They are dedicated with great propriety to the surviving sister. The narrative of Lamb's life consists in a brief sketch of his parentage, and of the trifling incidents which diversified his unadventurous career. He was born on the 18th of February, 1775, in the Inner Temple. His parents were in an humble station, but performed with exemplary fidelity the simple duties that belonged to it; his father was in the service of Mr. Salt, one of the benchers of the Inner Temple, to whom he became his clerk, his good servant, his dresser, his friend, his flapper, his guide, stop-watch, auditor, treasurer." the 9th of October, 1782, Charles was placed, at the age of seven, as a scholar at Christ's Hospital, where he remained until he had entered his fifteenth year. In November of 1789, he left the school, and lived with his parents, who still resided in the Temple; and soon obtained an appointment in the accountant's office of the East India Company. His small salary was devoted to their comfort; and his recreations were confined to the two shilling gallery of the theatre, and an occasional supper with some of his former schoolmates, one of whom was Coleridge, for whom he had formed an ardent admiration. While Coleridge was at the University, they met, on his visits to London; and after he quitted it, and came to town, Lamb became his associate and disciple, though differing essentially from him in the original bias of his mind. His first letters were written to Coleridge, who had settled, in 1796, at Bristol. They have but little merit, except as a faithful exhibition of Lamb's feelings at an early period of his life. Their most remarkable characteristic is the strong religious feeling that pervades them; a characteristic which afterwards seems to have disappeared, both from his conversation and correspondence. Both Coleridge and Lamb were then Unitarians. Coleridge afterwards became a virulent hater of opinions he had once cherished, and Lamb seems to have become indifferent to all opinions; at least there is no trace of his early zeal for religion, or of interest in any thing connected with it, to be found in his letters thus far. The faint outline of the curious intellectual character afterwards so fully delineated in his works, is just discernible; but as his years advanced, and his mind matured, his letters became more graphic and vigorous. The circle of his acquaintance with literary men enlarged, and his familiarity with some de partments of English poetry increased. He began his career as an author, with a few poetical efforts, which were published conjointly with Lloyd and Coleridge. The joint stock volume was not very well received by the critics or the public. Its success was perhaps fully equal to its merits. In 1795, Lamb was introduced to Southey, with whom he lived afterwards on the most friendly terms, a single misunderstanding of a moment excepted. His letters to Southey contain the first indications of his genuine humor, and from thein we make our first extract. now. My tailor has brought me home a new coat, lapelled, with a velvet collar. He assures me everybody wears velvet collars Some are born fashionable, some achieve fashion, and others, like your humble servant, have fashion thrust upon them. The rogue has been making inroads hitherto by modest degrees, foisting upon me an additional button, recommending gaiters, but to come upon me thus in a full tide of luxury, neither becomes him as a tailor or the ninth of a man. My meek gentleman was robbed the other day, coming with his wife and family in a one-horse shay from Hampstead; the villains rifled him of four guineas, some shillings and half-pence, and a bundle of customers' measures, which they swore were bank notes. They did not shoot him, and when they rode off he addressed them with profound gratitude, making a congee; 'Gentlemen, I wish you good night, and we are very much obliged to you that you have not used us ill!' And this is the cuckoo that has had the audacity to foist upon me ten buttons on a side, and a black velvet collar. A cursed ninth of a scoundrel!" - "When you write to Lloyd, he wishes his Jacobin correspondents to address him as Mr. C. L." - Vol. 1. pp. 93, 94. The following whimsical questions are found in a letter to Southey, dated July 28th, 1798, written on the occasion of Coleridge's departure for Germany, "to be by him defended. or oppugned (or both) at Leipsic or Göttingen." "1. Whether God loves a lying angel better than a true man? "2. Whether the archangel Uriel could knowingly affirm an untruth, and whether, if he could, he would? "3. Whether honesty be an angelic virtue, or not rather belonging to that class of qualities which the schoolmen term 'virtutes minus splendida, et hominis et terræ nimis participes'? "4. Whether the seraphim ardentes do not manifest their goodness by the way of vision and theory? and whether practice be not a sub-celestial, and merely human virtue? "5. Whether the higher order of seraphim illuminati ever sneer? "6. Whether pure intelligences can love, or whether they can love any thing besides pure intellect? "7. Whether the beatific vision be any thing more or less than a perpetual representment to each individual angel of his own present attainments, and future capabilities, something in the manner of mortal looking-glasses? 66 8. Whether an 'immortal and amenable soul may not come to be damned at last, and the man never suspect it beforehand? Vol. 1. pp. 97, 98. In the year 1799, Lainb became acquainted with Mr. Manning, a mathematical tutor at Cambridge University. His correspondence with this gentleman contains some of the richest and raciest specimens of his humor. In allusion to his friend's project of visiting China, he writes; "My dear Manning, The general scope of your letter afforded no indications of insanity, but some particular points raised a scruple. For God's sake don't think any more of 'Independent Tartary.' What are you to do among such Ethiopians? Is there no lineal descendant of Prester John? Is the chair empty? Is the sword unswayed?