Speak,—in what grove or hazel shade,
For "musing meditation made,"
Dost wander?—or on Penshurst Lawn,
Where Sidney's fame had time to dawn
And die, ere yet the hate of Men
Could envy at his perfect pen?
Or, dost thou, in some London street,
(With voices fill'd and thronging feet,)
Loiter, with mien 'twixt grave and gay?—
Or take along some pathway sweet,
Thy calm suburban way?
Happy beyond that man of Ross,
Whom mere content could ne'er engross,
Art thou,—with hope, health, "learned leisure;"
Friends, books, thy thoughts, an endless pleasure!
—Yet—yet,—(for when was pleasure made
Sunshine all without a shade?)
Thou, perhaps, as now thou rovest
Through the busy scenes thou lovest,
With an Idler's careless look,
Turning some moth-pierced book,
Feel'st a sharp and sudden woe
For visions vanished long ago!
And then thou think'st how time has fled
Over thy unsilvered head,
Snatching many a fellow mind
Away, and leaving—what?—behind!
Nought, alas! save joy and pain
Mingled ever, like a strain
Of music where the discords vie
With the truer harmony.
So, perhaps, with thee the vein
Is sullied ever,—so the chain
Of habits and affections old,
Like a weight of solid gold,
Presseth on thy gentle breast,
Till sorrow rob thee of thy rest.
Ay: so't must be!—Ev'n I, (whose lot
The fairy Love so long forgot,)
Seated beside this Sherris wine,
And near to books and shapes divine,
Which poets, and the painters past
Have wrought in lines that aye shall last,—
Ev'n I, with Shakspeare's self beside me,
And one whose tender talk can guide me
Through fears, and pains, and troublous themes,
Whose smile doth fall upon my dreams
Like sunshine on a stormy sea,—
Want something—when I think of thee!
LIST OF LETTERS
ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED
Aders, Charles, to Jan. 8, 1823
Ainsworth, W. Harrison, to May 7, 1822
Dec. 9, 1823
Dec. 29, —
Aitken, J., to July 5, 1825
Allsop, Thomas, to July 13, 1820
? 1821
? —
March 30, —
Oct. 21, —
July, 1823
Sept. 6, —
Sept. 9, —
Sept. 10, —
Sept. —
? Oct. —
Jan. 17, 1825
Sept. 9, —
Sept. 24, —
Dec. 5, —
? Middle
Dec., 1827
Dec. 20, —
Jan. 9, 1828
May 1, —
Jan. 28, 1829
Late July, —
July 2, 1832
Mrs. Thomas, to April 13, 1824
Arnold, S.J., to (from Charles and Mary Lamb) No date.
Asbury, Jacob Vale, to ? April, 1830
No date.
Athenaeum, printer of, to No date. 1834
Ayrton, William, to May 12, 1817
Oct. 27, 1821
March 14, 1830
Mrs. William, to Jan. 23, 1821
March 15, —
(from Mary Lamb) No date.
April 16, 1833
Barton, Bernard, to Sept. 11, 1822
Oct. 9, —
Dec. 23, —
Jan. 9, 1823
Feb. 17, —
March 11, —
April 5, —
May 3, —
July 10, —
Sept. 2, —
Sept. 17, —
Nov. 22, —
Jan. 9, 1824
Jan. 23, —
Feb. 25, —
March 24, —
Early
Spring, —
May 15, —
July 7, —
Aug. 17, —
Sept. 30, —
Dec. 1, —
Feb. 10, 1825
March 23, —
April 6, —
July 2, —
Aug. 10, —
Feb. 7, 1826
March 20, —
May 16, —
Sept. 26, —
No date. —
No date. 1827
June 11, —
Aug. 10, —
Aug. 28, —
Late —
Dec. 4, —
End of —
April 21, 1828
Oct. 11, —
Dec. 5, —
March 25, 1829
June 3, —
July 25, —
Dec. 8, —
Feb. 25, 1830
June 28, —
Aug. 30, —
April 30, 1831
Lucy, to (P.S. to letter to B.B.) Dec. 1, 1824
Betham, Barbara, to (from Mary Lamb) Nov. 2, 1814
