LETTER23

letter23

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

feb.13th,1797.

yourpoemisaltogetheradmirable—partsofitareevenexquisite—inparticularyourpersonalaccountofthemaidfarsurpassesanythingofthesortinsouthey.iperceivedallitsexcellences,onafirstreading,asreadilyasnowyouhavebeenremovingasupposedfilmfrommyeyes.iwasonlystruckwith[a]certainfaultydisproportioninthematterandthestyle,whichistillthinkiperceive,betweentheselinesandtheformerones.ihadanendinview;iwishedtomakeyourejectthepoem,onlyasbeingdiscordantwiththeother;and,insubserviencetothatend,itwaspoliticallydoneinmetoover-pass,andmakenomentionofmeritwhich,couldyouthinkmecapableofoverlooking,mightreasonablydamnforeverinyourjudgmentallpretensionsinmetobecritical.there,iwillbejudgedbylloyd,whetherihavenotmadeaveryhandsomerecantation.iwasinthecaseofamanwhosefriendhasaskedhimhisopinionofacertainyounglady;thedeludedwightgivesjudgmentagainstherintoto—don'tlikeherface,herwalk,hermanners—findsfaultwithhereyebrows—canseenowitinher.hisfriendlooksblank;hebeginstosmellarat;windveersabout;heacknowledgeshergoodsense,herjudgmentindress,acertainsimplicityofmannersandhonestyofheart,somethingtooinhermannerswhichgainsuponyouafterashortacquaintance,—andthenheraccuratepronunciationofthefrenchlanguageandaprettyuncultivatedtasteindrawing.thereconciledgentlemansmilesapplause,squeezeshimbythehand,andhopeshewilldohimthehonouroftakingabitofdinnerwithmrs.—andhim—aplainfamilydinner—somedaynextweek."for,isuppose,youneverheardweweremarried!i'mgladtoseeyoulikemywife,however;you'llcomeandseeher,ha?"nowamitooproudtoretractentirely.yetidoperceiveiaminsomesortstraitened;youaremanifestlyweddedtothispoem,andwhatfancyhasjoinedletnomanseparate.iturnmetothejoanofarc,secondbook.

thesolemnopeningsofitarewithsoundswhich,lloydwouldsay,"aresilencetothemind."thedeeppreludingstrainsarefittedtoinitiatethemind,withapleasingawe,intothesublimestmysteriesoftheoryconcerningman'snatureandhisnoblestdestination—thephilosophyofafirstcause—ofsubordinateagentsincreationsuperiortoman—thesubserviencyofpaganworshipandpaganfaithtotheintroductionofapurerandmoreperfectreligion,whichyousoelegantlydescribeaswinningwithgradualstepsherdifficultwaynorthwardfrombethabra.afterallthiscomethjoan,apublican'sdaughter,sittingonanale-housebench,andmarkingtheswingingsofthesignboard,findingapoorman,hiswifeandsixchildren,starvedtodeathwithcold,andthencerousedintoastateofmindpropertoreceivevisionsemblematicalofequality;whichwhatthedeviljoanhadtodowith,idon'tknow,orindeedwiththefrenchandamericanrevolutions;thoughthatneedsnopardon,itisexecutedsonobly.afterall,ifyouperceivenodisproportion,allargumentisvain:idonotsomuchobjecttoparts.again,whenyoutalkofbuildingyourfameontheselinesinpreferencetothe"religiousmusings,"icannothelpconceivingofyouandoftheauthorofthatastwodifferentpersons,andithinkyouaveryvainman.

ihavebeenre-readingyourletter.muchofiticoulddispute;butwiththelatterpartofit,inwhichyoucomparethetwojoanswithrespecttotheirpredispositionsforfanaticism,itotocordecoincide;onlyithinkthatsouthey'sstrengthratherliesinthedescriptionoftheemotionsofthemaidundertheweightofinspiration,—these(iseenomightydifferencebetweenherdescribingthemoryoudescribingthem),theseifyouonlyequal,thepreviousadmirersofhispoem,asisnatural,willpreferhis;ifyousurpass,prejudicewillscarcelyallowit,andiscarcethinkyouwillsurpass,thoughyourspecimenattheconclusion(iaminearnest)ithinkverynighequalsthem.andinanaccountofafanaticorofaprophetthedescriptionofheremotionsisexpectedtobemosthighlyfinished.bytheway,ispokefartoodisparaginglyofyourlines,and,iamashamedtosay,purposely.ishouldlikeyoutospecifyorparticularise;thestoryofthe"totteringeld,"of"hiseventfulyearsallcomeandgone,"istoogeneral;whynotmakehimasoldier,orsomecharacter,however,inwhichhehasbeenwitnesstofrequencyof"cruelwrongandstrangedistress!"ithinkishould.whenilaughedatthe"miserablemancrawlingfrombeneaththecoverture,"iwonderi[?you]didnotperceiveitwasalaughofhorror—suchasihavelaughedatdante'spictureofthefamishedugolino.withoutfalsehood,iperceiveanhundredbeautiesinyournarrative.yetiwonderyoudonotperceivesomethingout-of-theway,somethingunsimpleandartificial,intheexpression,"voicedasadtale."ihatemade-dishesatthemuses'banquet.ibelieveiwaswronginmostofmyotherobjections.butsurely"hailedhimimmortal,"addsnothingtotheterroroftheman'sdeath,whichitwasyourbusinesstoheighten,notdiminishbyaphrasewhichtakesawayallterrorfromit.ilikethatline,"theyclosedtheireyesinsleep,norknew'twasdeath."indeed,thereisscarcealineidonotlike."turbidecstacy,"issurelynotsogoodaswhatyouhadwritten,"troublous."turbidrathersuitsthemuddykindofinspirationwhichlondonporterconfers.theversificationis,throughout,tomyearsunexceptionable,withnodisparagementtothemeasureofthe"religiousmusings,"whichisexactlyfittedtothethoughts.

