1796 The Forbidden Holiday 33 her whithersoever she goes. For the life and soul of me I could not improve those lines in your poem on the Prince and Princess, so I changed them to what you bid me and left 'em at Perry's. I think 'em altogether good, and do not see why you were sollicitous about any alteration. I have not yet seen, but will make it my business to see, to-day's Chronicle, for your verses on Horne Took. Dyer stanza'd him in one of the papers t'other day, but I think unsuccessfully. Tooke's friends' meeting was I suppose a dinner of CONDOLENCE. I am not sorry to find you (for all Sara) immersed in clouds of smoke and metaphysic. You know I had a sneaking kindness for this last noble science, and you taught me some smattering of it. I look to become no mean proficient under your tuition. Coleridge, what do you mean by saying you wrote to me about Plutarch and Porphyry-I received no such letter, nor remember a syllable of the matter, yet am not apt to forget any part of your epistles, least of all an injunction like that. I will cast about for 'em, tho' I am a sad hand to know what books are worth, and both those worthy gentlemen are alike out of my line. To-morrow I shall be less suspensive and in better cue to write, so good bye at present. Friday Evening.-That execrable aristocrat and knave Richardson has given me an absolute refusal of leave! The poor man cannot guess at my disappointment. Is it not hard, "this dread dependance on the low bred mind?" Continue to write to me tho', and I must be content- Our loves and best good wishes attend upon you both. LAMB. Savory did return, but there are 2 or 3 more ill and absent, which was the plea for refusing me. I will never commit my peace of mind by depending on such a wretch for a favor in future, so shall never have heart to ask for holidays again. The man next him in office, Cartwright, furnished him with the objections. C. LAMB. [The Dactyls were Coleridge's only in the third stanza; the remainder were Southey's. The poem is known as "The Soldier's Wife," printed in Southey's Poems, 1797. Later Southey revised the verses. The Anti-Jacobin had a parody of them. Young Savory was probably a relative of Hester Savory, whom we shall meet later. He entered the East India House on the same day that Lamb did. We do not know what were the lines from Wither which Coleridge had sent to Lamb; but Lamb himself eventually did much to bring him and the elder bards into more general famein the Dramatic Specimens, 1808, and in the essay "On the Poetical Works of George Wither," in the Works, 1818. Stupid Knox was Vicesimus Knox (1752-1821), the editor of Elegant Extracts in many forms. Her sweet little poem." Sara Coleridge's verses no longer exist. See Lamb's next letter for his poetical reply. Coleridge's poem on the Prince and Princess, "On a Late Connubial Rupture in High Life," was not accepted by Perry, of the Morning Chronicle. It appeared in the Monthly Magazine, September, 1796. The "Verses addressed to J. Horne Tooke and the company who met on June 28, 1796, to celebrate his poll at the Westminster Election were not printed in the Morning Chronicle. Tooke had opposed Charles James Fox, who polled 5,160 votes, and Sir Alan Gardner, who polled 4,814, against his own 2,819. Dyer was George Dyer (1755-1841), an old Christ's Hospitaller (but before Lamb and Coleridge's time), of whom we shall see much-Lamb's famous "G. D." William Richardson was Accountant-General of the East India House at that time; Charles Cartwright, his Deputy.] LETTER 6 CHARLES LAMB TO S. T. COLERIDGE WAS The 5th July, 1796. [P.M. Same date.] TO SARA AND HER SAMUEL I did but ask AS it so hard a thing? What if the jaded Steer, who all day long That Man were crabbed, who should say him Nay: That Man were churlish, who should drive him thence ! A blessing light upon your heads, ye good, Ye hospitable pair. I may not come, To catch on Clifden's heights the summer gale: I may not come, a pilgrim, to the "Vales Where Avon winds," to taste th' inspiring waves LETTER 7 CHARLES LAMB TO S. T. COLERIDGE C. L. the 6th July [P.M. July 7, 1796]. 