Mary, to June 5, 1833
June 5, —
Jan. 24, 1834
Matilda, to No date. 1808
No date. —
(from Mary Lamb) ? 1811
? Late
Summer, 1815
No date. —
No date. —
June 1, 1816
June, 1833
Cary, Rev. H.F., to Oct. 14, 1823
April 3, 1826
May 6, 1831
Sept. 9, 1833
(from Charles and Mary Lamb) Sept. 12, 1834
Oct. —
Oct. 18, —
Chambers, Charles, to ? May, 1825
Childs, Mr., to ? Dec., 1834
No date. —
Clare, John, to Aug. 31, 1822
Clarke, Charles Cowden, to Summer, 1821
Feb. 25, 1828
Oct., —
Dec., —
Feb. 2, 1829
End of
June, 1834
Clarkson, Thomas and Catherine, to June, 1807
Clarkson, Mrs. Thomas, to (from Mary Lamb) Dec. 10, 1808
Dec. 10, —
Colburn (?), Henry, to June 14, (?1825)
Sept. 25, 1837
Coleridge, S.T., to May 27, 1796
End of May —
June 10, —
June 13, —
July 1, —
July 5, —
July 6, —
Sept. 27, —
Oct. 3, —
Oct. 17, —
Oct. 24, —
Oct. 28, —
Nov. 8, —
Nov. 14, —
Dec. 2, —
Dec. 5, —
Dec. 9, —
Dec. 10, —
Jan. 2, 1797
Jan. 10, —
Jan. 18, —
Feb. 5, —
Feb. 13, —
April 7, —
April 15, —
June 13, —
June 24, —
? June 29, —
Late July —
Aug. 24, —
About
Sept. 20, —
Jan. 28, 1798
Early
Summer, —
? Jan. 23, 1800
? April
16 or 17, —
? Spring, —
May 12, —
Coleridge, S.T., to ? Late
July, —
Aug. 6, —
Aug. 14, —
Aug. 26, —
Sept. 8, 1802
Oct. 9, —
Oct. 11, —
Oct. 23, —
Nov. 4, —
April 13, 1803
May 27, —
March 10, 1804
April 5, —
(from Mary Lamb) No date.
June 7, 1809
Oct. 30, —
Aug. 13, 1814
Aug. 26, —
Dec. 24, 1818
? Summer, 1819
Jan 10, 1820
? Autumn, —
May 1, 1821
March 9, 1822
? June, 1825
July 2, —
March 22, 1826
June 1, —
April 14, 1832
Mrs. S.T., to (from Mary Lamb) Oct. 13, 1804
Collier, John Dyer, to No date. 1812
Mr. and Mrs. J.D., to Jan. 6, 1823
Mrs. J.D., to (from Mary Lamb) No date.
Nov. 2, 1824
John Payne, to Dec 10, 1817
May 16, 1821
Cottle, Joseph, to Nov. 5, 1819
? Late —
? May 26, 1820
Dibdin, John Bates, to ? 1823
May 6, —
Oct 28, —
July 28, 1824
Jan. 11, 1825
June 30, 1826
July 14, —
Sept. 9, —
Sept. 5, 1827
Sept. 13, —
Sept. 18 —
Oct. 2, —
Dilke, Charles Wentworth, to March 5, 1832
Feb., 1833
April, —
Middle Dec —
No date. ? 1834
No date. —
End of July —
Dyer, George, to Dec. 5, 1808
? Jan., 1829
April 29, —
Dec. 20, 1830
Feb. 22, 1831
Mrs. George, to Dec. 22, 1834
Elton, C.A., to Aug. 17, 1821
Field, Barren, to Aug. 31, 1817
Aug. 16, 1820
Sept. 22, 1822
Oct. 4, 1827
Forster, John, to ? Late
April, 1832
Dec. 23, —
No date.
No date.
No date.
? March, 1833
May, —
May 12, —
June 25, 1834
Fryer, Miss, to Feb. 14, —
No date.
Gillman, James, to May 2, 1821
Oct. 26, 1829
? Nov. 29, —
Nov. 30 —
March 8, 1830
? Early
Spring, —
Gillman, Rev. James, to May 7, 1833
Aug. 5, 1834
Godwin, William, to Dec. 4, 1800
No date.
Autumn, —
Dec. 10, —
Dec. 14, —
June 29, 1801
Sept. 9, —
Sept. 17, —
Nov. 8, 1803
Nov. 10, —
? 1806
March 11, 1808
? 1810
May 16, 1822
Mrs., to No date.
Gutch, John Mathew, to No date. 1800
April 9, 1810
Haydon, Benjamin Robert, to Dec. 26, 1817
Oct. 9, 1822
Oct. 29, —
March, 1827
Aug., 1828
Hazlitt, William, to Nov. 10, 1805
Jan. 15, 1806
Feb. 19, —
March 15, —
Aug. 9, 1810
Nov. 28, —
Oct. 2, 1811
Mrs. W. See Stoddart, Sarah
jr., William, to Sept. 13, 1831
Rev. W., to Feb. 18, 1808
Hill, Thomas, to No date.
