LETTER1

letter1

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

[postmarkmay27,1796.]

dearc——makeyourselfperfectlyeasyaboutmay.ipaidhisbill,when

isentyourclothes.iwasflushofmoney,andamsostilltoallthe

purposesofasinglelife,sogiveyourselfnofurtherconcernaboutit.

themoneywouldbesuperfluoustome,ifihadit.

withregardtoallen,—thewomanhehasmarriedhassomemoney,ihaveheardabout£200ayear,enoughforthemaintenanceofherself&children,oneofwhomisagirlnineyearsold!soallenhasdiptbetimesintothecaresofafamily.iveryseldomseehim,&donotknowwhetherhehasgivenupthewestminsterhospital.

whensoutheybecomesasmodestashispredecessormilton,andpublisheshisepicsinduodecimo,iwillread'em,—aguineaabookissomewhatexorbitant,norhaveitheopportunityofborrowingthework.theextractsfromitinthemonthlyreviewandtheshortpassagesinyourwatchmanseemtomemuchsuperiortoanythinginhispartnershipaccountwithlovell.

yourpoemsishallprocureforthwith.therewerenoblelinesinwhatyouinsertedinoneofyournumbersfromreligiousmusings,butithoughtthemelaborate.iamsomewhatgladyouhavegivenupthatpaper—itmusthavebeendry,unprofitable,andof"dissonantmood"toyourdisposition.iwishyouessinallyourundertakings,andamgladtohearyouareemployedabouttheevidencesofreligion.thereisneedofmultiplyingsuchbooksanhundredfoldinthisphilosophicalagetopreventconvertstoatheism,fortheyseemtootoughdisputantstomeddlewithafterwards.iamsincerelysorryforallen,asafamilymanparticularly.

legriceisgonetomakepunsincornwall.hehasgotatutorshiptoayoungboy,livingwithhismother,awidowlady.hewillofcourseinitiatehimquicklyin"whatsoeverthingsarelovely,honorable,andofgoodreport."hehascutmisshuntcompleatly,—thepoorgirlisveryillontheoccasion,buthelaughsatit,andjustifieshimselfbysaying,"shedoesnotseehimlaugh."coleridge,iknownotwhatsufferingscenesyouhavegonethroughatbristol—mylifehasbeensomewhatdiversifiedoflate.the6weeksthatfinishedlastyearandbeganthisyourveryhumbleservantspentveryagreeablyinamadhouseathoxton—iamgotsomewhatrationalnow,anddon'tbiteanyone.butmadiwas—andmanyavagarymyimaginationplayedwithme,enoughtomakeavolumeifalltold.

mysonnetsihaveextendedtothenumberofninesinceisawyou,andwillsomedaycommunicatetoyou.

iambeginningapoeminblankverse,whichififinishipublish.

whiteisontheeveofpublishing(hetookthehintfromvortigern)originallettersoffalstaff,shallow&c—,acopyyoushallhavewhenitcomesout.theyarewithoutexceptionthebestimitationsieversaw.

coleridge,itmayconvinceyouofmyregardsforyouwhenitellyoumyheadranonyouinmymadness,asmuchalmostasonanotherperson,whoiaminclinedtothinkwasthemoreimmediatecauseofmytemporaryfrenzy.

thesonnetisendyouhassmallmeritaspoetrybutyouwillbecurioustoreaditwhenitellyouitwaswritteninmyprison-houseinoneofmylucidintervals.

tomysister

iffrommylipssomeangryaccentsfell,

peevishcomplaint,orharshreproofunkind,

'twasbuttheerrorofasicklymind,

andtroubledthoughts,cloudingthepurerwell,

andwatersclear,ofreason;andforme,

letthismyversethepooratonementbe,

myverse,whichthoutopraisewasteverinclined

toohighly,andwithapartialeyetosee

noblemish:thoutomedidstevershew

fondestaffection,andwoud'stoftimeslend

aneartothedespondinglovesicklay,

weepingmysorrowswithme,whorepay

butillthemightydebtofloveiowe,

mary,tothee,mysisterandmyfriend.

withtheselines,andwiththatsister'skindestremembrancestoc——,

iconclude—

yourssincerely

lamb.

yourconcionesadpopulumarethemosteloquentpoliticsthatevercameinmyway.

write,whenconvenient—notasatask,forthereisnothinginthislettertoanswer.

youmayincloseundercovertomeattheindiahousewhatlettersyouplease,fortheycomepostfree.

wecannotsendourremembrancestomrs.c——nothavingseenher,butbelievemeourbestgoodwishesattendyouboth.

mycivicandpoeticcomptstosoutheyifatbristol.—why,heisavery

leviathanofbards—thesmallminnowi—

[thisistheearliestletteroflamb'sthathascomedowntous.onfebruary10,1796,hewasjusttwenty-oneyearsold,andwasnowlivingat7littlequeenstreet(sincedemolished)withhisfather,mother,auntsarahlamb(knownasaunthetty),marylamband,possibly,johnlamb.johnlamb,senior,wasdoingnothingandhad,ithink,alreadybeguntobreakup:hisoldmaster,samuelsalt,haddiedinfebruary,1792.johnlamb,theson(bornjune5,1763),hadaclerkshipatthesouth-seahouse;charleslambhadbegunhislongperiodofserviceintheindiahouse;andmarylamb(borndecember3,1764)wasoccupiedasamantua-maker.

