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The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 1 / Miscellaneous Prose cover

The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 1 / Miscellaneous Prose

Chapter 2: MISCELLANEOUS PROSE
By Charles Lamb
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A diverse assortment of short prose ranging from brief tales and personal reminiscences to theatrical and literary criticism, reviews, and occasional journalism. Pieces are presented largely in their original publication order and include sketches of characters, reflective table-talk, biographical memoirs, and moral or humorous essays. The writing moves between whimsical anecdote and sober reflection, repeatedly exploring memory, domestic hardship, theatrical experience, literary taste, and everyday curiosities. Readers encounter concise critical notes, vivid small narratives, and pastoral or urban vignettes that together map an intimate and conversational voice toward literature and ordinary life.

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Title: The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 1

Author: Charles Lamb

Mary Lamb

Editor: E. V. Lucas

Release date: October 8, 2012 [eBook #40988]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF CHARLES AND MARY LAMB — VOLUME 1 ***

THE WORKS OF
CHARLES AND MARY LAMB

1. MISCELLANEOUS PROSE
(1798-1834)

BY THE SAME EDITOR

  • The Life of Charles Lamb
  • Mr. Ingleside
  • Over Bemerton's
  • Listener's Lure
  • One Day and Another
  • Fireside and Sunshine
  • Character and Comedy
  • Old Lamps for New
  • The Hambledon Men
  • The Open Road
  • The Friendly Town
  • Her Infinite Variety
  • Good Company
  • The Gentlest Art
  • The Second Post
  • A Swan and Her Friends
  • A Wanderer in London
  • A Wanderer in Holland
  • A Wanderer in Paris
  • Highways and Byways in Sussex
  • Anne's Terrible Good Nature
  • The Slowcoach
  • Sir Pulteney

and

The Pocket Edition of the Works of Charles Lamb: I. Miscellaneous Prose; II. Elia; III. Children's Books; IV. Poems and Plays; V. and VI. Letters.

Charles Lamb (aged 30)
In the dress of a Venetian Senator,
From a painting by William Hazlitt.

MISCELLANEOUS PROSE

BY

CHARLES AND MARY LAMB

EDITED BY

E. V. LUCAS

WITH A FRONTISPIECE

METHUEN & CO LTD.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON

First Published in this form (Fcap. 8vo) in 1912

This Work was first Published in Seven Volumes (Demy 8vo) in 1903-5

PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION

This edition is the same as that in seven large volumes published between 1903 and 1905, except that it has been revised and amended and arranged in more companionable shape. Some new matter is included; some doubtful matter has been removed; and the notes, although occasionally enriched, have been reduced in number and often condensed. For completer annotation as well as for portraits and accessory illustrations the old edition must be consulted.

The present volume contains all Lamb's prose, with the exception of his work for children, his full notes in the Dramatic Specimens and Garrick Extracts, his prose plays and the Elia essays. The contents have been arranged in their order of publication, the earliest dating from 1798, when Lamb was twenty-three, and the latest belonging to 1834, the year of his death—thus covering the whole of his literary life.

In Mr. Bedford's design for the cover of this edition certain Elian symbolism will be found. The upper coat of arms is that of Christ's Hospital, where Lamb was at school; the lower is that of the Inner Temple, where he was born and spent many years. The figures at the bells are those which once stood out from the façade of St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet Street, and are now in Lord Londesborough's garden in Regent's Park. Lamb shed tears when they were removed. The tricksy sprite and the candles (brought by Betty) need no explanatory words of mine.