Holcroft, jr., Thomas, to Autumn, 1819
Hone, William, to April, 1824
May 2, 1825
Oct. 24, —
April, 1827
End of May, —
June, —
Early July, —
Oct., —
Dec. 15, —
May 21, 1830
March 6, 1833
Hood, Thomas, to Aug. 10, 1824
May, 1827
Sept. 18, —
No date. ?—
Late
Autumn, 1828?
? May, 1829?
Hoods, the Thomas, to (from Mary Lamb) ? Summer, 1828
Hume, Joseph, to No date.
his daughters, to No date. 1832
Mrs., to No date.
Humphreys, Miss, to Jan. 27 1821
Hunt, Leigh, to April 18, —
? Nov., 1824
Dec., 1827
Hutchinson, Sarah, to (from Mary Lamb) Aug. 29 1815
Aug. 20, —
Oct. 19, —
(from Mary Lamb) Middle of
Nov., 1816
? Late —
April 25, 1823
(?) No date.
Nov. 25, 1824
Jan. 20, 1825
March 1, —
April 18, —
James, Miss Sarah, to ? April, 1829
Kelly, Fanny, to July 20, 1819
July 20, —
Kenny, James and Louisa, to Oct., 1817
Mrs. James, to (from Mary Lamb) ? Early
Dec., 1822
Knowles, James Sheridan, to ? April, 1832
Lamb, Mrs. John, to May 22, 1822
Mary, to August, —
Landor, Walter Savage, to Oct., 1832
Lloyd, Charles, to Autumn, 1823
Manning, Thomas, to Dec., 1799
Dec. 28, —
Feb. 13, 1800
March 1, —
March 17, —
April 5, —
May 20, —
? May 25, —
Aug. 9, —
Aug. 11, —
Aug. 24, —
Aug. 28, —
Sept. 22, —
Oct. 16, —
Nov. 3, —
Nov. 28, —
Dec. 13, —
Dec. 16, —
End of Dec.,—
Dec. 27, —
Feb. 15, 1801
Late Feb., —
April, —
? April, —
Aug., —
Aug. 31, —
? Feb. 15, 1802
? April, —
Sept. 24, —
Nov., —
Feb. 19, 1803
March, —
Feb. 23, 1805
July 27, —
Nov. 15, —
May 10, 1806
Dec. 5, —
Feb. 26, 1808
March 28, 1809
Jan. 2, 1810
Dec. 25, 1815
Dec. 26, —
May 28, 1819
? Feb 1825
Marter, W., to July 19, 1824
Montagu, Basil, to July 12, 1810
Mrs. Basil, to Summer, 1827
Morgan, John, to March 8, 1811
Mrs., to June 17, 1828
Moxon, Edward, to No date. 1826
? Sept., —
July 17, 1827
? Sept. 26, —
Dec. 22, —
? Jan., 1828
Feb. 18, —
March 19, —
May 3, —
Dec., —
No date. 1829
Sept. 22, —
May 12, 1830
Nov. 12, —
? Dec., —
? Dec. 25, —
Feb. 3, 1831
July 14, —
Early
August, —
Aug. 5, —
Sept. 5, —
Oct. 24, —
Dec. 15, —
June 1, 1832
Late —
Winter, —
Dec., —
Jan., 1833
Jan. 3, —
Jan. 24, —
Feb. 11, —
Feb., —
No date. —
Early —
March 19, —
? Spring, —
March 30, —
Spring, —
? April 10, —
April 25, —
April 27, —
July 14, —
July 24, —
and Emma (from Mary and Charles Lamb) ? July 31, —
(from Mary and Charles Lamb) Sept. 26, —
Oct. 17, —
Nov. 29, —
Jan. 28, 1834
Norris, Jane, to (from Mary Lamb) Dec. 25, 1841
Oct. 3, 1842
(from Miss James) July 25, 1843
Mrs. Randal, to (from Mary Lamb) June 18, 1823
Novello, Vincent, to Jan. 25, 1825
May 9, 1826
Nov. 6, 1828
? Nov. 10, 1829
May 14, 1830
Nov. 8, —
Mrs. Vincent, to (from Mary Lamb) Spring, 1820
Ollier, Charles, to ? Dec., 1825
Early 1826
March 16, —
Charles and James, to June 18, 1818
Patmore, P.G., to July 19, 1827
Sept., —
Payne, J.H., to Autumn, 1822
Oct. 22, —
Nov. 13, —