youwerebuildingyourhouseonarock,whenyourestedyourfameonthatpoem.icanscarcebringmyselftobelieve,thatiamadmittedtoafamiliarcorrespondence,andallthelicenceoffriendship,withamanwhowritesblankverselikemilton.now,thisisdelicateflattery,indirectflattery.goonwithyour"maidoforleans,"andbecontenttobesecondtoyourself.ishallbecomeaconverttoit,when'tisfinished.

thisafternooniattendthefuneralofmypooroldaunt,whodiedonthursday.iowniamthankfulthatthegoodcreaturehasendedallherdaysofsufferingandinfirmity.shewastomethe"cherisherofinfancy,"andonemustfallontheseoccasionsintoreflectionswhichitwouldbecommonplacetoenumerate,concerningdeath,"ofchanceandchange,andfateinhumanlife."goodgod,whocouldhaveforeseenallthisbutfourmonthsback!ihadreckoned,inparticular,onmyaunt'slivingmanyyears;shewasaveryheartyoldwoman.butshewasamereskeletonbeforeshedied,lookedmorelikeacorpsethathadlainweeksinthegrave,thanonefreshdead."trulythelightissweet,andapleasantthingitisfortheeyestobeholdthesun;butletamanlivemanydaysandrejoiceinthemall,yetlethimrememberthedaysofdarkness,fortheyshallbemany."coleridge,whyarewetoliveonafterallthestrengthandbeautyofexistencearegone,whenallthelifeoflifeisfled,aspoorburnsexpressesit?telllloydihavehadthoughtsofturningquaker,andhavebeenreading,oramratherjustbeginningtoread,amostcapitalbook,goodthoughtsingoodlanguage,williampenn's"nocross,nocrown;"ilikeitimmensely.unluckilyiwenttooneofhismeetings,tellhim,inst.johnstreet,yesterday,andsawamanunderalltheagitationsandworkingsofafanatic,whobelievedhimselfundertheinfluenceofsome"inevitablepresence."thiscuredmeofquakerism;iloveitinthebooksofpennandwoolman,butidetestthevanityofamanthinkinghespeaksbythespirit,whenwhathesaysanordinarymanmightsaywithoutallthatquakingandtrembling.inthemidstofhisinspiration—andtheeffectsofitweremostnoisy—washandedintothemidstofthemeetingamostterribleblackguardwappingsailor;thepoorman,ibelieve,hadratherhavebeeninthehottestpartofanengagement,forthecongregationofbroad-brims,togetherwiththeravingsoftheprophet,weretoomuchforhisgravity,thoughisawevenhehaddelicacyenoughnottolaughout.andtheinspiredgentleman,thoughhismannerwassosupernatural,yetneithertalkednorprofessedtotalkanythingmorethangoodsobersense,commonmorality,withnowandthenadeclarationofnotspeakingfromhimself.amongotherthings,lookingbacktohischildhoodandearlyyouth,hetoldthemeetingwhatagracelessyoungdoghehadbeen,thatinhisyouthhehadagoodshareofwit:reader,ifthouhadstseenthegentleman,thouwouldsthaveswornthatitmustindeedhavebeenmanyyearsago,forhisruefulphysiognomywouldhavescaredawaytheplayfulgoddessfromthemeeting,wherehepresided,forever.awit!awit!whatcouldhemean?lloyd,itmindedmeoffalklandinthe"rivals,""amifullofwitandhumour?no,indeedyouarenot.amithelifeandsoulofeverycompanyicomeinto?no,itcannotbesaidyouare."thathard-facedgentleman,awit!why,naturewroteonhisfanaticforeheadfiftyyearsago,"witnevercomes,thatcomestoall."ishouldbeasscandalisedatabonmotissuingfromhisoracle-lookingmouth,astoseecatogodownacountry-dance.godloveyouall.youareverygoodtosubmittobepleasedwithreadingmynothings.'tistheprivilegeoffriendshiptotalknonsense,andtohavehernonsensere-spected.—yoursever,

c.lamb.

[lamb'saunthetty,sarahlamb,wasburiedatst.james's,clerkenwell,onfebruary13,1797.

"aspoorburnsexpressesit."inthe"lamentforjames,earlof

glencairn,"thestanza:—

inwearybeingnowipine,

fora'thelifeoflifeisdead,

andhopehasleftmyagedken,

onforwardwingforeverfled.

"turningquaker."lambreferstothepeelmeeting-houseinjohnstreet,clerkenwell.lambafterwardsusedthestoryofthewitintheellaessay"aquaker'smeeting."inhisinvocationtothereaderhehereforeshadowshiselianmanner.

"falkland"isinsheridan'scomedy"therivals"(seeactii.,scenei).]