=37years!"

"ihavehitoffthefollowing"—"aballaddenotingthedifferencebetweentherichandthepoor,"firstprintedamongtheimitationsofburtoninthejohnwoodvilvolume,1802,seevol.iv.

"andwiseststewart"—stuartofthemorningpost.adaptedfrom

milton's"hymnonthenativity"—

"butwisestfatesaysno."

"w.'s(wordsworth's)tragedy"was"theborderers."thesecondeditionoflyricalballadswasjustready.]