Jan., 1823
Jan. 23, —
Feb. [9], —
Poole, Thomas, to Feb. 14, 1804
May 4, —
May 5, —
Proctor, B.W., to ? Summer, 1821
April 13, 1823
Nov. 11, 1824
Jan. 19, 1829
Jan. 22, —
? Jan 29, —
No date. —
Feb. 2, —
No date. 1833
Rickman, John, to ? Nov., 1801
April 10, 1802
July 16, 1803
Jan. 25, 1806
March, —
Oct. 3, 1828
Robinson, H.C., to March 12, 1808
May, 1809
Feb. 7, 1810
Nov. 20, 1824
March 29, 1825
Jan. 20, 1827
Jan. 20, —
Jan. 29, —
Jan., —
June 26, —
Oct. 1, —
Feb. 26, 1828
Feb. 27, 1829
? April, —
April 17, —
? Early
Oct., 1832
Thomas, to Nov. 11, 1822
Rogers, Samuel, to March 22, 1829
Oct. 5, 1830
? Dec. 21, 1833
Russell, J. Fuller, to Summer, 1834
Sargus, Mr., to Feb. 23, 1815
Scott, John, to ? Feb., 1814
Dec. 12, —
Sir Walter, to Oct. 29, 1822
Shelley, Mrs. Percy Bysshe, to July 26, 1827
Southey, Robert, to July 28, 1798
Oct. 18, —
Oct. 29, —
Nov. 3, —
Nov. 8, —
? Nov., —
Nov. 28, —
Dec. 27, —
Jan. 21, 1799
Late Jan.
or early
Feb., —
March 15, —
March 20, —
Oct. 31, —
Nov. 7, 1804
May 6, 1815
Aug. 9, —
Oct. 26, 1818
Nov. 21, 1823
Aug. 10, 1825
May 10, 1830
Stoddart, Sir John, to Aug. 9, —
Lady, to (from Mary Lamb) Aug. 9, 1827
Sarah (later Mrs. Hazlitt), to
(from Mary Lamb) Sept. 21, 1803
(from Mary Lamb) ? March, 1804
Late July, —
Late July, —
(from Mary Lamb) ? Sept.18, 1805
Early Nov., —
Nov. 9
and 14, —
? Feb. 20, 21
and 22, 1806
March, —
June 2, —
? July 4, —
Oct 23, —
Dec. 11, —
(from Mary Lamb) Oct., 1807
Dec. 21, —
Feb. 12, 1808
March 16, —
Dec. 10, —
Dec. 10, —
(from Mary Lamb) June 2, 1809
Nov. 7, —
? End of 1810
Oct. 2, 1811
Early
Nov., 1823
March 4, 1830
May 24, —
June 3, —
May 31, 1833
Talfourd, T.N., to Aug., 1819
May 20, 1828
End of —
Feb., 1833
No date. 1834
Taylor, John, to June 8, 1821
July 21, —
Dec. 7, 1822
Williams, Mrs., to Feb. 26, 1830
March 1, —
March 5, —
March 22, —
April 2, —
April 9, —
April 21, —
Wilson, Walter, to Aug. 14, 1801
Dec. 16, 1822
Feb. 24, 1823
May 17, 1828
May 28, 1829
Nov. 15, —
Aug., 1832
Wordsworth, Dorothy, to (from Mary Lamb) July 9, 1803
June 2, 1804
(from Mary Lamb) Oct. 13, —
May 7, 1805
June 14, —
(from Mary Lamb) Aug. 29, 1806
Nov. 13, 1810
Nov. 13, —
(from Mary Lamb) Nov. 23, —
Nov. 23, —
(from Mary Lamb) Nov. 21, 1817
Nov. 21, —
Nov. 25, 1819
May 25, 1820
Jan. 8, 1821
(from Mary Lamb) Jan. 22, 1830
Mrs., to Feb. 18, 1818
William, to Jan. 30, 1801
March 5, 1803
Oct. 13, 1804
Feb. 18, 1805
Feb. 19, —
March 5, —
March 21, —
April 5, —
(and Dorothy) Sept. 28, —
Feb. 1, 1806
June 26, —
Dec. 11, —
Wordsworth, William, to Jan. 29, 1807
Oct. 19, 1810
Aug. 9, 1814
Sept. 19, —
Dec. 28, —
? Early
Jan., 1815
April 7, —
April 28, —
Aug. 9, —
April 9, 1816
April 26, —
Sept. 23, —
April 26, 1819
June 7, —
March 20, 1822
Jan., 1823
April 6, 1825
May, —
Sept. 6, 1826
May, 1828
Jan. 22, 1830
End of
May, 1833
Feb. 27, 1834