of her; and the restless fidgetiness of Lewis, who, with no such fears, not seldom leaped o' the other side. There hang Farren and Whitfield, and Burton and Phillimore, names of small account in those times, but which, remembered now, or casually recalled by the sight of an old play-bill, with their associated recordations, can "drown an eye unused to flow." There too hangs, not far removed from them in death, the graceful plainness of the first Mrs. Pope, with a voice unstrung by age, but which in her better days must have competed with the silver tones of Barry himself, so enchanting in decay do I remember it,—of all her lady parts, exceeding herself in the "Lady Quakeress" (there earth touched heaven!) of O'Keefe, when she played it to the "merry cousin" of Lewis; and Mrs. Mallocks, the sensiblest of viragoes; and Miss Pope, a gentlewoman ever, the verge of ungentility, with Churchill's compliment still burnishing upon her gay Honeycomb lips. There are the two Bannisters, and Sedgwick, and Kelly, and Dignum (Diggy), and the bygone features of Mrs. Ward, matchless in Lady Loverule; and the collective majesty of the whole Kemble family; and (Shakespeare's woman) Dora Jordan; and, by her, two Antics, who, in former and in latter days, have chiefly beguiled us of our griefs; whose portraits we shall strive to recall, for

to

the sympathy of those who may

not have had the benefit of viewing the matchless Highgate collection.

MR. SUETT.

1

O for a "slip-shod muse," to celebrate in numbers, loose and shambling as himself, the merits and the person of Mr. Richard Suett, Comedian!

Then followed the characteristic sketches of Suett and Munden, on pages 178 and 195.

To the suggestias probably conferred on Malvolio" for other

(on page 174) that the stewardship of the Lady

Olivia's household
respects than age or length of service," a note was appended.

1

Mrs. Inchbald seems to have fallen into the common mistake of the character in some sensible observations, otherwise, on this comedy. "It might be asked," she says, "whether this credulous steward was much deceived in

imputing a degraded taste, in the sentiments of love, to his fair lady Olivia, as she actually did fall in love with a domestic, and one who, from his extreme youth, was perhaps a greater reproach to her discretion than had she cast a tender regard upon her old and faithful servant." But where does she gather the fact of his age? Neither Maria nor Fabian ever cast that reproach upon him.

The following passage, which originally formed part of Elia's acute vindication of Malvolio, was omitted when the Essay was republished, to its manifest improvement. It is interesting as showing how real Shakespeare's creations were to Lamb. After the word "misrule,” at the end of the first paragraph on page 175, the paper in the “London Magazine" continued:

There was "example for it," said Malvolio; "the lady of the Strachy married the yeoman of the wardrobe." Possibly, too, he might remember-for it must have happened about his time—an instance of a Duchess of Malfy (a country woman of Olivia's, and her equal at least) descending from her state to court a steward:

"The misery of them that are born great!

They are forced to woo because none dare woo them."

To be sure, the lady was not very tenderly handled for it by her brothers in the sequel, but their vengeance appears to have been whetted rather by her presumption in remarrying at all (when they had meditated the keeping of her fortune in their family), than by her choice of an inferior, of Antonio's noble merits especially, for her husband; and, besides, Olivia's brother was just dead. Malvolio was a man of reading, and possibly reflected upon these lines, or something like them, in his own country poetry :

66

Ceremony has made many fools.
It is as easy way unto a duchess

As to a hatted dame, if her love answer;
But that by timorous honours, pale respects,
Idle degrees of fear, men make their ways
Hard of themselves."

""Tis but fortune; all is fortune.

Maria once told me she

did affect me; and I have heard herself come thus near, that, should she fancy, it should be one of my complexion."

If here was no encouragement, the devil is in it. I wish we could get at the private history of all this. Between the countess herself, serious or dissembling-for one hardly knows how to apprehend this fantastical great lady—and the practices of that delicious little piece of mischief, Maria

"The lime-twigs laid

By Machiavel, the waiting-maid

the man might well be rapt into a fool's paradise. Bensley threw over the part, &c.

ON THE ARTIFICIAL COMEDY OF THE LAST CENTURY.

The long passage, extending from page 191 to page 195, which we have restored to this Essay, was probably withdrawn at the request of either Kemble or Godwin, with both of whom Lamb was intimate. The story of the "damning " of his tragedy, although told in such a delightfully easy and lively manner, perhaps made Godwin wince, notwithstanding his philosophy. As it is impossible the passage should have been suppressed as unworthy of Elia, we have preferred to insert it with the context rather than in the Appendix, though it has little connection with the real subject of the Essay. "M." was Mr. Marshall, an old friend of Godwin's. "R -S" was, probably, J. Hamilton Reynolds, a dramatist, and one of the contributors to the “London Magazine.”