atthistimecoleridgewastwenty-three;hewouldbetwenty-fouronoctober21.hismilitaryexperiencesover,hehadmarriedsarafrickeronoctober4,1795(amonthbeforesoutheymarriedhersisteredith),andwaslivingatbristol,onredcliffehill.thefirstnumberofthewatchmanwasdatedonmarch1,1796;onmay13,1796,itcametoanend.onapril16,1796,cottlehadissuedcoleridge'spoemsonvarioussubjects,containingalsofour"effusions"bycharleslamb(nos.vii.,xi.,xii.andxiii.),andthe"religiousmusings."southey,onbadtermswithcoleridge,partlyonaccountofsouthey'sabandonmentofpantisocracy,wasinlisbon.hisjoanofarchadjustbeenpublishedbycottleinquartoataguinea.previouslyhehadcollaboratedinthefallofrobespierre,1794,withcoleridgeandrobertlovell.each,oneevening,hadsetforthtowriteanactbythenext.southeyandlovelldidso,butcoleridgebroughtonlyapartofhis.lovell'sbeinguseless,southeyrewrotehisact,coleridgefinishedhisatleisure,andtheresultwaspublished.robertlovell(1770?-1796)hadalsobeenassociatedwithcoleridgeandsoutheyinpantisocracyandwastheirbrother-in-law,havingmarriedmaryfricker,anotherofthesisters.when,in1795,southeyandlovellhadpublishedajointvolumeofpoems,southeytookthepseudonymofbionandlovellofmoschus.

maywasprobablythelandlordofthesalutationandcat.thelondondirectoryfor1808has"williammay,salutationcoffeehouse,17newgatestreet."wemustsupposethatwhencoleridgequittedthesalutationandcatinjanuary,1795,hewasunabletopayhisbill,andthereforehadtoleavehisagebehind.cottle'sstoryofcoleridgebeingofferedfreelodgingbyalondoninn-keeper,ifhewouldonlytalkandtalk,musttheneitherbeaprettyinventionorapplytoanotherlandlord,possiblythehostoftheangelinbutcherhallstreet.

allenwasrobertallen,aschoolfellowoflambandcoleridge,andcoleridge'sfirstfriend.hewasbornonoctober18,1772.bothlambandleighhunttellgoodstoriesofhimatchrist'shospital,lambineliaandhuntinhisautobiography.fromchrist'shospitalhewenttouniversitycollege,oxford,anditwashewhointroducedcoleridgeandhuckstosoutheyin1794.probably,saysmr.e.h.coleridge,itwashewhobroughtcoleridgeandjohnstoddart(afterwardssirjohn,andhazlitt'sbrother-in-law)together.onleavingoxfordheseemstohavegonetowestminstertolearnsurgery,andin1797hewasappointeddeputy-surgeontothe2ndroyals,theninportugal.hemarriedawidowwithchildren;atsometimelatertooktojournalism,aslamb'sreferenceintheeliaessayon"newspapers"tellsus;andhediedofapoplexyin1805.

coleridge'semploymentontheevidencesofreligion,whateveritmayhavebeen,didnotreachprint.

legricewascharlesvalentinelegrice(1773-1858),anoldchrist'shospitallerandgrecian(seelamb'seliaessayson"christ'shospital"and"gracebeforemeat").legricepassedtotrinitycollege,cambridge.heleftin1796andbecametutortowilliamjohngodolphinnichollsoftrereife,nearpenzance,theonlysonofawidowedmother.legricewasordainedin1798andmarriedmrs.nichollsin1799.youngnichollsdiedin1815andmrs.legricein1821,whenlegricebecamesoleownerofthetrereifeproperty.hewasincumbentofst.mary's,penzance,forsomeyears.legricewasawitty,rebelliouscharacter,butheneverfulfilledthepromiseofhisearlydays.ithasbeenconjecturedthathisskillinpunningawakenedlamb'sambitioninthatdirection.legricesawlambnextin1834,atthebellatedmonton.hisrecollectionsoflambwereincludedbytalfourdinthememorials,andhisrecollectionsofcoleridgewereprintedinthegentleman'smagazine,december,1834.iknownothingofmisshunt.

oflamb'sconfinementinamadhouseweknownomorethanisheretold.itisconjecturedthatthe"otherperson"towhomlambrefersafewlineslaterwasannsimmons,agirlatwidfordforwhomhehadanattachmentthathadbeendiscouraged,ifnotforbidden,byherfriends.thisistheonlyattackofthekindthatlambisknowntohavesuffered.heoncetoldcoleridgethatduringhisillnesshehadsometimesbelievedhimselftobeyoungnorvalinhome's"douglas."

thepoeminblankversewas,welearninasubsequentletter,"thegrandame,"orpossiblyanautobiographicalworkofwhich"thegrandame"istheonlyportionthatsurvived.

whitewasjameswhite(1775-1820),anoldchrist'shospitallerandafriendandalmostexactcontemporaryoflamb.lamb,whofirstkindledhisenthusiasmforshakespeare,was,ithink,tosomeextentinvolvedintheoriginalletters,&c.,ofsirjohnfalstaffandhisfriends,whichappearedin1796.thededication—tomastersamuelirelaunde,meaningwilliamhenryireland(whosometimestookhisfather'snamesamuel),theforgerofthepretendedshakespearianplay"vortigern,"producedatdrurylaneearlierintheyear—isquiteinlamb'smanner.white'simmortality,however,restsnotuponthisbook,butuponhisportraitintheeliaessayon"chimney-sweepers."