The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-08-03
Charles Lamb at Home.


The following charming little sketch
of Ella at home is from Barry Corn
wallis memoir of Charles Lamb, which
is TO be published in this country by
Messrs. Roberts Brothers:
When my thoughts turn backward,
as they sometimes do, to these days,
l sec my dear old friend again, Tin
my minds eye, Horatio;' with his
outstretched hand and his grave smile
of welcome. 1t was always in a room
of moderate size, comfortably but
plainly furnished, that he lived. An
old mahogany table was opened out
i'll the middle Of the room, round
which, and near the walls were old
high-backed chairs, (such as our
grandfathers used), and long plain
bookcase completely filed with old
books These were his ragged vet
Grams. In one of his letters he says,
"My rooms are luxurious, ono for
prints, one fol, books; q summer and
winter parlor. They however, were
not otherwise decorated. ] do not
remember 10 have seen an image or
flower in them. He bad not been
educated into expensive tastes His
eXtravagances were confined to books.
These were chosen by himself, all old,
and all in admirable disorders" vet
he could lay his hand on any volume
in moment you never saw" he
writes, "a bookcase in more true har-
mony with the contents than what /
have nailed up in my room. Though
new it has more aptitude for growing
old than you shall often see; as one
sometimes gets friend in the middle
Of life who becomes an old friend in a
short time
Here Charles Lamb sat when at
home, always near the old table. At
the'opposite side was his sister, en-
gagged in some domestic work, knitting
or sewing, or porting over modern
novel. Bridget in some things is be-
hind her years" In fact, although
she was ten years older than her
brother she had more sympathy with
modern books and with youthful fan
cies than he had. She wore n neat
cap, OF the fashion of her youth; and
an old-fashioned dress. Her face was
pale and somewhat square; but very
placid; with gray, intelligent eyes
She was very mild in her manner to
strangers and to her brother gentle
and tender, always She had often
an upward look of peculiar meaning,
when directed towards him; as though
to give him assurance that all was well
with her His affection for her was
somewhat less on the surface; but al
ways present There was great graft
tude intermingled with it. SIN the
days of walking infancy" he writes,
Il was her tender charge, as | have
been> her care in foolish manhood
since. y Then he adds, pathetically;
II wish could throw into heap the
remainder of our joint existences,
that we might share them in equal di
vision"
Lamb himself was always dressed
in black, q take it" he says, "to be
the proper costume of an author
When this was once objected to, at a
wedding, he pleaded the ravens apol-
ogy in the fable, that "he had no 9TH
err His clothes were entirely black;
and he wore long black CATERS up to
the knees. His head was bent for
ward, like one who had been reading;
and, if not standing or walking, he
generally had in his hand an old book,
pinch Of snuff, or, later in the
evening. a pipe He stammered lit
tie, pleasantly, just enough to prevent
his making speeches; just enough to
make you listen eagerly for his words,
always full of meaning or charged
with jest; or referring (but this was
rare) to some line or passage from
one of the old Elizabethan writers,
which was always ushered in with a
smile of tender reverence. When he
read aloud it was with slight tone,
which | used to think he had caught
from Coleridge; Coleridge's recitation,
however, rising to chant.
There was an utter want of parade
in everything he said and did, in eve
rything about him and his home
The only ornaments on his walls were
few engrayings in black frames:
One after Leonardo de Vinci; one af
ter Titan; and four, / think, by Hog
arth, about whom he has written so
we'll.