PREFACE TO THE LAST ESSAYS OF ELIA.

The so-called preface to the "Last Essays of Elia" was evidently intended originally as a postscript to the first series of Essays. Lamb at the time did not intend to furnish any more contributions to the "London" (except, possibly, a few pieces he may have had in hand), and was only prevailed upon to continue them at the earnest solicitation of the publishers. The present preface first appeared as

A CHARACTER OF THE LATE ELIA.

BY A FRIEND.

This gentleman, who for some months past had been in a declining way, hath at length paid his final tribute to nature. He just lived long enough (it was what he wished) to see his papers collected into a volume. The pages of the "London Magazine" will henceforth know him no

more.

Exactly at twelve last night, his queer spirit departed; and the bells of Saint Bride's rang him out with the old

‡

year. The mournful vibrations were caught in the dining, room of his friends T. and H.,* and the company, assembled there to welcome in another 1st of January, checked their carousals in mid-mirth, and were silent. Janus † wept. The gentle Pr, in a whisper, signified his intention of devoting an elegy; and Allan C., § nobly forgetful of his countrymen's wrongs, vowed a memoir to his manes full and friendly as a "Tale of Lyddalcross." -To say truth, it is time he were gone

And so on to the end. After the last paragraph of the "Preface" as it now stands, the "Character" continued:

He left little property behind him. Of course, the little that is left (chiefly in India bonds) devolves upon his cousin Bridget. A few critical dissertations were found in his escritoire, which have been handed over to the editor of this magazine, in which it is to be hoped they will shortly appear, retaining his accustomed signature. Fuss) 1077d

*

г

He has himself not obscurely hinted that his employment lay in a public office. The gentlemen in the export department of the East India House will forgive me if I acknowledge the readiness with which they assisted me in the retrieval of his few manuscripts. They pointed out in a most obliging manner the desk at which he had been planted for forty years; showed me ponderous tomes of figures, in his own remarkably neat hand, which, more properly than his few printed tracts, might be called his "Works." They seemed affectionate to his memory, and universally commended his, expertness in book-keeping. It seems he was the inventor of some ledger which should combine the precision and certainty of the Italian double entry (I think they called it) with the Team not able to brevity and facility of some newer German system; but I am appreciate the worth of the discovery. I have often heard him express a warm regard for his associates in office, and

།

To Taylor and Hessey, the publishers of the "London Magazine."out Janus Weathercock, the nom de plume of Mr. Wainwright, one of

the contributors to the "London."

Mr. Procter, better known as Barry Cornwall. § Allan Cunningham, the Scotch poet. Kalau eld for

APPENDIX.

I

133

1r

rimib qut mi tieng › now engitarliv Juta rom giT how fortunate he considered himself in having his lot them, There Inrown in amongst ther e is more sense, more discourse, more shrewdness, and even talent, among these clerks (he would say), than in twice the number of authors by profession that I have conversed with, He would brighten up sometimes upon the "old days of the India House," when he consorted with Woodroffe and Wissett, and Peter Corbet (a descendant and worthy representative, bating the point of sanctity, of old facetious Bishop Corbet); and Hoole, who translated Tasso; and Bartlemy Brown, whose father (God assoil him therefor!) modernised Walton; and sly, warm-hearted old Jack Cole (King Cole they called him in those days) and Campe and Fom belle, and a world of choice spirits, more than I can remember to name, who associated in those days with Jack Burrell (the bon-vivant of the South Sea House); and little Eyton (said to be a fac-simile of Pope, he was a miniature of a gentleman), that was cashier under him; and Dan Voight of the Custom-house, that left the famous library. I Well, Elia is gone,for aught I know, to be re-united with them, and these poor traces of his pen are all we have to show for it. How little survives of the wordiest authors Of all they said or did in their lifetime, a few glittering words only! His Essays found some favourers, as they appeared separately. They shuffled their way in the crowd well enough singly: how they will read, now they are brought together, is a question for the publishers, who have thus ventured to draw out into onellt weaved-up follies."

of alde

I

BLAKESMOOR, IN H

SHIRE.

piece his

PHIL-ELIALOS

ee to The real name of this place was Gilston. It belonged to the Plumers, a Hertfordshire family, who preferred to live in a more modern dwelling, and left the old house entirely under the control of Lamb's grandmother, Mrs. Field; and Charles in his boyhood was a frequent visitor there. The description of Blakesmoor is very exact; even the “Beauty with the cool blue pastoral drapery" has been identified. But although there is an air of sincerity in Elia's lamentations which it is difficult to believe only assumed, the house was never pulled down at all; it was in excellent preservation not many years ago, and probably remains so