E. V. L.

CONTENTS

TEXTNOTE
PAGEPAGE
Rosamund Gray1438
Curious fragments, extracted from a commonplace-book which belonged to Robert Burton, the famous Author of The Anatomy of Melancholy35440
Early Journalism41442
I.G. F. Cooke in "Richard the Third"41442
II.Grand State Bed44442
III.Fable for Twelfth Day44444
IV.The Londoner46444
Characters of Dramatic Writers, Contemporary with Shakspeare48445
On the Inconveniences Resulting from Being Hanged65445
On the Danger of Confounding Moral with Personal Deformity: with a Hint to those who have the Framing of Advertisements for Apprehending Offenders74448
On the Ambiguities Arising from Proper Names80448
On the Genius and Character of Hogarth; with some Remarks on a Passage in the Writings of the Late Mr. Barry81448
On the Custom of Hissing at the Theatres, with some Account of a Club of Damned Authors101449
On Burial Societies; and the Character of an Undertaker107451
On the Tragedies of Shakspeare, Considered with Reference to their Fitness for Stage Representation112451
Specimens from the Writings of Fuller, the Church Historian130453
Edax on Appetite138454
Hospita on the Immoderate Indulgence of the Pleasures of the Palate145454
The Good Clerk, a Character; with some Account of "The Complete English Tradesman"148455
Memoir of Robert Lloyd153455
Confessions of a Drunkard154456
Recollections of Christ's Hospital162460
Table-Talk in The Examiner174464
I.Reynolds and Leonardo Da Vinci174464
II.The New Acting176465
III.Books with one Idea in them178466
IV.A Sylvan Surprise179467
V.Street Conversation179467
VI.A Town Residence180467
VII.Gray's Bard181468
VIII.An American War for Helen182468
IX.Dryden and Collier183468
X.Play-house Memoranda184468
Review of The Excursion187469
On the Melancholy of Tailors200473
On Needle-work204477
On the Poetical Works of George Wither210477
Five Dramatic Criticisms215484
I.Mrs. Gould (Miss Burrell) in "Don Giovanni"215484
II.Miss Kelly at Bath217485
III.Richard Brome's "Jovial Crew"219486
IV.Isaac Bickerstaff's "Hypocrite"221489
V.New Pieces at the Lyceum222490
Four Reviews225491
I.Falstaff's Letters225491
II.Charles Lloyd's Poems229493
III.Barron Field's Poems232493
IV.Keats' "Lamia"235494
Sir Thomas More239495
The Confessions of H. F. V. H. Delamore, Esq.246496
The Gentle Giantess248497
Letter to an Old Gentleman whose Education has been Neglected251497
Ritson versus John Scott the Quaker257498
Letter of Elia to Robert Southey265498
Guy Faux278509
Nugæ Criticæ: On a Passage in "The Tempest"285511
Original Letter of James Thomson288512
Biographical Memoir of Mr. Liston292512
A Vision of Horns299513
The Illustrious Defunct304514
Unitarian Protests310514
Autobiography of Mr. Munden314515
The "Lepus" Papers317515
I.Many Friends317516
II.Readers against the Grain319516
III.Mortifications of an Author322516
IV.Tom Pry324516
V.Tom Pry's Wife326517
VI.A Character327517
Reflections in the Pillory329518
The Last Peach333519
"Odes and Addresses to Great People"335519
The Religion of Actors337521
A Popular Fallacy340523
Reminiscences of Juke Judkins, Esq., of Birmingham342523
Contributions to Hone's Every-Day Book and Table Book349523
I.Remarkable Correspondent349527
II.Captain Starkey351528
III.Twelfth of August354528
IV.The Ass356529
V.In re Squirrels359530
VI.An Appearance of the Season360531
VII.The Months361531
VIII.Reminiscence of Sir Jeffery Dunstan366532
IX.Mrs. Gilpin Riding to Edmonton368533
X.The Defeat of Time369534
An Autobiographical Sketch375535
Shakspeare's Improvers376535
Saturday Night379537
Estimate of De Foe's Secondary Novels381537
Clarence Songs383539
Recollections of a Late Royal Academician385540
The Latin Poems of Vincent Bourne391544
The Death of Munden397545
Thoughts on Presents of Game, &c.398546
Table-Talk by the Late Elia400547
The Death of Coleridge406549
Cupid's Revenge407550

APPENDIX

Essays and Notes Not Certain To Be Lamb's, But Probably His