-depend upon it they'll never make you their king, as long as any branch of that great stock is remaining. I tremble for your Christianity. Read Sir John Mandeville's Travels to cure you, or come over to England. There is a Tartar-man now exhibiting at Exeter 'Change. Come and talk with him, and hear what he says first. Indeed, he is no very favorable specimen of his countrymen! But perhaps the best thing you can do, is to try to get the idea out of your head. For this purpose repeat to yourself every night, after you have said your prayers, the words, Independent Tartary, Independent Tartary, two or three times, and associate with them the idea of oblivion, ('t is Hartley's method with obstinate memories,) or say, Independent, Independent, have I not already got an independence? That was a clever way of the old puritans, pun-divinity. My dear friend, think what a sad pity it would be to bury such parts in heathen countries, among nasty, unconversable, horse-belching, Tartar people! Some say, they are Cannibals; and then, conceive a Tartar-fellow eating my friend, and adding the cool malignity of mustard and vinegar! I am afraid 't is the reading of Chaucer has misled you; his foolish stories about Cambuscan, and the ring, and the horse of brass. Believe me, there are no such things, 't is all the poet's invention; but if there were such darling things as old Chaucer sings, I would up behind you on the horse of brass, and frisk off for Prester John's country. But these are all tales; a horse of brass never flew, and a king's daughter never talked with birds! The Tartars, really, are a cold, insipid, smouchey set. You'll be sadly moped (if you are not eaten) among them. Pray try, and cure yourself. Take hellebore (the counsel is Horace's, 't was none of my thought originally). Shave yourself oftener. Eat no saffron, for saffron-eaters contract a terrible Tartar-like yellow. Pray, to avoid the fiend. Eat nothing that gives the heart-burn. Shave the upper lip. Go about like an European. Read no books of voyages (they are nothing but lies), only now and then a romance to keep the fancy under. Above all, don't go to any sights of wild beasts. That has been your ruin. Accustom yourself to write familiar letters, on common subjects, to your friends in England, such as are of a moderate understanding. And think about common things more. I supped last night with Rickman, and met a merry natural captain, who pleases himself vastly with once having made a pun at Otaheite in the Otaheite language.* 'Tis the same man who said Shakspeare he liked, because he was so much of the gentleman. Rickman is a man absolute in all numbers.' I think I may one day bring you acquainted, if you do not go to Tartary first; for you 'll never come back. Have a care, my dear friend, of Anthropophagi! their stomachs are always craving. "T is terrible to be weighed out at five pence a-pound. To sit at table (the reverse of fishes in Holland), not as a guest, but as a meat. "God bless you do come to England. Air and exercise may do great things. Talk with some minister. Why not your father? "God dispose all for the best. I have discharged my duty. "Your sincere friend, "C. LAMB." Vol. 1. pp. 245 - 248. "Captain, afterwards Admiral Burney, who became one of the most constant attendants on Lamb's parties, and whose son, Martin, grew up in his strongest regard, and received the honor of the dedication of the second volume of his works." Writing to Mr. Manning, after his departure, he thus describes his reception as a dramatic author. "So I go creeping on since I was lamed with that cursed fall from off the top of Drury-lane Theatre into the pit, something more than a year ago. However, I have been free of the house ever since, and the house was pretty free with me upon that occasion. Hang 'em how they hissed! it was not a hiss neither, but a sort of a frantic yell, like a congregation of mad geese, with roaring sometimes like bears, mows and mops like apes, sometimes snakes, that hissed me into madness. T was like St. Anthony's temptations. Mercy on us, that God should give his favorite children, men, mouths to speak with, to discourse rationally, to promise smoothly, to flatter agreeably, to encourage warmly, to counsel wisely, to sing with, to drink with, and to kiss with, and that they should turn them into mouths of adders, bears, wolves, hyenas, and whistle like tempests, and emit breath through them like distillations of aspic poison, to asperse and vilify the innocent labors of their fellowcreatures who are desirous to please them! Heaven be pleased to make the teeth rot out of them all, therefore! Make them a reproach, and all that pass by them to loll out their tongue at them!" Vol. 1. pp. 303, 304. The following amusing play upon his own name, is in a letter to the same gentleman, of a subsequent date. - As at "I continue Mr. Lamb. I have published a little book for children on titles of honor; and to give them some idea of the difference of rank and gradual rising, I have made a little scale, supposing myself to receive the following various accessions of dignity from the King, who is the fountain of honor. first, 1. Mr. C. Lamb; 2. C. Lamb, Esq.; 3. Sir C. Lamb, Bart.; 4. Baron Lamb of Stamford; * 5. Viscount Lamb; 6. Earl Lamb; 7. Marquis Lamb; 8. Duke Lamb. It would look like quibbling to carry it on further, and especially as it is not necessary for children to go beyond the ordinary titles of sub-regal dignity in our own country, otherwise I have sometimes in my dreams imagined myself still advancing, as 9th, King Lamb; 10th, Emperor Lamb; 11th, Pope Innocent, higher than which is nothing. Puns I have not made many, (nor punch much) since the date of my last; one I cannot help relating. A constable in Salisbury Cathedral was telling me "Where my family came from. I have chosen that, if ever I should have my choice." |