35 UBSTITUTE in room of that last confused & incorrect Paragraph, following the words "disastrous course,' SUB these lines Vide 3d page of this epistle. no With better hopes, I trust, from Avon's vales [Lamb has crossed through the above lines.] Let us prose. What can I do till you send word what priced and placed house you should like? Islington (possibly) you would not like, to me 'tis classical ground. Knightsbridge is a desirable situation for the air of the parks. St. George's Fields is convenient for its contiguity to the Bench. Chuse! But are you really coming to town? The hope of it has entirely disarmed my petty disappointment of its nettles. Yet I rejoice so much on my own account, that I fear I do not feel enough pure satisfaction on yours. Why, surely, the joint editorship of the Chron must be a very comfortable & secure living for a man. But should not you read French, or do you? & can you write with sufficient moderation, as 'tis call'd, when one suppresses the one half of what one feels, or could say, on a subject, to chime in the better with popular lukewarmness?-White's "Letters" are near publication. Could you review 'em, or get 'em reviewed? Are you not connected with the Crit Rev: ? His frontispiece is a good conceit : Sir John learning to dance, to please Madame Page, in dress of doublet, etc., from [for] the upper half; & modern pantaloons, with shoes, etc., of the 18th century, from [for] the lower half- & the whole work is full of goodly quips & rare fancies, "all deftly masqued like hoar antiquity "much superior to Dr. Kenrick's Falstaff's Wedding, which you may have seen. Allen sometimes laughs at Superstition, & Religion, & the like. A living fell vacant lately in the gift of the Hospital. White informed him that he stood a fair chance for it. He scrupled & scrupled about it, and at last (to use his own words) "tampered" with Godwin to know whether the thing was honest or not. Godwin said nay to it, & Allen rejected the living! Could the blindest Poor Papish have bowed more servilely to his Priest or Casuist? Why sleep the Watchman's answers to that Godwin? I beg you will not delay to alter, if you mean to keep, those last lines I sent you. Do that, & read these for your pains : 1796. TO THE POET COWPER Cowper, I thank my God that thou art heal'd! And I am sad to think that it should light In Hall or Bower, taking the delicate Ear Of Sydney, & his peerless Maiden Queen. Thou, then, take up the mighty Epic strain, I have read your climax of praises in those reviews. These mighty spouters-out of panegyric waters have, 2 of 'em, scattered their spray even upon me ! & the waters are cooling & refreshing. Prosaically, the Monthly Reviewers have made indeed a large article of it, & done you justice. The Critical 1796 Cowper 37 have, in their wisdom, selected not the very best specimens, & notice not, except as one name on the muster-roll, the "Religious Musings." I suspect Master Dyer to have been the writer of that article, as the substance of it was the very remarks & the very language he used to me one day. I fear you will not accord entirely with my sentiments of Cowper, as exprest above, (perhaps scarcely just), but the poor Gentleman has just recovered from his Lunacies, & that begets pity, & pity love, and love admiration, & then it goes hard with People but they lie! Have you read the Ballad called "Leonora," in the second Number of the "Monthly Magazine"? If you have ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! There is another fine song, from the same author (Berger), in the 3d No., of scarce inferior merit ; & (vastly below these) there are some happy specimens of English hexameters, in an imitation of Ossian, in the 5th No. For your Dactyls I am sorry you are so sore about 'em-a very Sir Fretful! In good troth, the Dactyls are good Dactyls, but their measure is naught. Be not yourself "half anger, half agony” if I pronounce your darling lines not to be the best you ever wrote—you have written much. For the alterations in those lines, let 'em run thus: I may not come a pilgrim, to the Banks To muse, in tears, on that mysterious Youth, &c. Then the last paragraph alter thus Complaint begone, begone unkind reproof, (inspiring wave) was too common place. (better than "drop a tear") Have a care, good Master poet, of the Statute de Contumelia. What do you mean by calling Madame Mara harlot & naughty things? The goodness of the verse would not save you in a court of Justice. But are you really coming to town? Coleridge, a gentleman called in London lately from Bristol, inquired whether there were any of the family of a Mr. |